DS Penske’s Max Guenther and Nissan’s Oliver Rowland emerged as the big winners of the Jeddah E-Prix. Formula E headed to a brand new venue for Rounds 3 and 4, racing at a shortened 3km layout of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which also hosts F1. Round 3 also saw the debut of Formula E’s new Pit Boost fast charging stop, which resulted in two very different races over the weekend.
Indian team Mahindra Racing leaves Jeddah with a strong point haul, completing both races in the top 10.
- Guenther won Round 3, ahead of Rowland and Barnard
- Rowland won Round 4, ahead of Barnard and Hughes
- Mahindra sixth in the standings
Pit Boost debuts at Jeddah
After several delays, Formula E’s new Pit Boost finally made its race debut at the first Jeddah E-Prix. All drivers were required to pit for a 10 percent battery recharge via a 600kW fast charger, with the whole pit stop lasting a little over 30 seconds.
Combined with the existing Attack Mode (which gives drivers a brief power boost and unlocks all-wheel drive), this added yet another strategic element. As expected, Pit Boost did shake up the field, with early leader Guenther falling down the order, while Mahindra’s two drivers – Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara – leap-frogged their nearest rivals.
“I think it’s exciting; it makes the races a little bit more like Gen2. So, less peloton-style racing; the race is much quicker; people are not as incentivised to just slow down and make sure they bank enough energy to be flat at the end,” said de Vries.
“I think it was positive. There is a lot still to learn in terms of timing and the way you exit out of the pitlane. On our side, did have the quickest (pit stop) on the grid, but I [was released] into P2 and basically spent eight laps alone, which hurt my energy a little bit.”
Guenther wins Jeddah E-Prix, Round 3
Starting from pole position, Guenther fell back after Pit Boost and the first round of Attack Mode. Rowland took the lead; however, he did have less usable energy than Guenther.
This set the stage for a last-lap duel, with Guenther reeling Rowland in. The DS Penske driver pulled off a move at the final chicane, as Rowland struggled to hold on with whatever little energy he had left. McLaren’s Taylor Barnard crossed the line in third place to complete the podium.
“It wasn’t an easy race, but we fought back to take the victory. And we did it in style – with pole position, the win, and the fastest lap. That makes me really proud,” rejoiced Guenther.
Rowland wins Jeddah E-Prix, Round 4
For the second race, 20-year-old Barnard made history as Formula E’s youngest-ever polesitter. He held on to the lead for a bit, but ultimately the race was a masterclass from Rowland.
The Nissan driver carefully calculated his Attack Mode deployment and managed the gap to those behind him, all while also conserving more energy than his rivals. He crossed the line to take victory with a hefty margin of 5.844 sec.
With his key championship rivals Guenther and Antonio Felix da Costa out of the race, Rowland further extended his lead in the standings. “At times it was getting a bit aggressive in the pack, so I chose those moments to get to the front and stay out of trouble. Our strategy with Attack Mode was perfect, and it ensured I was able to extend a gap at the front for a smooth finish,” he said.
Barnard fought off a late attack from Maserati’s Jake Hughes to finish second and make it a double podium finish over the weekend. With this, he also jumps to second place in the championship, 17 points behind Rowland.
Mahindra continues points-scoring run
Mahindra further cemented its return to being a consistent points scorer, collecting a total of 19 points at Jeddah.
Both de Vries and Mortara finished in the top 10 in the first race. De Vries took the chequered flag in a strong P4, 1.4 sec behind race winner Guenther. Mortara had to start from the back of the grid after encountering a technical issue in qualifying. But he made up for it in the race, gaining 15 places to finish P7.
The second Jeddah E-Prix was a lot tougher for Mahindra. Despite having a strong starting position of P5 on the grid, Mortara was held up at the Turn 4 hairpin with two other competitors making contact. This dropped him to the tail end, but he recovered to finish P10 and score an additional point for the team. De Vries crossed the line P13.
"If we put the entire weekend in perspective, it's another sure sign that we have made some steps forward in performance, and everybody was satisfied to score a big haul of points for the team on Friday,” said Mahindra Racing CEO and Team Principal Frederic Bertrand.
“Saturday was not exactly the race that we wanted. Edo was unfortunate to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and that compromised his entire evening, and with Nyck, we need to analyse and take the learnings from tonight.”
The Indian team currently stands sixth in the teams’ championship, just two points behind Maserati. After a lengthy eight-week break, the 2025 Formula E season will resume with the Miami E-Prix on April 12.
Jeddah E-Prix Round 3 results
Jeddah E-Prix Round 4 results
Dipan Sur
