“Formula E are leading the world in electric car innovation” - Lucien Laviscount
Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, 28 JANUARY 2023 – This weekend sees the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship head to Diriyah for a double-header of races. To kick off the weekend, thousands of fans watched on as 22 of the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race cars in the world - the GEN3 - went head to head.
Emily in Paris Netflix star Lucien Laviscount attended the first race on Friday to watch the world-class drivers and revolutionary race cars compete at speeds of up to 200mph. Speaking about the event, Lucien commented, “I’m a massive fan of motorsport and anything to do with cars. Seeing the new GEN3 race car on track for the first time was insane. It looks like a fighter jet on wheels and sounds like it’s from a sci-fi movie.” He added, “Formula E are leading the world in electric car innovation. I’m in line for an electric vehicle and this has really given me a taste.”
Lucien also took to the track himself to meet some of the drivers including Jake Dennis, who currently sits at the top of the Championship after taking the first victory in Mexico City earlier this month.
Fresh off the back of attending Paris Fashion Week, Lucien Laviscount has accumulated more than 3m followers on Instagram and Tik Tok, reaching a worldwide audience as recurring character Alfie in Seasons 2 and 3 of Emily in Paris.
Supporting the first sport classified as net zero since inception, Lucien was joined by fellow Formula E supporters including television presenter Vernon Kay. Model Winnie Harlow will be attending the race tonight. Formula E has built a huge fan base over the years and continues to attract famous faces, with Idris Elba, Cara Delevingne, Kylie Minogue, Sienna Miller and Jaden Smith amongst others to have attended in the past.
As well as enjoying incredible on-track action, Lucien and Winnie will get to enjoy electric performances from world-renowned artists including John Legend, French Montana, Miguel and DJ Martin Garrix who are performing post-race concerts over the weekend.
The Diriyah Street Circuit, just outside of the Saudi capital, Riyadh, is a full street circuit snaking the historic city's walls at the UNESCO World Heritage site. Whilst the track is a favourite amongst the drivers, it's also one of the most demanding circuits on the calendar for balancing energy management and outright pace.
The circuit will again be lit by the latest low-power LED technology around the circuit. These reduce energy consumption by up to 50 per cent compared to non-LED units, and they will be powered by sustainably-sourced biofuel generators.
This evening, supermodel Winnie Harlow will be attending. Images to follow.
The second race in the 2023 CORE Diriyah E-Prix gets underway at 20:00 AST (17:00 GMT) today, Saturday 28 January starting at 20:00 AST (17:00 GMT). Find out where to watch here: fiaformulae.com/en/ways-to-watch
Catch all the action except FP1 on Saudi Sport Company’s (SSC) linear channel SSC 2 as well as their digital platform shahid.net. SSC will on the ground in Diriyah bringing an immersive studio experience to the fans in Saudi Arabia. Across the Middle East and North Africa, Dubai Sports will be showcasing both qualifiers, races, and highlights on Dubai Sports 2.
