 2024 Diriyah E-Prix I
| ||
|---|---|---|
 The Diriyah Street Circuit hosted the first double-header of 2023/24. | ||
| Race Information | ||
| Date | 26 January 2024[1] | |
| E-Prix No. | 118 (2 of 2023/24) | |
| Official Name | 2024 ABB Formula E Diriyah E-Prix I | |
| Location |  Diriyah Street Circuit, Diriyah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| |
| Format | 100 km (60 mins) | |
| Lap length | 2.495 km (1.550 mi) | |
| Distance | 37 laps / 94.216 km (58.543 mi) | |
| Qualifying Result | ||
| Pole Sitter |  Jean-Éric Vergne
| |
| Team |  DS Penske
| |
| Time | 1:12.062 (124.643 km/h) | |
| Fastest Lap | ||
| Driver |  Jake Dennis
| |
| Team | Andretti Formula E
| |
| Fastest Lap | 1:11.399 on lap 36 | |
| ePrix Result | ||
| First | Second | Third |
| Jake Dennis
|
Jean-Éric Vergne
|
 Nick Cassidy
|
| Winner Team | Andretti Formula E
| |
| Time | 45:56.452 (123.049 km/h) | |
| ePrix Guide | ||
| Previous | Next | |
 2024 Mexico City E-Prix
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2024 Diriyah E-Prix II
| |
The 2024 Diriyah E-Prix I, officially known as the 2024 ABB Formula E Diriyah E-Prix was the second round of the 2023/24 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, staged at the Diriyah Street Circuit in Diriyah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 26 January 2024.[1] The race would see a dominant display from reigning Champion Jake Dennis, having escaped in the #1 Andretti-Porsche during the middle phase of the race.[2]
Qualifying for the second E-Prix of the campaign had seen Jean-Éric Vergne claim his first pole position of the season, the Frenchman having piloted the #25 DS Penske to 1 1:12.062 in the Final.[3] That effort would be enough to defeat Mitch Evans in the final duel, the New Zealander having been just 0.072s slower, after Vergne had knocked out Norman Nato and Sérgio Sette Câmara in the Quarters and Semis, while Evans had beaten Nick Cassidy and Dennis.[3]
Vergne duly converted pole into the lead of the race at the start of the race, pulling clear of Evans with ease on the cleaner side of the grid to claim an unopposed lead into the chicane for the first time.[2] Behind, Evans came under attack from a fast starting Sette Câmara, who threw the #3 ERT down the inside of the #9 Jaguar into the first corner, although the Brazilian racer only succeeded in delaying himself after a brush with Evans, slipping behind Dennis as the Brit calmly eased past the recovering ERT to grab third.[2]
Despite the concertina effect from the Sette Câmara lunge the first lap was otherwise clean, with Vergne making an early break in order to take Attack Mode as soon as the boost became active on lap three.[2] The #25 DS Penske dropped back to third as a result, with Evans moving into the lead ahead of Dennis, before the New Zealander himself took AM a lap later, although Vergne would robustly get back ahead of the #9 Jaguar, chopping across Evans' nose as he rejoined from taking the boost.[2]
Dennis' first AM boost saw him drop into second behind Vergne, before Vergne responded by taking his second AM boost on lap eight, although all that succeeded in doing was getting him stuck behind Evans, who was robust in his defence from the Frenchman.[2] That scrap allowed Dennis to arm his second AM boost and rejoin without losing the lead, before easing into a small lead as Evans too headed for his second and final AM boost of the day to drop back behind Vergne.[2]
Evans would charge back at Vergne, and on lap twelve pulled a superb dummy on Vergne to grab second into the chicane before darting off to catch Dennis and harass the #1 Andretti-Porsche for the lead.[2] Yet, in his efforts to get past the Brit and attempting to mimic his own move on Vergne a few laps earlier, Evans would lock the rear wheels and slide down the inside of Dennis and then wide, dropping right back into the sights of Vergne.[2]
