"The Final Lap": Extreme E organises final race weekend in Saudi Arabia

About a year after the off-road electric series Extreme E announced the cancellation of its fourth season in 2024, a new announcement has now been made: Extreme E will hold a final race weekend in just one month's time, on 4 and 5 October 2025. The venue will once again be Saudi Arabia, where the racing series already held its season opener from 2021 to 2024.

"Now, the series prepares for its Final Lap, a final outing that not only honours its roots but also sets the stage for the launch of Extreme H, the world’s first hydrogen powered off-road racing championship," writes Extreme E in a press release. "The Final Lap will be an opportunity to celebrate everything Extreme E has achieved, at the same time setting the next frontier for Extreme H, reinforcing Saudi Arabia’s ambition to be the hub for innovative, world-class motorsport and a leader in shaping a sustainable future."

"This transition reflects Extreme E’s vision to use sport as a platform for innovation, awareness, and action," the text continues. "While the cars and energy sources may evolve, the commitment to purposeful racing remains unchanged. Further details on the event schedule, teams, and drivers will be shared in the coming weeks."

The fact that Saudi Arabia, of all places, has been named as the venue is hardly surprising. After all, the racing series has several partners in the country: in addition to the Saudi state fund PIF, the company Enowa is also involved in Extreme E. Furthermore, the racing series lists the Saudi Motorsport Company, the Saudi Ministry of Sports and the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Association as partners on its website.

When exactly the transformation to Extreme H, which was announced some time ago, will take place remains unclear. The racing series had announced the first race with the new, hydrogen-powered cars called "Pioneer 25" always "later in 2025". However, this now seems less likely than ever before.

It is also unclear which teams and drivers will be competing in Saudi Arabia in October. ABT Cupra, Chip Ganassi Racing and Lewis Hamilton Team X44 had already withdrawn from the series ahead of the 2024 season. The two-time champion team Rosberg X Racing had announced in December 2024 that it would disband at the end of the year.