Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah E-Prix: A ‘fantastic racetrack with the biggest hospitality’

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Mark Webber hopes the E-Prix will inspire a new generation of racers. (Supplied)
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Mark Webber hopes the E-Prix will inspire a new generation of racers. (Supplied)
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Mark Webber hopes the E-Prix will inspire a new generation of racers. (Supplied)
Updated 22 November 2019
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Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah E-Prix: A ‘fantastic racetrack with the biggest hospitality’

  • Partnership between ABB FIA Formula E Championship and Kingdom wins praise from French driver Jean-Eric Vergne
  • Saudis Fahad Algosaibi, Reema Juffali and Aseel Al-Hamad among those racing in Diryah E-Prix 2019

RIYADH: Reigning Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne has lauded the partnership between the electric racing championship and Saudi Arabia in the lead-up to the weekend’s double-header Diriyah E-Prix.

Like last year, this weekend’s race at the UNESCO World Heritage site in Riyadh kicks off the ABB FIA Formula E Championship and Vergne is looking to complete a historic hat-trick this season.

The Frenchman made electric racing history after becoming the first back-to-back champion in Formula E following his title winning campaigns in 2017/18 and last year’s 2018/2019 season, which kicked off with the inaugural Diriyah E-Prix — hailed as a watershed moment in the Kingdom.

In comments ahead of this weekend’s action, Vergne was full of praise for what has been achieved in the Kingdom.

“I think what Formula E and Saudi Arabia has done is more than just create a fantastic racetrack with the biggest hospitality on top of a very nice layout. Formula E is written in golden letters in the history of the country.

“When you speak to everybody here, they tell you Formula E was at the beginning of a new era for them. I was having dinner with friends who are locals and they said ‘we never expected to see that quickly, they’ve done a fantastic job and it is very much liked by the population.’

“When the kids grow up they will know Formula E was the key to opening up the country and we can all feel proud to be part of it.”

Saudi drivers Fahad Algosaibi — who will compete in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY support race to the Diriyah E-Prix — and Reema Juffali, racing in the same event and the first woman from the Kingdom to race in Saudi Arabia, agree with Vergne’s assessment.

 

“Diriyah is a place full of history and driving electric cars which symbolizes the future,” said Algosaibi.

“I think in so many ways this race symbolizes the trajectory of where Saudi Arabia wants to go in the future. I think we are striving to be a society that is open, it is easy for anyone to be involved.

“I think in Saudi Arabia now we have so much to offer. The Saudi Motorsport Federations has a lot of plans on how to grow the sport. I’ve heard rumours of Formula One but there’s also a lot of focus on karting, which is essential as that is the grassroots level.”

Juffali told Arab News: “For me, more than anything, it’s about the opportunity. To be able to do it around home fans and for people to see me in the car for the first time, it’s amazing.

“The fact that I’m here now racing at home in a professional manner is something that I didn’t dream of.”

 

The importance of the Formula E event to the Kingdom was echoed by another Saudi driver Aseel Al-Hamad, the first female member on the board of the Saudi Arabia Motor Federation, who spoke to Arab News after driving the new all-electric Porsche Taycan from Dubai to Riyadh with former Formula One driver Mark Webber.

“It’s very, very important because in past years, motorsport wasn’t that popular, maybe most of the people used to watch football,” she said.

“But today when we have such international motorsport events, so many people get closer to the sport and understand the rules. Maybe this young generation, when they go to the race, attend the race, they might be inspired and probably consider motorsport as a career.”

Webber, her co-driver for the epic trip in Porsche’s most powerful electric model and nine-time Formula One Grand Prix winner, told Arab News that he is excited, confident and optimistic about the race in Diriyah.

The Australian, who is also an International Automobile Federation World Endurance Champion and a Porsche ambassador, said that it is an exciting time for Porsche to enter a new championship and that Formula E is a mature competition.

“It’s established and it’s going all around the world racing and taking races to the people. So it’s really under their nose to watch what formula E has to offer,” he said.

Webber added that the Porsche team is open to the fact that Formula E is going to be a tough championship for them to compete in.

“We know we’ve got some top rivals. Porsche absolutely loves to come in with their eyes open, respectful of the opposition.”

Samer Issa-El-Khoury is the man who oversaw the construction of the Diriyah Circuit with only three weeks’ time to deliver the venue.

“I have been following and attending every Formula E race around the planet in order to bring the best features and improvement to the Diriyah E-Prix,” said Issa-El-Khoury, an engineer by trade and managing partner of CBX, a sports promotion company with exclusive rights for Formula E in the Middle East.

