From Music to Racing, Here’s What You Missed at Saudi’s Formula E Events!

By Muhammed Kotb On Nov 25, 2019

In its second edition, Ad Diriyah Season promised attendees ‘the most attacking season yet’, and last weekend, they delivered on their promise; an epic showdown of formula racing took place at Ad Diriyah Circuit in Saudi Arabia, firing the starting gun for an epic month of sports.

With the biggest line-up of drivers and cars in the sport’s history, the event hosted the opening round of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship with a doubleheader of races. On Friday, British Envision Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird took the win; however, on the following day, he crashed, only for a fellow Briton, Alexander Sims to make it first and secure his first-ever win in Formula E.

International stars from all over the world came to Saudi Arabia to hold concerts after the races. On the first day, 40,000 fans enjoyed performances from Imagine Dragons, DJ Alan Walker, and Clean Bandit. The next day saw an additional 40,000 attendees at Canadian Singer Massari’s concert.

When Bird was asked about this edition of Ad Diriyah Season, he had this to say: “The whole setup that is here, the race, the concerts is great for Saudi Arabia as a whole, integrating sport with integrating male and female presence at a concert, breaking boundaries in many ways. Formula E also brings new technologies and concepts to Saudi Arabia, both on and off the circuit.

“The atmosphere was great. I love the track it is great to drive. The section between turns six and 14 is one of the best in Formula E. I really enjoy coming here, everyone is very friendly, very welcoming. I look forward to coming back next year.”

The next stop at Ad Diriyah Season, titled ‘A Clash on the Dunes’, is on the 7th of December and it will see a World Heavyweight Champion Title fight between World Champion Andy Ruiz II and contender Anthony Joshua. This will be the first international fight to take place at the purpose-built Ad Diriyah Arena.

This event will be followed next by the Diriyah Tennis Cup hosting eight of the best men’s players on the planet, and the Diriyah Equestrian Festival, an elite competition with Tokyo Olympics 2020 qualifying points on the line.

WE SAID THIS: While Ad Diriyah Season is unfolding with a number of sports events, Ad Diriyah Music Festival is also making waves!