Formula E is still planning to open its Gen4 era under the lights of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit next month, and the moment of truth is now days away. The all-electric championship’s official pre-season test starts at Circuito de Madrid Jarama on Monday, and by the time it ends, the series has to know where its cargo is going.
The plan: a night double-header on 18 and 19 December
The 2026/27 provisional calendar, approved by the FIA World Motor Sport Council in June, gives Jeddah the opening two rounds of Season 13 on 18 and 19 December 2026 – the first time the Saudi port city has started a Formula E season, and the only night races on the schedule. The weekend is also set to give the new Gen4 car its competitive debut, along with the new Evo Sessions qualifying format.
It is the start of the longest season in the championship’s history: a record 21 races across 13 cities. Tickets for the Jeddah E-Prix have been on sale since 20 September.
Why there is a question mark
The calendar was drawn up during a year in which conflict in the region has already cost the Middle East a string of major events, including Formula 1’s April race in Jeddah and the World Rally Championship’s Rally Saudi Arabia.
In October, RacingNews365 reported that the UK government had added Jeddah to the cities where it advises against all but essential travel, and said the risk of the opener being called off had significantly increased.
Formula E has not wavered in public. “At the moment, that is absolutely our plan,” chief executive Jeff Dodds told a media roundtable reported by e-Formula.news. “We are in very regular contact with the Kingdom and continue to closely monitor what is happening in that part of the world.”
Co-founder and chief championship officer Alberto Longo has said the series is looking forward to opening the season in Jeddah this December, and RacingNews365 reports that preparations at the circuit are already under way.
Madrid is the deadline
The decision does not need to be made until around the middle of November, when the teams gather for testing. The official test runs from 16 to 20 November at Jarama, with all twelve teams running the Gen4 car together for the first time.
The logic is freight. When testing ends, the cars and equipment have to be shipped from Madrid either to Saudi Arabia or straight to the next venue. As Dodds told Reuters back in August: “There comes a point where a decision has to be taken because we start to ship cars and logistics out there.”
Plan B: Mexico City on 16 January
If Jeddah cannot go ahead, Formula E will not look for a replacement event in December. “If we couldn’t start the season in Saudi Arabia in December, then the season will just start in January in Mexico at the next calendar race,” Dodds said – the Mexico City E-Prix on 16 January 2027.
RacingNews365 added that postponing Jeddah to later in the season is more likely than cancelling it outright.
What it means
For the Middle East, the Jeddah double-header is one of the last big international events still standing on the 2026 calendar. For Formula E, it is the first public test of a car the series calls its fastest ever, capable of 0–100 km/h in 1.8 seconds.
Dodds has said he remains very confident the races can take place. By the end of next week, everyone will know.
BISER3A will follow the Jarama test and the Jeddah decision as they happen.