“From checking the pit structure in New York to the track asphalt in Berlin, hospitality structure in Zurich and fan-user experience in Hong Kong, we wanted to incorporate the finest elements in order to make this race a truly memorable doubleheader for the 2019/2020 ABB season.”

Explaining how the Diriyah E-Prix stands out from other circuits, Issa-El-Khoury said: “The beautiful scenery, with Diriyah being not just a UNESCO World Heritage site but also the birthplace of Saudi Arabia  — there is massive significance in this.

“What is unique as well is the architecture and design of the Swiss-made and engineered Royal Cube structure which is installed to cater for the VVIP guests, underneath which the cars race.”

Issa-El-Khoury says electric racing represents the future of motorsports and also emphasizes sustainability and clean energy. From that standpoint, having a a Formula E race in Diriyah “is 100 percent in line with Saudi Arabia's plan and Vision 2030" to wean itself off oil and to move to the forefront of “sustainable energy and carbon neutrality,” he said.

“This is a significant message to the world because the Vision’s success will most definitely have global reverberations.”

Diriyah E-Prix 2019 is part of the Diriyah Season, a month of sports and entertainment, with both days’ racing followed by concerts featuring artists such as Imagine Dragons and Canadian Lebanese singer Massari.

Tickets for all Diriyah Season events, concerts and entertainment will be available at www.diriyahseason.sa

News and announcements related to Diriyah Season can be followed on the official social media pages on Twitter and Instagram @diriyahseason


Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund takes a stake in Audi’s future F1 team

Updated 8 sec ago
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Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund takes a stake in Audi’s future F1 team

LUSAIL, Qatar: The sovereign wealth fund of Qatar is acquiring a “significant minority stake” in what will become Audi’s works Formula 1 team from 2026, in a deal announced Friday at the Qatar Grand Prix.
A joint statement said the Qatar Investment Authority will be “a long-term investor and partner” and provide “a substantial capital injection” that will help the team expand its infrastructure.
The team is currently competing as Sauber and will be rebranded as the Audi works outfit for 2026 after it reached agreement for a full takeover earlier this year.
“This additional capital will accelerate the team’s growth and is yet another milestone on our long-term strategy,” Audi chief executive Gernot Döllner said in the joint statement.
Qatar is already an investor in the Volkswagen Group, of which Audi is a part.
“QIA believes that Formula 1 is a sport with significant untapped investment potential,” QIA chief executive Mohammed Saif Al-Sowaidi said.
“The increasing commercialization of professional sports as an entertainment offering globally, and the increasingly global popularity of Formula 1, has made for an exciting opportunity for our first major motorsports investment.”
Sauber is changing both of its drivers for 2025, when Nico Hülkenberg and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto arrive to replace Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu.
It is the only team yet to score a point this season. Bottas placed 13th and Zhou 19th in Friday’s qualifying for the Saturday sprint race, which was the first competitive session since the agreement was announced.

GT World Challenge title to go down to the wire in Jeddah finale

Updated 59 min 45 sec ago
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GT World Challenge title to go down to the wire in Jeddah finale

  • The 6 Hours of Jeddah race marks the final race of the GTWC season with Mercedes, Porsche and Ferrari battling it out for the title

JEDDAH: Mercedes-AMG Team GetSpeed topped Friday’s Free Practice in the GT World Challenge finale at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, with Jules Gounon leading the way in a two-hour session that began in daylight and ended with the sun setting over the Red Sea. 

The 6 Hours of Jeddah race marks the final race of the GTWC season with Mercedes, Porsche and Ferrari battling it out for the title.

Gounon was the first driver to break the two-minute barrier, posting a 1m 59.839s at the halfway mark. He subsequently shaved a further three hundredths of this to end Free Practice with a 1m 59.804s. 

Matteo Cairoli came within touching distance of Gounon’s benchmark with a 1m 59.894s during the final 30 minutes. In doing so, the Iron Lynx Lamborghini jumped ahead of Maro Engel, whose time of 2m 00.093s demonstrated that the Mercedes Team Mann-Filter entry is fully up to speed following its testing accident on Thursday.

Gold Cup title favorite Sainteloc Racing placed fourth overall with Gilles Magnus at the wheel of the Audi. The Rutronik Racing Porsche continued the strong pace it demonstrated on Thursday by placing fifth overall and leading the Bronze Cup thanks to Loek Hartog.

The Boutsen VDS Mercedes-AMG was sixth, followed by the title-chasing AF Corse Francorchamps Motors Ferrari.

Sainteloc Racing also paced the Silver Cup with its #26 Audi. Kobe Pauwels posted a 2m 00.494s to place 19th overall. A total of 47 cars were on-track during Free Practice following the withdrawal of the Walkenhorst Motorsport Aston Martin, which crashed during Thursday’s Bronze Test. 

