RIYADH: Alberto Longo, co-founder and chief championship officer at Formula E, has hailed last weekend’s Diriyah E-Prix double-header as “the best production that we have ever done in the history of Formula E.”
Longo spoke during a press conference on the sidelines of the two-day event in Riyadh, which represented rounds two and three of Season 9 of the FIA Formula E World Championship.
Both night races were won by Pascal Wehrlein of TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team.
Longo told Arab News: “I can tell you that after 102 races that we have done in the history of Formula E that this is by far the best production that we have ever done.”
“You can see it on the garages, it is something that has never been done before in the history of motorsport and those garages are full of LEDs that are by itself entertainment,” he said.
Adding to the spectacle of the races were the fan village and concert lineup hosted in the Kingdom’s birthplace, said Longo.
Carlo Boutagy, founder and CEO of CBX, the exclusive promoter of the Formula E World Championship in the Middle East, added that “this is the first time in the history of motorsports that the garages have been full of LED(s), even the race control which is really nice.”
“In Saudi every year we have been improving this race,” Boutagy added. “In the first year we had one race and then we moved it to a double-header, then we made it into a night race, which is the only race in the calendar that is a night race.”
Boutagy said this year’s Formula E was a big upgrade compared to previous editions with new headlining artists and areas for people to watch the contest, including at the fan village.
The fan village boasted several tents and booths offering interactive experiences and activities such as live gaming simulators.
“We have put a lot of effort and a lot of time and investment into it and we just try to push the bar year (after) year to give more to the people when they come and give them a better experience,” Boutagy said.
The 2023 Diriyah E-Prix saw 11 teams and 22 drivers take to the race grid for the fifth time in the Kingdom since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman inaugurated the event in December 2018.