That would be the last time Dennis was challenged, the #1 Andretti escaping into a handsome lead as behind the Evans-Vergne fight resumed, the Frenchman pulling an expertely timed dive on the #9 Jaguar to reclaim second.[2] Nick Cassidy and Sam Bird then began to close on the fight, Jaguar briefly swapping their two drivers around to allow Cassidy to take his second AM boost without falling behind Bird's #8 McLaren, before Evans regrouped and dragged himself back onto Vergne's tail.[2]
That scrap would erupt again in the closing stages, with Evans trying every trick he could think of to try and get back ahead of the #25 DS Penske.[2] Ultimately, however, he would have to wait until the final tour to get another chance, chucking the #9 Jaguar down the inside of the Frenchman into the chicane in a last minute bid for second.[2] That move would prove to be too ambitious however, for Evans again locked the rear wheels on the dust and got into a tank slapper, narrowly avoiding Vergne as he charged into the chicane and went wide.[2]
Out front, meanwhile, Dennis would set consecutive fastest laps en-route to a dominant victory, the Brit some thirteen seconds clear as a result of the fighting behind in the closing stages.[2] Vergne, meanwhile, would emerge from the Evans divebomb still in second, while Cassidy lead Bird across the line in third, both having swept ahead of Evans as the New Zealander scrambled back onto the track.[2] Evans himself would regain control and claim fifth ahead of Norman Nato, Maximilian Günther and Pascal Wehrlein, while Sette Câmara faded to ninth in the race ahead of Robin Frijns, the last of the scorers.[2]
Background[]
After the opening round of the season in Mexico City the series would wait two weeks to travel across the world to the Diriyah Street Circuit in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia for the second round of the season, with the Saudi Arabian circuit hosting two E-Prix as had become a staple of the series.[1] The circuit itself was unchanged for its tenth E-Prix, with the Attack Mode zone remaining at the turn eighteen/nineteen chicane, with a total of 8 minutes of AM available during the race.[4] The entry list was similarly unchanged ahead of the trip to Diriyah, with the series instead focused on securing deals and partnerships prior to the second round.
Saudi Support[]
On the eve of the opening battle of Diriyah Formula E and the PIF (Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia) unveiled a deal between themselves which would see the PIF and its Electric 360 programme become a principle partner of the FIA Formula E World Championship.[5] The deal, which saw the PIF also invest in the Extreme E Championship and E1, would see the PIF focus on sustainabilty with the FE series, with plans to network FE with various other projects which had PIF investment.[5] This partnership came on top of the PIF's existing 5% stake it held in Formula E.[6]
Elsewhere, the PIF's subsiduary Saudi Entertainment Ventures (SEVEN) signed a separate deal with Formula E to create a Formula E themed indoor karting business, which would have mulitple sites across Saudi Arabia.[7]
Wehrlein Wonders[]
Victory in the opening race had left Pascal Wehrlein as the unsurprisingly Championship leader with one race gone, while the bonus points for fastest lap left him with a handsome ten point lead over Sébastien Buemi. Buemi held a two point grip on second over Nick Cassidy, who had also claimed a bonus point with fastest lap, with four points separating the New Zealander from Maximilian Günther in fourth. Mitch Evans rounded out the opening day to five, with Jean-Éric Vergne, Jake Hughes, Stoffel Vandoorne, defending Champion Jake Hughes and Norman Nato all having opened the season with points after the first race.
In the Teams' Championship Wehrlein's pole-victory combo had left the factory Porsche Formula E Team at the head of the pack, the German squad heading the factory Jaguar Racing team by 2 points after the opening bout of the season. Third was occupied by Envision Racing courtesy of Buemi, while Maserati MSG Racing held fourth over DS Penske, both level on 12 but the Monegasque squad ahead thanks to Günther's fourth place finish. McLaren Formula E Team and Andretti Formula E rounded out the opening day scorers.
