Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa attended on Saturday the CORE Diriyah E-Prix 2023 race.
German racer Pascal Wehrlein won the tournament hosted by the historic city and in the presence of a large and international audience.
Some of the brightest names in electric motorsport had come to watch and participate in the championship. This promoted messages of a future of clean energy.
Porsche’s Wehrlein won his second Formula E race in two days in Saudi Arabia to take the lead in the electric world championship on Saturday.
The German beat his British rival Jake Dennis, driving for Porsche-powered Avalanche Andretti and making more overtakes than anyone else, by 1.252 seconds in a repeat of Friday's top two at the Diriyah street circuit.
Rene Rast took third, after fending off Jaguar's Sam Bird in the late stages, to put newcomers NEOM McLaren on the podium for the first time.
British rookie Jake Hughes had earlier secured McLaren’s first pole position but finished fifth after running low on power at the end.
“Our race pace is incredible, again today we had the perfect strategy,” said Wehrlein.
“This weekend will be one I will never forget,” added the former Formula One driver, who finished second to Dennis in this month's Mexico City opener.
The result meant Porsche powertrains have finished one-two in every race so far this season.
Wehrlein now has 68 points to 62 for Dennis, with Envision Racing's Sebastien Buemi a distant third on 31.
After the race ended, Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal reiterated his happiness with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attending the event.
“We are proud of the Crown Prince attending the (Formula E Diriyah) race, and with the support and interest of the Crown Prince, the Kingdom is home to international sports,” he said.
