Formula E - 2019 SAUDIA Diriyah E-Prix - Sam Bird Preview

For the first time in Formula E’s history, a complete grid of 24 cars will go head-to-head around the 21 turn, 2.494km circuit - with German giants Mercedes-Benz and Porsche going head-to-head with rivals Audi and BMW for the first time in any international series - solidifying the most competitive line-up in motorsport. The suspense of pre-season testing didn’t disappoint, with 22 cars setting times within a single second of each other. BMW i Andretti Motorsport debutant Maximilian Guenther topped the timesheets in his first public outing for the German-marque, with MAHINDRA RACING’s Pascal Wehrlein in second and GEOX DRAGON’s newest recruit, Nico Mueller in third.

In Formula E, experience is everything, and that was demonstrated with both Mercedes-Benz and Porsche doing limited running compared to the rest of the pack, with the Porsche pairing and Andre Lotterer and Neel Jani - and Mercedes-Benz EQ duo Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries getting to grips with new machinery.

Last year in Diriyah, a wet morning scuppered chances of a full qualifying session but Antonio Felix da Costa managed to put it on Julius Baer pole position for the first time in the Gen2 era. An exhilarating track with a lot of camber created an electrifying spectacle with the Portuguese driver bringing it home for BMW’s first win as a manufacturer in the sport.

Following a drive-through penalty for a technical infringement, reigning champion Jean-Eric Vergne (DS TECHEETAH) had to settle for second place with Jerome D’Ambrosio rounding out the podium places in his first race with MAHINDRA RACING.