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 2024 Diriyah E-Prix I is displayed below:
Practice[]
FP1[]
FP2[]
Qualifying[]
Qualifying for the 2024 Diriyah E-Prix I would be conducted according to the knockout format, introduced ahead of season eight.[9] The field would be split into two groups of eleven drivers, based on Championship position, with each group then getting ten minutes on track to complete as many laps as they wished at 300 kW.[9] The fastest eight overall would then proceed to the knockout phase, now running at the maximum 350 kW qualifying mode, with the fastest from group A against the fourth fastest from group A and so on, until four drivers were left.[9]
Those four would move on to the Semi-Final, with the winner of A1/A4 taking on the victor of A2/A3, while the triumphant driver of B3/B2 would take on B4/B1's winner.[9] The winners from those duels would then go into the final, with the winner of that duel taking pole, while the runner-up would start from second, before any grid penalties were applied.[9]
Group A[]
Group B[]
Knockouts[]
Quarter Finals[]
Semi Finals[]
Final[]
Post Qualifying[]
The final qualifying result for the 2024 Diriyah E-Prix I are outlined below:
| 2024 Diriyah E-Prix I Qualifying Results | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final | |||||||
| Heat | Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Time | Gap | Grid |
| I | Win | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne
|
DS Penske
|
1:12.062 (124.643 km/h) | — | 1 |
| Lose | 9 | Mitch Evans
|
Jaguar TCS Racing
|
1:12.134 (124.518 km/h) | +0.072s | 2 | |
| Semi-Finals | |||||||
| Heat | Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Time | Gap | Grid |
| I | Win | 9 | Mitch Evans
|
Jaguar TCS Racing
|
1:11.992 (124.764 km/h) | — | F |
| Lose | 1 | Jake Dennis
|
Andretti Formula E
|
1:12.079 (124.613 km/h) | +0.087s | 3 | |
| II | Win | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne
|
DS Penske
|
1:12.125 (124.534 km/h) | — | F |
| Lose | 3 |  Sérgio Sette Câmara
|
 ERT Formula E Team
|
1:12.611 (123.700 km/h) | +0.486s | 4 | |
| Quarter Finals | |||||||
| Heat | Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Time | Gap | Grid |
| QF 1 | Win | 1 | Jake Dennis
|
Andretti Formula E
|
1:12.527 (123.844 km/h) | — | SF |
| Lose | 94 |  Pascal Wehrlein
|
TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
|
1:12.610 (123.702 km/h) | +0.083s | 6 | |
| QF 2 | Win | 9 | Mitch Evans
|
Jaguar TCS Racing
|
1:12.313 (124.210 km/h) | — | SF |
| Lose | 37 | Nick Cassidy
|
Jaguar TCS Racing
|
1:12.821 (123.344 km/h) | +0.508s | 7 | |
| QF 3 | Win | 3 | Sérgio Sette Câmara
|
ERT Formula E Team
|
1:12.495 (123.878 km/h) | — | SF |
| Lose | 7 | Maximilian Günther
|
 Maserati MSG Racing
|
1:12.892 (123.223 km/h) | +0.397s | 8 | |
| QF 4 | Win | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne
|
DS Penske
|
1:12.164 (124.466 km/h) | — | SF |
| Lose | 17 | Norman Nato
|
Andretti Formula E
|
1:12.475 (123.932 km/h) | +0.311s | 5 | |
| Group Stage | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Time | Gap | Grid | Group |
| 1st | 37 | Nick Cassidy
|
Jaguar TCS Racing
|
1:12.619 | — | QF 2 | GA |
| 2nd | 1 | Jake Dennis
|
Andretti Formula E
|
1:12.779 | +0.160s | QF 1 | GA |
| 3rd | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne
|
DS Penske
|
1:12.856 | +0.237s | QF 4 | GB |
| 4th | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein
|
TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
|
1:12.872 | +0.253s | QF 1 | GA |
| 5th | 3 | Sérgio Sette Câmara
|
ERT Formula E Team
|
1:12.897 | +0.278s | QF 3 | GB |
| 6th | 7 | Maximilian Günther
|
Maserati MSG Racing
|
1:12.931 | +0.312s | QF 3 | GB |
| 7th | 27 | Norman Nato
|
Andretti Formula E
|
1:12.933 | +0.314s | QF 4 | GB |
