São Paulo – Brazilian race car driver Felipe Massa was featured this Tuesday (25) at the event that launched the first Formula E race ever to take place in Saudi Arabia. Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix will open the 2018-2019 electric car racing championship season on December 15 in Riyadh.
Massa, who has been hired by team Venturi for the upcoming season, drove around the city streets in a second-generation Formula E car that will be introduced in the 2018/2019 championship.
Formula E races are held in street circuits in major cities around the world. Riyadh will be the second Arab city ever to host a Formula E race – the first was Marrakech, Morocco.
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The E-Prix will be raced in the historic area of Diriyah, a United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) heritage site near Riyadh. According to Saudi Arabia’s General Sports Authority (GSA), the area was the first seat of power for Saudi kings.
“I am ready for the race. It’s a fantastic feeling driving around the city, the town, it’s historical. It will be a big event,” local newspaper Arab News quoted Massa as saying.” “I’m really happy to be a part of this new challenge for my career. In a new place and country, it’s motivating,” he went on.
Up until last year, Massa was a Formula 1 driver for the Williams team. He ended his F1 run after 16 seasons, 41 podiums, 11 wins and one vice championship – with Ferrari, in 2008.
Sharek
In a bid to get foreign tourists to attend the race, the Saudi government is putting in place the unprecedented “Sharek” online visa system. The GSA said that for the first time, people will be able to visit Saudi Arabia using “such a fast, uncomplicated” process.
The hosting of the race and related events, as well as the new tourist visa system, are part of the Vision 2030 plan being rolled out by heir prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The plan is intended to diversify the economy away from oil and to increase openness through a laxer approach to Saudi Arabia’s strict religious code of conduct. The strategy includes exploring entertainment and hosting major sports events.
“This is a truly game-changing moment for Saudi Arabia and one that we can share with the world,” a statement from the GSA quoted its vice president Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al Faisal Al Saud as saying.
Besides practice, qualifiers and the actual race, the three-day event will include several activities, such as music concerts and other attractions.
The E-Prix launch event was also attended by driver André Lotterer, of Germany, a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and by Venturi team boss Susie Wolff.
Watch below a video of the event
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum