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- “Getting to do some electric laps today in the Porsche Taycan safety car with more than 700hp was awesome,” said the Oscar winner and star of “The Pianist”
- Brody was wearing a full racing suit, boots, gloves and helmet, and Formula E engineers worked with the actor to ease him into the confines of the single-seater cockpit of the GEN3
DIRIYAH: Oscar winner Adrien Brody on Thursday put in an award-winning performance as he drove an innovative Formula E electric race car to experience the Formula E GEN3 race car on the track in Saudi Arabia.
“Getting to do some electric laps today (Thursday) in the Porsche Taycan safety car with more than 700hp was awesome,” Oscar winner and star of “The Pianist,” “Asteroid City” and “Succession,” Brody said in a media statement.
A big motorsport fan, who started the engine of his automotive passion racing drag cars in New York City growing up, Brody jumped at the chance to experience the Formula E GEN3 race car on the track where Formula E’s Diriyah E-Prix double-header of races is taking place.
“I grew up drag racing and have had some track experience in the past so I am hugely grateful for the chance to actually drive the Formula E GEN3 round the Diriyah Street Circuit,” Brody said.
Brody was wearing a full racing suit, boots, gloves and helmet, and Formula E engineers worked with the actor to ease him into the confines of the single-seater cockpit of the GEN3 — the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built.
Capable of speeds of more than 200mph, the actor expertly handled the GEN3 for two laps around the 2.49km, 22-turn street track that snakes around the walls of the historic UNESCO World Heritage site.
“It gave me even greater appreciation and respect for the sport and for the talent and skill and competitive spirit that these drivers possess. There’s so much torque in these electric vehicles and they are so incredibly light, so it takes a really refined touch to feather it through the turns, and keep it from getting squirrely even gunning it down the straightaway,” Brody said.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is the world’s most competitive motorsport, with races typically featuring more than 100 overtakes and last season’s title race decided on the final weekend. The 2024 Diriyah E-Prix features a double-header of races on Friday, Jan. 26 and Saturday, Jan. 27, taking place at night under sustainable LED lighting.