Five storylines ahead of the Jeddah E-Prix
- Teagan Crump
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
\Written by Teagan Crump, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
This weekend’s Jeddah E-Prix has a lot of new developing storylines — the Evo sessions are set to return but in a new and unique format, with celebrities, influencers and online personalities battling it out. Here are five other storylines for fans to watch out for!
Are Porsche’s powertrains the dominant force?
In the three races so far, only three drivers have finished in the top 10 in all of them. All three have the Porsche 99X powering them. The three drivers in question are Pascal Wehrlein, Nico Müller and Jake Dennis, the first two are Porsche Factory drivers while Dennis races for Porsche’s customer team, Andretti.
However, while the trio have scored good results in Season 12, other teams and drivers have been less successful. Dan Ticktum has failed to finish a race so far, yet none have been due to the powertrain.
Several of the other teams have suffered with non-finishes but Ticktum and Martí are the only Porsche-powered drivers to not finish every race. However, their DNFs were caused by collisions, damage or other technical issues.
With Jeddah proving to be another fast circuit requiring efficient powertrains and energy management, expect Porsche to be in the mix once again alongside their customers.
The first double-header and night race of Season 12
Jeddah marks the first double-header of Formula E in 2026, and it brings with it another unique challenge- racing at night. A night-time race has added difficulties- optimal tyre temperature can be a struggle for drivers to find as the track temperature is lower than a daytime race.
However, there are added benefits to racing at night, for example: the cooler air temperatures make the battery more efficient and help it to not overheat. During the day, Jeddah can reach temperatures of 32° Celsius but at night, these drop to 28° or 27°.
The double-header in the desert brings a lot of anticipation and determination from certain drivers.
Last year, Maximilian Günther and Oliver Rowland won the two races, with the former claiming the win in a stunning move in the last corner of the last lap. Taylor Barnard took his maiden pole position, and the title of youngest-ever Formula E pole-sitter but failed to convert P1 into a win, having to settle for second position.
Additionally, several drivers will be wanting to improve on their results from 2025. One of these is Mitch Evans, who suffered a P19 finish and a DNF at last year’s inaugural Jeddah E-Prix. The New Zealand driver is having mixed results in 2026- he has had a DNF, taken P11 and won a race so far but could the Miami E-Prix successes continue for him?
Lucas Di Grassi will also be looking to improve on 2025- he was disqualified from Race 1, and failed to score points in Race 2 after finishing in 16th position. However, the Brazilian’s season has not had the best start, he did not finish the first race and finished in 13th in the last two E-Prix.
Three rounds, three winners: Will this continue into Jeddah?
Season 12 has seen some shocking results and surprises for drivers and teams, one example being rookie Felipe Drugovich qualifying in second for the Miami E-Prix.
Mitch Evans has become the driver with the most wins in Formula E and fans will be wondering if he can beat his own record. His charge from ninth to first impressed critics who believed that he may be losing some of his momentum after losing championship battles over the last few seasons.
At pre-season testing, a lot of the grid looked to be strong and competitive but for some, it has not translated to race pace or high results. In Jeddah, teams like Mahindra will be looking to create positive results with the potential for victories.
Will we see five winners in five rounds after Jeddah or will we see our first repeat winner of Season 12?
Will rookies retain their momentum?
In Miami, all three rookies claimed their best result in either qualifying or a race. Felipe Drugovich, Pepe Martí and Joel Eriksson all scored career-best positions on the grid, with them starting in second, 12th and sixth, respectively. Eriksson finished the race in fourth place, converting a career-best qualifying position into a career-best race finish.
These results show that the rookies are adapting to their cars a lot more and developing their skills for every race that they compete in. If they continue following the same trajectory, the rookies will potentially continue to build on their results for the remainder of the 2026 season.
Pit Boost to return
One of the main storylines for 2026 is the return of Pit Boost, a technology that will completely adjust how teams plan their strategies. It will only be available during one race of the double-header, but it is a mandatory requirement, similar to how Attack Mode is mandatory. The new technology made its debut at the Jeddah E-Prix in Season 11, and has been featured at several other race events.
When a driver takes PIT BOOST, they will be given a 10% increase in energy (equivalent to 3.85kWh) through a 600kW, 30-second boost in pit-lane. The drivers on the team will have to share the PIT BOOST rig, preventing them from using the ‘double-stack’ technique.
Additionally, drivers must take PIT BOOST when their car’s charge is below 60% but above 40%, which can vary from driver to driver, given the different strategies at play.
As a result of PIT BOOST, Attack Mode will be limited to one usage in the race.
