Riyadh Street Circuit, Friday 27 January

Hear from NEOM McLaren Formula E Team drivers René Rast and Jake Hughes, and Team Principal Ian James after the first Diriyah E-Prix.

Free Practice 2	8th (1m10.771s)
Qualifying	5th (1m09.729s)
Race	5th & Fastest Lap

"It was a very good race for me. I finished 5th, so I collected some good points. Yesterday, I was struggling a bit and I didn’t have the pace, so it was a great improvement for me personally. Today, I’m feeling happy with my result – my first points of the season! Diriyah is my favourite track of the calendar, I love racing here and it’s a very special track. I can’t wait for tomorrow."

Free Practice 2	9th (1m10.777s)
Qualifying	2nd (1m09.495s)
Race	8th

"It was a bit of a difficult race, but overall, we can draw a positive from today. We clearly have a good one-lap car in qualifying. In the race, there’s quite a lot to improve, but I don’t think we’re very far away. In terms of strategy, the race was challenging and we were stuck in a corner in terms of what we could do, especially with the Attack Mode activations. However, we scored points again this weekend. Both cars were in the points this time around, which is a big positive. We will learn what we can for tomorrow and go at it again!"

IAN JAMES, Team Principal

"It’s been a day of mixed feelings for us today. Firstly, it’s amazing being back here in Saudi – this race has always been one of the teams’ and drivers’ favourite, and being here as the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team feels very special indeed. The day started off super positive with both cars showing great pace, especially on single laps, which translated to a strong qualifying performance. Jake managed to make it all the way to the Final, only 0.06 seconds short of pole position – an outstanding job for him. René had a good start to the day as well. He ultimately claimed P5 on the grid, showing a growing confidence in the package.

"Carrying that momentum into the race, both had a good start, but at some point started to drop back a little. We overconsumed energy a bit too early and had to back out of the fight at the front of the field. That, combined with a small moment for Jake, where he bent his steering column, meant we conclude the day with a P5 (René) and P8 (Jake) in the race today. Not as much as we would have hoped for, but good points for the team. These points were further bolstered by René securing a point for fastest lap.

"We will be back on track tomorrow – and I can’t wait to see the team at work again, fighting for every position."

Standings after Round 2

	NEOM McLaren Formula E Team	4th (25 points)
	Jake Hughes	7th (14 points)
	René Rast	8th (11 points)

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