Nyck de Vries secured pole position in the first ePrix of the season. The Dutchman managed to keep Pascal Wehrlein and René Rast behind him in the qualifying men's session. The difference in Diriyah was extremely large: more than six tenths.
In the two free practice sessions, De Vries was also dominant, winning both sessions. Former Formula 1 driver Stoffel Vandoorne finished second in FP2, while in qualifying he finished fifteenth, almost a second behind his Mercedes teammate.
Last year's champion Antonio Felix da Costa finished only eighteenth. The Brazilian will have to catch up tomorrow. Robin Frijns could not participate in the qualifying due to a crash in the second free practice. His Audi was in any case competitive as teammate Rast finished third on Friday afternoon. Sad for the Dutchman!