In contrast with Thursday’s sessions, Free Practice brought almost no on-track incidents. A number of cars brushed the wall as they tested the limits of the high-speed Jeddah circuit, but there were no stoppages during the two-hour run.

However, there was more bad news for the Walkenhorst squad, which suffered a serious fire in one of its Aston Martins. No one was harmed in the incident, though the car’s continued participation in the event is unclear.  


Norris boosts McLaren title hopes with sprint pole

Updated 29 November 2024
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Norris boosts McLaren title hopes with sprint pole

  • Norris clocked a best time in one minute and 21.012 seconds to outpace Russell, the winner in Nevada, by just 0.063 seconds at the end of a closely-fought session
  • Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren was third

DOHA: Lando Norris lifted the spirits of his title-chasing McLaren team on Friday when he powered to pole position ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell in qualifying for Saturday’s sprint race at the Qatar Grand Prix.
After a disappointing outing in Las Vegas, where his drivers’ title hopes ended as Max Verstappen clinched his fourth championship with Red Bull, the British driver was back on top form under the lights at the Lusail International Circuit.
Norris clocked a best time in one minute and 21.012 seconds to outpace Russell, the winner in Nevada, by just 0.063 seconds at the end of a closely-fought session. Oscar Piastri in the second McLaren was third.
“It’s tough,” said Norris of his laps and the speed of the track.
“It is so quick around here. It feels like the quickest of the year and in the final sector you feel like you are just hanging on.
“I want to win and I want to win every session as a driver. Our target tomorrow is a one-two so we maximize the points for our constructors’ but we know Mercedes and Ferrari will be quick.”
The Ferraris of Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc qualified fourth and fifth ahead of Verstappen and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the second Mercedes, an outcome that was not enough to buoy hopes that the Italian team can stop McLaren claiming their first constructors’ title in 26 years.
Pierre Gasly took an impressive eighth for Alpine ahead of Nico Hulkenberg of Haas and RB’s Liam Lawson.
McLaren hold a 24 points lead in the teams’ title race with 608 to Ferrari on 584.
With two Grands Prix remaining, including one sprint, McLaren can clinch the title with a dominant weekend ahead of Ferrari in both the sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix.
In cooling conditions with temperatures of 19 (air) and 22 (track) falling as darkness descended, Kevin Magnussen set the early benchmark time for Haas in 1:23.750 before the ‘big boys’ joined the fray, Sainz soon going top.
Norris then gave notice of his intentions with a lap in 1:22.785, but it was not enough as speeds increased with the drop in temperature and Ferrari took advantage with Leclerc and Sainz on top.
With three minutes remaining in SQ1, Norris bounced back in 1:22.021, a time Russell equalled exactly with the same lap time. Piastri, last year’s winner, went fourth, six-tenths off his team-mate’s best time.
Norris trimmed his time to 1:21.356 in the final seconds to finish four-tenths clear of Sainz, six-tenths ahead of Russell and Verstappen with Hamilton fifth.
But it was another painful session for Sergio Perez of Red Bull who exited in Q1 along with RB’s Yuki Tsunoda, Alpine’s Esteban Ocon, Zhou Guanyu of Sauber and Williams’ Franco Colapinto.
As prescribed, all of the cars ran on medium compound tires and nearly all of them were under investigation by the stewards for driving too slowly, at times, in SQ1 as they ‘backed up’ to seek a ‘tow’.
The SQ2 segment began with Verstappen on top before Leclerc took over in 1:22.130 and then Piastri in 1:22.050, the leading teams all very clothed matched.
With two minutes to go, Norris was back in control in 1:22.231 ahead of Russell and Piastri with Verstappen fourth until Hamilton knocked him down to fifth ahead of the two Ferraris.
Out this time went two-time champion Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin, Williams’ Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas of Sauber, Lance Stroll in the second Aston Martin and Magnussen.
The top ten shootout began with Leclerc in a hurry to clock 1:21.706, as they all switched to softs, Norris lapping in 1:21.012 for top spot with Piastri a tenth down in second. McLaren looked imperious.


Defending champions MI Emirates to play Dubai Capitals in DP World ILT20 season opener

Season 3 of the DP World ILT20 will kick off on Jan. 11. (CREIMAS / ILT20)
Updated 29 November 2024
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Defending champions MI Emirates to play Dubai Capitals in DP World ILT20 season opener

  • “We are set for a bigger and better edition” says CEO David White ahead of Jan. 11 start

DUBAI: Season three of the DP World International League T20 will begin with a blockbuster clash between defending champions MI Emirates and Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium in a rematch of last season’s final. The first ball will be delivered at 6:00 p.m. local time on Saturday, Jan. 11.

