ROWLAND RACES TO ROUND 4 WIN AS BRITS LOCK OUT PODIUM IN JEDDAH

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA. Sat 15 Feb. 2025 – Briton Oliver Rowland secured victory at the inaugural Jeddah E-Prix, Round 4 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, after a strategic masterclass with efficient energy management and well-timed ATTACK MODE activations. Nissan leads both the Teams’ and Manufacturers’ World Championship standings as the series heads to Miami for Round 5 in April.

Oliver Rowland secured a commanding victory at the inaugural Jeddah E-Prix, bouncing back after a near-miss in Round 3 yesterday. His triumph was further boosted by the early collision between title contenders António Félix da Costa and Maximilian Guenther, which removed key rivals from the equation.

Taylor Barnard, the youngest polesitter in Formula E history, led early but had to shift focus to defending against a charging Jake Hughes. Despite immense pressure in the closing laps, Barnard held his ground to secure second place, while Hughes claimed his first podium for Maserati MSG Racing and second podium in his Formula E career. Meanwhile, Jake Dennis delivered a remarkable comeback from 19th on the grid, briefly taking the lead before settling for fourth in a historic all-British top-four finish.

Nick Cassidy fought his way from 17th to finish fifth, while Hughes’ teammate Stoffel Vandoorne added to Maserati’s strong showing in sixth. Defending champion Pascal Wehrlein salvaged eighth place in a damage limitation effort. With this result, Rowland now leads the Drivers’ World Championship with 68 points, ahead of Barnard on 51. Nissan also holds a narrow lead in the Teams’ World Championship standings, with just five points separating the top four squads.

Next up, Formula E heads to Miami for Round 5 on Saturday 12th April.

Oliver Rowland, No.22, Nissan Formula E Team, said:

“It was great – the key was at the beginning obviously. It was pretty much the perfect scenario. I had a little bit of contact with Guenther at the chicane, he got really aggressive on the inside and I got stuck on him. That’s the point when I went to the front – being third or fourth people start to get aggressive so I got out of trouble and went to the front and led from there. I’m just trying to focus race by race, try and do the best job we can and score points.”

Jake Hughes, No.55, Maserati MSG Racing, said:

“It felt like it was a little bit on the edge, but super happy with today. After messing up FP3, getting into the Duels to the Semi-Final and then coming away with a podium for the team, I couldn’t ask for more really. We did really well with the ATTACK MODE, we used the energy when we needed to, and the execution was great.”

Taylor Barnard, No.5, NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, said:

“Coming into this weekend I didn’t expect a podium, so to leave here with massive points for the team, I couldn’t be happier. I think I struggled a little bit for the first five laps – but two podiums, I’m so happy. Sometimes you have to be extra aggressive, but we also had to keep the podium and secure P2, and we did that.”

GLOBAL STARS DESCEND ON 2025 JEDDAH E-PRIX

British boxing star Chris Eubank Jr. got a thrilling taste of the 2024 Jeddah Corniche Circuit as Safety Car driver Bruno Correia took him on an electrifying lap in the official FIA Formula E Safety Car. The boxer also enjoyed an exclusive garage tour with DS Penske, where he got up close with the cutting-edge all-electric GEN3 Evo car. Eubank Jr. also had the prestigious honour of waving the chequered flag for the second and final race of the weekend in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Grammy Award-winning rapper, singer, and songwriter Lil Baby brought star power to the event, cheering on the teams from the exclusive Formula E VIP hospitality area, the EMOTION CLUB, before headlining Round 4 of the ABB FIA World Championship alongside Kuwaiti singing group Miami. Senegalese-American singer-songwriter Akon, who headlined Round 3 the night before, was also in attendance.

Reigning F1 Academy Champion, Abbi Pulling, who also previously competed in the W Series championship and participated in the inaugural FIA Formula E All-Women’s Test in Madrid in November, took to the track for an electrifying demonstration drive in a GEN3 Evo Formula E car for the first time at this circuit.

Ex-Manchester city and current Al-Ahli footballer, Riyad Mahrez, and his wife, entrepreneur and influencer Taylor Ward, enjoyed their first Formula E experience, alongside TV personality Josh Denzel who returned for day two of the event having also attended yesterday’s race.

FORMULA E CHAMPIONS SUSTAINABILITY AT JEDDAH E-PRIX

FIA Girls on Track hosted 120 girls for their first event in Jeddah, promoting empowerment and education, with participants attending workshops, gaming, listening to career talks and experiencing a Pit Lane Walk.
As part of the series’ community engagement and social sustainability strategy, Formula E supported the First Autism Centre – an organisation dedicated to supporting individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) via its Better Futures Fund. Its €25,000 donation will directly be used to establish a dedicated sensory room for the 100 children supported by the centre.

OTHER CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS THIS WEEK

Formula E and IMG agreed a multi-year deal to exclusively manage and license the worldwide video archive rights for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The agreement will see IMG manage more than 1,000 hours of archive footage of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship on its digital archive platform so that fans, partners and storytellers worldwide can have unbeatable access to the sporting moments that matter via IMG.
Kiro Race Co, competing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship as CUPRA KIRO, expanded ownership with a group of highly strategic investors. Joining lead investors David Kaplan and Bennett Rosenthal, the powerhouse investment group now includes: Golden Globe-winning actor and producer Idris Elba; major league sports team owners Tony Ressler, Larry Berg and Shaun Neff; media deal-makers Navid Mahmoodzagedan, Steve Bornstein and Rick Hess; and strategic advisors Jeffrey Assaf, Caleb Kramer and Michael Woronoff.
Formula E EVO Sessions – from the pitch to the paddock! Former Premier League footballer Sergio Agüero will be making his one-off Formula E debut behind the wheel of the Porsche 99X Electric. Trained by world champion Pascal Wehrlein and part of the Formula E ‘Evo Sessions’ event in Miami featuring top celebs on 5-6 March, follow all the action live via Formula E’s social media channels.