Article by Katy Fairman
After Oliver Rowland’s memorable Mexico win for Nissan, Formula E now heads to Saudi Arabia for its first double-header of the GEN3 Evo era. With a new car, and a tight and twisty street circuit to familiarise themselves with, plus the introduction of PIT BOOST, there’s plenty to preview ahead of the two night races.
The Jeddah Corniche Circuit might be a relatively new venue in the world of motorsport, but it has already hosted some big events for the likes of Formula 1 and GT World Challenge Europe. Formula E is the latest racing series to take to the rapid street circuit, but will use an exciting shorter 3.001km layout with 19 turns.
TICKETS: Join us for the Jeddah E-Prix for an unforgettable weekend of racing
With two different winners from two different teams in the first two rounds, it once again looks to be an incredible season of electric racing with this weekend being no exception.
After a thrilling season opener in São Paulo, which saw Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans go from last to first to win in record-breaking style, racing resumed in Mexico City last month when Oliver Rowland achieved a brilliant final push to pass the TAG Heuer Porsche pair of Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa to claim the victory.
With da Costa top of the Drivers’ World Championship standings for the first time since his title-winning 2019-20 season, he’ll be hoping to continue his form of back-to-back podium finishes when we arrive in Jeddah.
The 2025 Jeddah E-Prix starts at 20:05 local time on Friday 14 February 2025.
A new street circuit for Season 11
Formula E has been racing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since Season 5, however this year things will look a little different. The all-electric championship will now be racing in Jeddah, the country’s second largest city. Situated alongside the Red Sea, the Jeddah Corniche Circuit will welcome the fastest FIA single-seater, the GEN3 Evo race car, as Formula E comes to town.
The field will speed down the long start/finish and into a technical first sector chicane and hairpin, before firing out into Sector 2 of the track through Turns 5, 6 and 7. After a chicane breaking up the back straight, there's the long, fast, sweeping Turn 12 into another hairpin at Turn 13 - before a pair of chicanes see out the 3.001km lap.
Previously Formula E raced around a UNESCO World Heritage site in Riyadh, with Andretti’s Jake Dennis and Jaguar’s Nick Cassidy being the two most recent winners under the floodlights.
Jeddah should be a challenge for the grid and a very different circuit to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez last time out, with walls now only a few centimeters away!
Introducing PIT BOOST
PIT BOOST will debut during the upcoming double-header in Jeddah, and is set to transform in-race strategies plus provide teams with a revolutionary recharging technology during the already unmissable races.
This innovative and mandatory mid-race feature sees cars given a 10% energy increase (3.85kWh) through a 30-second, 600kW recharge in the pit lane. It will be used during one of the two races across a double-header.
PIT BOOST EXPLAINED: All you need to know about Formula Es battery charging pit stops
All drivers must stop during the race for this extra energy, however each team is only provided one PIT BOOST charger which prevents them from doing any double-stacking. This will also create plenty of drama and excitement, as each competitor navigates an additional element of race strategy and could potentially alter race outcomes and tactics.
In Jeddah, drivers must take the PIT BOOST when their State of Charge (SoC) is below 60% and above 40% at the moment of the charge. The timing of this could vary from garage to garage depending on the strategy of consumption each driver has during the first phase of the race.
Drivers must serve a minimum pit stop time of 34 seconds, with 30 seconds of that being allocated for the charging itself. This new sporting feature is a huge technological step forward in EV charging, deploying significantly more power than current consumer superchargers.
It is another opportunity for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship to push the boundaries of electric mobility and demonstrates the championship’s unique position as a ‘race-to-road’ technology platform.
Rookies return for special outing
Formula E has a special addition to its already busy schedule this weekend, as it will run a 40-minute Rookie Free Practice session on Thursday 13 February specifically for drivers who have never raced in the Championship before.
WATCH: Find out where to watch every Formula E race via stream or on TV in your country
The Rookie Free Practice has previously taken place in Rome and Misano across the past two seasons, but will be hosted in Jeddah ahead of regular on-track running this weekend. It will be taking place at 18:00 local/15:00 UTC on Thursday, ahead of Free Practice 1 for the full-time grid later in the evening.
Here is a list of all the confirmed names for the Rookie Free Practice in Jeddah:
- TAG Heuer Porsche: Thomas Preining
- NEOM McLaren: Alex Dunne
- Jaguar TCS Racing: Jamie Chadwick
- Nissan: Gabriele Minì
- Mahindra Racing: Kush Maini
- DS PENSKE: Daniil Kvyat
- Andretti: Jak Crawford
- Maserati MSG Racing: Théo Pourchaire
- Envision Racing: Zak O’Sullivan
- CUPRA KIRO: Mikkel Jensen
- Lola Yamaha ABT: Tatiana Calderón
As well as some familiar faces who have had the chance to drive Formula E machinery before or are Reserve Drivers for their respective teams, there are also names such as Zak O’Sullivan who have never been behind the wheel of a Formula E car.
“I’m very excited to be going to Jeddah to test a Formula E car for the first time,” Envision’s new simulator driver O’Sullivan said.
“It is going to be a new challenge for me. The session itself will provide a good opportunity for me to learn the car and I will also be making sure I spend as much time with the team as possible across the race week, so I absorb as much as I can.”
GEN3 Evo is quick… really quick
Formula E’s latest race car, the GEN3 Evo, is the quickest accelerating FIA single-seater and capable of 0-60mph in just 1.82 seconds – 30% faster than a current F1 car. The new reinforced body kit enhances aerodynamics and durability and all-wheel drive is available in key race moments, including qualifying duels, race starts, and ATTACK MODE.