| 8th | 9 | Mitch Evans
|
Jaguar TCS Racing
|
1:13.006 | +0.387s | QF 2 | GA |
| 9th | 8 | Sam Bird
|
NEOM McLaren Formula E Team
|
1:13.147 | +0.528s | 9 | GB |
| 10th | 2 |  Stoffel Vandoorne
|
DS Penske
|
1:13.167 | +0.548s | 11 | GB |
| 11th | 16 |  Sébastien Buemi
|
Envision Racing
|
1:13.186 | +0.567s | 13 | GB |
| 12th | 5 | Jake Hughes
|
NEOM McLaren Formula E Team
|
1:13.207 | +0.588s | 10 | GA |
| 13th | 4 |  Robin Frijns
|
Envision Racing
|
1:13.272 | +0.653s | 12 | GA |
| 14th | 23 | Sacha Fenestraz
|
 Nissan Formula E Team
|
1:13.294 | +0.675s | 15 | GB |
| 15th | 22 | Oliver Rowland
|
Nissan Formula E Team
|
1:13.350 | +0.731s | 14 | GA |
| 16th* | 13 |  António Félix da Costa
|
TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
|
1:13.367 | +0.748s | 20* | GB |
| 17th | 33 | Dan Ticktum
|
ERT Formula E Team
|
1:13.446 | +0.827s | 18 | GB |
| 18th | 51 | Nico Müller
|
ABT Cupra
|
1:13.531 | +0.912s | 16 | GA |
| 19th | 11 | Lucas di Grassi
|
ABT Cupra
|
1:13.729 | +1.110s | 17 | GA |
| 20th | 48 | Edoardo Mortara
|
 Mahindra Racing
|
1:13.791 | +1.172s | 19 | GA |
| 21st | 18 | Jehan Daruvala
|
Maserati MSG Racing
|
1:14.054 | +1.435s | 21 | GB |
| 22nd | 21 | Nyck de Vries
|
Mahindra Racing
|
1:14.254 | +1.635s | 22 | GA |
| Group A 110% Time: 1:19.871[10] | |||||||
| Group B 110% Time: 1:20.141[10] | |||||||
| Source:[10] | |||||||
- * da Costa served a three place grid penalty for causing a collision with Nico Müller at the 2024 Mexico City E-Prix.[11]
Race[]
Report[]
Result[]
The final classification of the 2024 Diriyah E-Prix I is displayed below, with the fastest lap setter indicated in italics, and the pole sitter shown in bold.
| 2024 Diriyah E-Prix I Race Result | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Laps | Race Time | Fastest lap | Pts. |
| 1st | 1 | Jake Dennis
|
Andretti Formula E
|
37 | 45:56.452 | 1:11.399 | 26 |
| 2nd | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne
|
DS Penske
|
37 | +13.289s | 1:12.730 | 21 |
| 3rd | 37 | Nick Cassidy
|
Jaguar TCS Racing
|
37 | +13.824s | 1:12.229 | 15 |
| 4th | 8 | Sam Bird
|
NEOM McLaren Formula E Team
|
37 | +14.620s | 1:11.945 | 12 |
| 5th | 9 | Mitch Evans
|
Jagaur TCS Racing
|
37 | +15.174s | 1:12.265 | 10 |
| 6th | 17 | Norman Nato
|
Andretti Formula E
|
37 | +15.661s | 1:12.286 | 8 |
| 7th | 7 | Maximilian Günther
|
Maserati MSG Racing
|
37 | +16.267s | 1:11.647 | 6 |
| 8th | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein
|
TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
|
37 | +16.387s | 1:11.612 | 4 |
| 9th | 3 | Sérgio Sette Câmara
|
ERT Formula E Team
|
37 | +26.606s | 1:12.934 | 2 |
| 10th | 4 | Robin Frijns
|
Envision Racing
|
37 | +26.968s | 1:12.347 | 1 |
| 11th | 5 | Jake Hughes
|
NEOM McLaren Formula E Team
|
37 | +27.021s | 1:12.416 | |
| 12th | 16 | Sébastien Buemi
|
Envision Racing
|
37 | +27.472s | 1:12.625 | |
| 13th | 22 | Oliver Rowland
|
Nissan Formula E Team
|
37 | +27.973s | 1:12.174 | |
| 14th | 2 | Stoffel Vandoorne
|
DS Penske
|
37 | +28.366s | 1:12.243 | |
| 15th | 48 | Edoardo Mortara
|
Mahindra Racing
|
37 | +29.397s | 1:12.705 | |
| 16th | 13 | António Félix da Costa
|
TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
|
37 | +29.885s | 1:12.733 | |
| 17th | 21 | Nyck de Vries
|
Mahindra Racing
|
37 | +30.419s | 1:12.716 | |
| 18th | 51 | Nico Müller
|
ABT Cupra
|
37 | +30.884s | 1:12.928 | |
| 19th | 11 | Lucas di Grassi
|
ABT Cupra
|
37 | +31.188s | 1:12.863 | |
| 20th | 18 | Jehan Daruvala
|
Maserati MSG Racing
|
37 | +31.541s | 1:12.180 | |
| 21st | 33 | Dan Ticktum
|
ERT Formula E Team
|
37 | +1:04.712 | 1:12.309 | |
| 22nd | 23 | Sacha Fenestraz
|
Nissan Formula E Team
|
12 | Retired | 1:12.480 | |
| Source:[10] | |||||||
Milestones[]
- Tenth Diriyah E-Prix to be staged.
