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Formula E is back! And with an expanded grid of 12 teams and 24 drivers, it’s set to be bigger and better than ever. Returning to the deserts of Saudi Arabia for the second year in a row, the opening races of the year will once again be held in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Diriyah.
With the opening weekend marked by a double-header event, Edo and Felipe will complete extensive running over the course of the week – especially important, given that the Saudi venue is renowned as one of Formula E’s toughest challenges.
Experience will certainly make a difference here...
The series of 21 complex corners that forms the Riyadh Street Circuit begins with hard acceleration out of the final corner and along a medium-length straight before slowing for Turn 1 – a left-hander with a bite that leads uphill into the quick complex of Turns 2-4.
Turns to the right, left and right complete this sequence, while the sharp left-hander of Turn 5 takes drivers into a downwards descent, building speed as the rhythm of the lap increases.
Snaking through Diriyah, this downhill march takes the drivers through a series of eight complex corners of varying direction, occasionally brushing the brakes to scrub off speed with calculated precision while attacking one of the most technical sectors on the Formula E calendar.
Finally, the drivers then arrive at the 90-degree right-hander of Turn 14 before powering through the kink of Turn 15, which forms the high-speed entry to the seemingly never-ending Turn 16 / 17 combo.
At full throttle once more, the drivers hurtle towards Turn 18 – a hard braking zone and one of the key overtaking opportunities around the 2.495km-long lap. When not in the heat of battle, this corner is also a good opportunity for energy conservation in the race.
Having navigated this tricky right-hander, Turn 19 looms immediately on exit in a quick directional change echoing the earlier phases of the lap. The slight right kink of Turn 20 comes next, before the drivers finally reach the 90-degree right-hander of Turn 21 – a tricky corner on the best of days and one that caught out Felix Rosenqvist in Season 5.
That marks the end of a breathless lap around the Riyadh Street Circuit!
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