The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders will launch their campaign with a home game against season one finalists the Desert Vipers on Jan.12 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi. In the evening game on the same day, season one champions Gulf Giants will face the Sharjah Warriorz at the DIS. The first match of the season at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium will be a clash between Sharjah Warriorz and Dubai Capitals on Friday, Jan. 17.

DP World ILT20 CEO David White said: “We are set for a bigger and better edition of the DP World International League T20 as we unveil the schedule for season three. Our six teams have gathered a line-up of world-class T20 stars besides the best of the UAE talent who will combine to provide rich entertainment to cricket fans during the 34-match tournament.”

Fifteen tournament matches will be played at DIS, Zayed Cricket Stadium will host 11, while the Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host eight. Evening games will begin at 6:30 local time on weekdays and at 6:00 on the weekends. On the double-header weekends, the afternoon games will be played at 2:00.

The month-long tournament will conclude at DIS on Sunday, Feb. 9.

The six DP World ILT20 franchises have retained cricket superstars including Andre Russell (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Sunil Narine (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Alex Hales (Desert Vipers), Sherfane Rutherford (Desert Vipers), David Warner (Dubai Capitals), Rovman Powell (Dubai Capitals), Chris Jordan (Gulf Giants), Shimron Hetmyer (Gulf Giants), Akeal Hossein (MI Emirates), Nicholas Pooran (MI Emirates), Adil Rashid (Sharjah Warriorz) and Johnson Charles (Sharjah Warriorz).

Additionally, Jason Roy (Sharjah Warriorz), Fakhar Zaman (Desert Vipers), Shai Hope (Dubai Capitals), Lockie Ferguson (Desert Vipers), Roston Chase (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Matthew Wade (Sharjah Warriorz), Ibrahim Zadran (Gulf Giants) and Romario Shepherd (MI Emirates) will make their DP World ILT20 debuts this season.

Additional UAE players will be selected next week.

“The DP World ILT20’s glittering trophy is one of the most sought-after prizes in the cricket calendar and we expect a fierce battle between the global superstars who will be giving it their all for their respective franchise,” White said.

“In the coming days we will be launching tickets with special offers for both the diehards and fans while encouraging families to come in numbers especially during the weekends at our fan carnivals at the stadiums in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

“The weather across the UAE will be ideal for cricket for both afternoon and night games. For fans and tourists that are set to visit the country, the DP World ILT20 is surely an experience they cannot afford to miss,” he added.


Ronaldo’s brace keeps Al-Nassr in title race after beating Damac 2-0

Updated 29 November 2024
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Ronaldo’s brace keeps Al-Nassr in title race after beating Damac 2-0

  • It was far from a vintage performance by the Riyadh club
  • Al-Nassr should have extended their lead on numerous occasions

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice on Friday to give Al-Nassr a vital 2-0 win over Damac that keeps the Riyadh hosts in the title race.
It was far from a vintage performance by the Riyadh club but they move on to 25 points from 12 games, three behind Al-Hilal and five behind Al-Ittihad, with the top two teams in action on Saturday.
Ronaldo went closest early on, heading over from a good position but had an even better one after 16 minutes as Al-Nassr were awarded a penalty following a handball in the area from Abdelkader Bedrane.
Ronaldo stuttered and delayed his run-up before drilling a low shot into the bottom-left corner beyond the diving Amin Al-Bukhari to show his famous “Siu” celebration for the 57th time in 58 league games for the Yellows.
Al-Nassr should have extended their lead on numerous occasions. Angelo rolled two shots just wide of the post while Sadio Mane had a close-range effort saved by Al-Bukhari after being put through on goal by a Ronaldo backheel in the area.
At the break, Nassr coach Stefano Pioli would have been frustrated by his team not getting a second, and after play resumed, the Italian would have been unhappy at his time looking sloppy at the back. More than once Bento had to save the team from defensive laxness.
Some of the pressure was removed after 55 minutes as Damac were reduced to ten men. The unfortunate Bedrane saw red for a dangerous challenge on Mohamed Simakan.
The visitors still managed to cause problems for the star-studded hosts but Ronaldo sealed the win with 10 minutes remaining. Nawaf Boushal got to the byline on the left and provided the five-time Ballon D’Or winner with the perfect pullback and the Portuguese star did the rest, firing a left-footed shot powerfully home. It was his ninth league goal of the season so far.
Al-Qadsia stay fourth behind Al-Nassr on goal difference with a 1-0 win at home to Al-Khaleej, a fifth league victory in succession for the newly promoted team.