- Also the tenth race for the Diriyah Street Circuit.
- Sixth victory for Jake Dennis.
- Dennis also recorded his tenth fastest lap.
- Andretti Formula E secured their eleventh victory as an entrant.
- Porsche claimed their ninth win as a powertrain supplier.
Standings[]
A quiet but trouble free day for Pascal Wehrlein meant that the four points he scored for eighth place in the second race of the season were enough to keep the German pilot at the head of the field, albeit with a now one point lead. A second straight podium for Nick Cassidy had left the New Zealander in second as Wehrlein's closest early contender, while Jean-Éric Vergne was up to third, two further points back. Jake Dennis and Mitch Evans then completed the top five ahead of Sébastien Buemi, as Sam Bird, Sérgio Sette Câmara and Robin Frijns all claimed their first points of the campaign.
In the Teams' Championship Jaguar Racing had jumped to the top of the pile, the British squad holding a fourteen point lead despite having yet to claim victory in 2023/24 in the opening two rounds. Andretti Formula E, courtesy of Dennis' latest triumph and further points for Norman Nato were up to second on 37 points, while DS Penske were in third on 33. Porsche's factory squad, meanwhile had slipped from the lead after the opening round to fourth at the end of the second, a point behind DS Penske, Envision Racing rounded out the top five, while ERT had earned their first points of the campaign to move into eighth.
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Only point scoring drivers are shown.
References[]
Videos and Images:
References:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 'Tokyo confirmed on provisional Season 10 Formula E calendar', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 20/06/2023), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/426036/tokyo-confirmed-on-provisional-season-10-formula-e-calendar, (Accessed 20/06/2023)
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 'RACE REPORT: Dennis drives to dominant Round 2 win in Diriyah', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 26/01/2024), https://fiaformulae.com/en/news/488406, (Accessed 30/08/2024)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 'QUALIFYING: Vergne flies to pole in Diriyah', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 26/01/2024), https://fiaformulae.com/en/news/488344, (Accessed 30/08/2024)
- ↑ 'Event Note – S10-R02/R03 – 2024 Diriyah e-Prix', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 22/12/2023), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/09_2023-24/02_R02%20Diriyah/007_Doc%207%20-%20S10-R02-R03%20-%20Event%20Note%2001%20-%20Race%20Information.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 30/08/2024)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 'PIF creates new Electric 360 partnership with Formula E, Extreme E and E1', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 22/01/2024), https://fiaformulae.com/en/news/487977, (Accessed 30/08/2024)
- ↑ 'Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund signs partnership with Formula E, Extreme E & E1 powerboat racing', bbc.co.uk/sport, (British Broadcasting Company, 22/01/2024), https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/motorsport/68063574, (Accessed 30/08/2024)
- ↑ 'Saudi Entertainment Ventures signs agreement with Formula E to bring world-first karting attractions to Saudi Arabia', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/01/2024), https://fiaformulae.com/en/news/488243, (Accessed 30/08/2024)
- ↑ 'Diriyah E-Prix - Official Entry List', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/01/2024), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/09_2023-24/02_R02%20Diriyah/001_Doc%201%20-%20Entry%20List.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 30/08/2024)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 'Updated calendar, faster racing and knockout qualifying for Season 8', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 15/10/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/october/season-8-sporting-update, (Accessed 16/10/2021)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 'Round 02 - 2024 Diriyah E-Prix - ABB FIA Formula E World Championship: Results Booklet', results.fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 26/01/2024), https://fe-results.s3.amazonaws.com/09_2023-24/02_R02%20Diriyah/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/Event%20Booklet/R02_DIRIYAH_BOOKLET.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 30/08/2024)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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