GEN3 EVO: Everything you need to know about Formula E's latest electric car
Reigning World Champion Pascal Wehrlein managed to make it back-to-back Julius Baer Pole Positions in São Paulo during the season-opener in December, starting from the P1 grid slot in both Season 10 and Season 11. However, this season his pole lap came in almost three seconds quicker thanks to the developments behind the GEN3 Evo.
At a circuit like the Jeddah Corniche, known for its unbelievable speeds across all championships, it’s going to make for some unmissable action and very fast lap times.
The Season 11 Formula E driver line-up
There was plenty of off-season drama in the driver market ahead of the start of Season 11. Here's your reminder of which drivers and teams are racing in Formula E in 2025.
Maximilian Günther has joined DS PENSKE, partnering two-time Formula E Champion Jean-Éric Vergne, after departing Maserati MSG Racing. Meanwhile, Stoffel Vandoorne has left DS PENSKE to join Maserati MSG Racing, where he will team up with newcomer Jake Hughes, who transitions from NEOM McLaren for the GEN3 Evo era.
Some teams have opted for stability, retaining their line-ups from last season. Envision Racing will continue with Robin Frijns and Season 2 World Champion Sébastien Buemi, while Porsche remains committed to defending World Champion Pascal Wehrlein and teammate António Félix da Costa.
DRIVER LINE UP: Who's racing in Formula E in 2024/25?
Mahindra Racing will also keep Edoardo Mortara and Nyck de Vries, and Jaguar TCS Racing’s duo Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy, will return after securing the Teams' World Championship at the Season 10 finale in London.
|
Team |
Driver |
Driver |
|
Jaguar TCS Racing |
Mitch Evans |
Nick Cassidy |
|
TAG Heuer Porsche |
Pascal Wehrlein |
Antonio Felix da Costa |
|
DS PENSKE |
Jean-Eric Vergne |
Maximilian Guenther |
|
Nissan |
Oliver Rowland |
Norman Nato |
|
Andretti |
Jake Dennis |
Nico Mueller |
|
Envision Racing |
Robin Frijns |
Sebastien Buemi |
|
NEOM McLaren |
Sam Bird |
Taylor Barnard |
|
Maserati MSG Racing |
Stoffel Vandoorne |
Jake Hughes |
|
Lola Yamaha ABT |
Lucas di Grassi |
Zane Maloney |
|
Mahindra Racing |
Nyck de Vries |
Edo Mortara |
|
Cupra Kiro |
Dan Ticktum |
David Beckman |
Andretti has seen a reshuffle, with Season 9 Champion Jake Dennis now partnered with Nico Müller, who also became a Porsche works driver during the break. Norman Nato returns to Nissan, reuniting with Oliver Rowland.
The season also brings exciting new faces: rookie Zane Maloney joins Lola Yamaha ABT in their inaugural Formula E season, pairing with Season 3 World Champion Lucas di Grassi. NEOM McLaren promoted Taylor Barnard, who will embark on his first full campaign alongside Formula E veteran Sam Bird.
Newly-rebranded Cupra Kiro was the final team to confirm its line-up, with Dan Ticktum and David Beckmann the pairing for Season 11.
The refreshed liveries, teams and partners for Season 11
Several Formula E teams underwent significant transformations alongside the introduction of the new GEN3 Evo car over the off-season.
ABT has partnered with the renowned Lola Cars and established a multi-year technical collaboration with Yamaha, rebranding as Lola Yamaha ABT for the upcoming season.
The Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm, also acquired 100% ownership of the ERT Formula E Team, which has become CUPRA Kiro. Starting this season, Kiro will use bold black and bright green livery, with copper accents after partnering with EV giant CUPRA. They also secured a technical partnership with Porsche Motorsport and have access to their championship-winning powertrain technology.
SCHEDULE: Where, when and how to watch or stream the 2025 Jeddah E-Prix Rounds 3 and 4
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been a part of the Formula E calendar since Season 5, but for the first time we’re heading to Jeddah. Host to the fist double-header of the GEN3 Evo era, the grid will be racing under the floodlights on Friday 14 and Saturday 15 February 2025.
Rookie Free Practice: Thursday 13 February, 18:00 local/15:00 UTC
Free Practice 1: Thursday 13 February, 21:00 local/18:00 UTC
Free Practice 2: Friday 14 February, 13:00 local/10:00 UTC
Qualifying: Friday 14 February, 15:20 local/12:20 UTC
Race: Friday 14 February, 20:05 local/17:05 UTC
Free Practice 3: Saturday 15 February, 13:00 local/10:00 UTC
Qualifying: Saturday 15 February, 15:20 local/12:00 UTC
Race: Saturday 15 February, 20:05 local/17:05 UTC
View the full schedule in your time zone and check the broadcaster listings or tap the Ways to Watch button above to find out where to watch all the racing action where you live.
Follow the race LIVE and listen to full race commentary on the web and in the Formula E app!
Follow all the action on-track as it happens in the Race Centre.
Keep across Live Timing – which includes a real-time interactive track map and the ability to follow your favourite driver during every session of every E-Prix – plus highlights, detailed session reports, exclusive interviews, all the standings and results as well as data, insight and reaction from trackside.
LIVE: Follow every lap live, with reaction and coverage at fiaformulae.com/live
Additionally, Formula E’s social media channels, website, and app will provide session reports, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes insights from trackside during the four-day event.
Find out more
CALENDAR: Sync the dates and don't miss a lap of Season 11
FOLLOW: Download the Formula E App on iOS or Android
WATCH: Find out where to watch every Formula E race via stream or on TV in your country
SCHEDULE: Here's every race of the 2024/25 Formula E season
HIGHLIGHTS: Catch up with every race from all 10 seasons of Formula E IN FULL