The layout of the 21-turn Riyadh Street Circuit was unveiled in a public ceremony at the Diriyah Governorate on 25 September 2018 . The track 's design , overseen by contractor Samer Issa-El-Khour , features a number of flowing corners and high-speed turns and few 90-degrees corners that are typical of Formula E street circuits . The existing road network was upgraded to comply with FIA standards , with construction performed in close collaboration with UNESCO and the Diriyah Gate Development Authority to ensure that the area 's heritage was conserved for future generations . D'Ambrosio spoke of his belief that the track 's sweeping corners would be the main objective to setting a fast lap time and that the race would be about electrical energy management , " This is definitely not a classic Formula E track that we have used before , especially all the way from turn 1 to turn 14 which will be a lot of part-throttle and high speed for Formula E. ” Following the initial announcement of its inauguration , the race was subject to criticism by Formula E members and outside observers in light of Saudi Arabia 's human rights record regarding its treatment of women , minorities and migrant workers , its oil wealth and dependency , and other major geopolitical problems . In response to these concerns , Agag revealed the Saudi Arabian authorities requested that women be allowed to participate in the weekend 's racing activities and were granted dispensation to report on and spectate the race , " We are happy to be part of that change and we see Formula E as a force for good and in this case is a very specific place under very specific circumstances , but we think Formula E can make a contribution also for good in that country by doing this . ” After the assassination of '' The Washington Post '' columnist Jamal Khashoggi in the Consulate of Saudi Arabia in the Turkish capital of Istanbul in October 2018 , Agag told the Associated Press that the Ad Diriyah ePrix would go ahead as scheduled and stated that Formula E would monitor the situation , " Referring to the incident , we obviously have no comment to make . At this moment there are no plans to change the Formula E calendar this season . " The first in-season test session of the 2018 – 19 campaign was held at the circuit the day after the ePrix . Teams were permitted six hours of running divided into two sessions and were allowed to field one or two cars . As part of an FIA Women in Motorsport initiative , teams were encouraged to field female drivers due to Saudi Arabia lifting its restriction on barring women from driving in the kingdom in June 2018 . Nine women tested : Sauber test driver Tatiana Calderón , Italian F4 Championship participant Amna Al Qubaisi , Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy 's Katherine Legge , 2015 British GT4 champion Jamie Chadwick , IndyCar Series racer Pippa Mann , BMW junior driver Beitske Visser , Supercars Championship competitor Simona de Silvestro , former GP3 Series participant Carmen Jordá , and GT racer Carrie Schreiner
assassination
Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi
2018 Ad Diriyah ePrix