Electric racing looks to make mark on status quo
The United States is motorsport mad: they live for Nascar and IndyCar and have recently adopted Formula 1 once again. This weekend the electric version of the world’s dominant motorsport, Formula E, heads to Portland for its penultimate weekend of racing.
With four races to go until a Formula E champion is crowned in London there is much to play for.
The manufacturer standings are the closest, with Porsche leading Jaguar by nine points.
The battle for the driver championship is also in the balance with New Zealand’s Nick Cassidy fighting against Germany’s Pascal Wehrlein, New Zealand’s Mitch Evans and Britain’s Oliver Rowland.
Jaguar leads Porsche by 73 points in the team standings.
Formula E has recently been acquired by Liberty Global, separate to Formula 1 owners Liberty Media but with the same chairman Dr. John C. Malone, when they purchased shares once owned by Warner Bros. The deal is subject to completion.
It marks a leap forward for the Electric racing series, which has already announced its calendar for 2024.
And that’s not the only Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund sports league making moves this week.
Sister motorsporting series E1, Formula E on water, yesterday confirmed the addition of Lake Como to the calendar.
E1 has looked to achieve a higher status of audience in its inaugural season, targeting the likes of Monaco and Marbella.
Como is the tourist trap of Italy, however, but can be revolutionary for the series if they’re able to make boating sexy to the casual visitor.
It points to electric racing looking to take over the narrative in motorsport.
And that is set to continue today when, on London’s River Thames, Extreme E – another brainchild of the same PIF/electric world – launch their new Hydrogen challenger.
Times they are a changin. That’s for sure.