Spectacular Race 2 in Jeddah: Rowland redeems yesterday’s heartbreak and wins ahead of Barnard and Hughes!
After the heartbreak at the final chicane in Race 1, Oliver Rowland takes victory in Race 2 in Jeddah with a masterful energy and Attack Mode management, the real game-changer today. The English Nissan driver won with a 5.8-second advantage over pole-sitter Taylor Barnard, who fiercely defended against a charging Jake Hughes in the final two laps.
Behind them, a spectacular comeback from Jake Dennis in the Andretti, who climbed up from nineteenth on the grid. In fifth place is Nick Cassidy, securing his first 10 points of the season after a tough start. Rounding out the points finishers are Stoffel Vandoorne in the second Maserati, who started from the very back of the grid, followed by Jean-Eric Vergne, Pascal Wehrlein, Dan Ticktum, and Edoardo Mortara.
As for the overall standings, Oliver Rowland moves up to 68 points, extending his lead to 17 points over new second-place holder Taylor Barnard, who now has 51. Antonio Felix Da Costa and Maximilian Günther remain stuck at their previous totals after being involved in a first-lap incident. Meanwhile, Jake Hughes climbs to fifth place with 27 points for Maserati. Reigning world champion Pascal Wehrlein drops to eighth with 25 points, tied with fellow title contenders Mitch Evans and Jake Dennis.
Jeddah E-Prix Race 2: Race Report
Second round on the Jeddah circuit, after race 1 won by Maximilian Gunther with a great overtaking move at the last chicane on Oliver Rowland, and marked by the debut of Pit Boost, i.e., a mandatory pit stop that allows for a 10% increase in energy. In today’s race, however, this new feature will not be available, so drivers will only have the usual 8 minutes of Attack Mode.
Starting from pole position is Taylor Barnard’s NEOM McLaren, securing his first career pole. Lining up beside him is championship leader Oliver Rowland, eager to bounce back after yesterday’s disappointing finish. Stoffel Vandoorne was initially set to start third, but his Maserati was disqualified after qualifying due to a technical irregularity.
This promotion moves Jake Hughes to third, where he’ll be joined on the grid by Antonio Felix Da Costa. Yesterday’s winner, Maximilian Günther, will start from sixth position, while further down the grid are Pascal Wehrlein in thirteenth, Mitch Evans in fifteenth, and Nick Cassidy in seventeenth.
Taylor Barnard gets off to a great start, maintaining the lead, while Rowland is surprised by Hughes, who moves up to second. Behind them, there’s contact between Da Costa and Günther, with yesterday’s winner in the DS Penske running wide in Turn 3 and hitting the Porsche of the Portuguese driver, sending him into a spin. Both are forced to retire from the race.
On lap 4, Vergne attacks Rowland and moves into third position, while further behind, Bird is involved in a battle and damages his front wing but continues, albeit losing the position to Dan Ticktum’s Cupra Kiro. Meanwhile, Lucas Di Grassi in the ABT Lola makes a rapid climb through the field, having used his first Attack Mode.
Hughes drops positions and falls to fifth, while Di Grassi continues his impressive comeback, rising to second place behind Barnard. The Brazilian driver’s progress is aided by the extra power provided by the Attack Mode. On the following lap, Rowland attacks both Barnard and Di Grassi, taking the lead. Meanwhile, Wehrlein reappears near the front, moving up to third thanks to his Attack Mode activation.
On lap 12, Robin Frijns in the Envision takes the lead with a fantastic double overtake on Rowland and Barnard at the Turn 1 braking point, also utilizing his Attack Mode. At this moment, the Attack Mode is the key factor in the race: Mitch Evans moves up to fourth position with his boost, while Rowland and Barnard have yet to use theirs.
On lap 14, Rowland finally activates his first Attack Mode, immediately returning to the lead and attempting to extend his advantage, pushing it to over one second ahead of Frijns. The following lap sees Barnard and Vergne take their Attack Modes, re-entering in fourth and sixth positions, respectively.
At the start of lap 17, Barnard passes Rowland and tries to extend his lead, with still two minutes remaining on his Attack Mode. On lap 19, Rowland counterattacks, with the Nissan retaking the lead.
Lap 24/31: Jake Dennis climbs through the field and, thanks to his Attack Mode, moves into the lead, while Rowland and Vergne take their second and final Attack Modes. Meanwhile, Mitch Evans’ Jaguar heads to the pits, marking a disastrous weekend for the New Zealand driver. On the next lap, Barnard also activates his final Attack Mode, putting all three of the top drivers on equal terms for the remainder of the race.
Lap 27/31: A spectacular double overtake by Taylor Barnard on Dennis and Vergne. The young rookie from NEOM McLaren moves up to second place, chasing down Rowland, who has a 1.3-second lead.
We reach the penultimate lap: Hughes, with the power boost, tries to attack Barnard in Turn 1, but the McLaren driver defends brilliantly. As the final lap begins, Rowland has a 3-second lead over the Barnard-Hughes pair, while Vergne immediately behind tries to capitalize. The race ends with Rowland winning ahead of Barnard and Hughes, while Vergne drops to seventh after running out of battery in the final sector.
PHOTO: ABB FIA Formula E, Maserati MSG Racing, ABT Lola, NEOM Mclaren, Tag Heuer Porsche, Nismo.
