With the double-header underway, Round 5 of the Jeddah E-Prix featured only one Free Practice session, held on Saturday afternoon in Saudi Arabia. Although officially classified as FP1 of the fifth round of the season, the context of a double-header clearly gave this session the character of an FP3, as drivers and teams arrived on Saturday having already completed two practice sessions and a full race on the same circuit.
In practical terms, the adaptation work to the track had already been completed on Friday, during FP1 and FP2, both valid for Round 4. Saturday’s single session was therefore focused almost exclusively on fine-tuning, tyre analysis, understanding car behaviour under extreme heat, and direct preparation for qualifying.
The fastest driver of the session wasJake Dennis for Andretti, in a result that brought a sense of relief after a difficult start to the weekend.
Dennis leads and responds after a tough Friday
After a Friday marked by struggles in the night race, Andretti found a clear sign of recovery in Jake Dennis. The Season 9 champion topped the timesheets in the sole practice session of Round 5, taking advantage of the hot track conditions to extract the maximum from the car in qualifying-style runs.
In Friday’s race, valid for Round 4, the American team endured a subdued performance. Dennis finished only ninth, while his teammate Felipe Drugovich crossed the line in penultimate position. Saturday’s result therefore pointed to meaningful progress in set-up understanding and adaptation to the Jeddah street circuit.
Top five reinforces early-season frontrunners
Behind Dennis, the top five featured drivers who have been standing out in the early stages of the championship. Mitch Evans of Jaguar TCS Racing was second fastest, carrying momentum from the podium he secured the previous night and underlining Jaguar’s consistency.
Dan Ticktum of CUPRA KIRO ended the session third, continuing the strong form he has shown throughout the weekend. Friday’s pole-sitter Edoardo Mortara was fourth for Mahindra Racing, followed by Maximilian Günther of DS PENSKE in fifth.
Drugovich improves, di Grassi loses ground
Felipe Drugovich repeated the ninth position he achieved in Friday’s FP2, but showed improvement by posting a 1m15.633s lap, quicker than his best time from the previous day. The Brazilian remained focused on consistency and car understanding ahead of qualifying.
Lucas di Grassi, driving for Lola Yamaha ABT, finished only 20th with a 1m16.468s lap, a step back compared to Friday’s performance and a reflection of the team’s difficulties in hotter track conditions.
How Round 5 FP3 unfolded
Run under strong sunlight and high temperatures, the session did not fully represent the conditions expected later during the night race. Even so, it proved essential for final adjustments ahead of qualifying.
Early in the session, Nyck de Vries ran into trouble and was unable to leave the pits in his Mahindra. The Season 7 world champion did not start Friday’s race and is carrying a heavy penalty after changing car components, including the MCU and exceeding the permitted number of MGUs, which resulted in a 60-place grid penalty for Round 5. Despite this, he eventually made it onto the track and finished the session in 15th.
On the other side of the garage, Mortara once again showed strong pace following the pole position he secured the night before. With around 17 minutes remaining, the Swiss driver briefly topped the timesheets, but was later overtaken by Evans, Günther and Dennis as lap times dropped in the final phase of the session.
In the closing moments, António Félix da Costa was on a flying lap but became trapped in traffic in the final sector. There was also a tense moment involving Jean-Éric Vergne’s Citroën Racing car, as the two-time champion slowed on the racing line and compromised the Portuguese driver’s attempt.
Overall picture ahead of qualifying
Formula E has raced in Saudi Arabia since Season 5 and, since last year, has found a new home on the streets of Jeddah. The single practice session of Round 5 reinforced the competitive balance across the grid and highlighted how, even after a full race, the margins remain extremely tight.
With qualifying approaching, the session functioned less as a tool for discovery and more as a surgical adjustment phase for the one-lap performance — once again shaping up as a decisive factor in a double-header defined by aggressive strategies and clear contrasts between daytime and nighttime conditions.
