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The boss of Formula E says his series will speak to the Facebook generation more than any other form of motorsport

The Formula E racing series can help young people reconnect with motor racing. Speaking at a technology fair in Barcelona, Alejandro Agag, head of the electric racing car series said he believes the new electric racing car series will speak to the Facebook generation in a way that petrol-burning racing cars no longer can. He said that he grew up dreaming of buying a Ferrari, but kids today dream of the latest iPad.

With interactive features, such as online voting for which driver will be given a bonus push-to-pass power boost, Agag thinks his racing series will be much more relevant to young people. The shorter, urban setting of the races will also be a draw, he believes.

Speaking at the same event, one of the drivers in next year’s series, ex-F1 driver Lucas di Grassi, enthused about the new car. He said that the electric powertrain gave a far more immediate response than any petrol engine. Di Grassi said that the difference between a Formula E car and a petrol-powered racing car was like the difference between a normally aspirated petrol car and an old-fashioned lag-prone turbo engine. 

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RedRob 19 November 2013

why not do it properly?

If they want to engage the young people of today, why not have a TV programme the evening before the race day? They could feature the various teams/drivers and then ask the viewers to vote. The number of votes will determine the race result and they wouldn't have to bother with all that boring racing - they could run another Celebrity Lifestyle Vapid Nonsense TV show instead. Too cynical?
Turismo 19 November 2013

Young people are not

Young people are not interested in facebook anymore, since adults started using it too much. So he should be warned about alienating people by using brands. The online push to pass thing highlights how it cant be a professional series with money involved. The richest teams would just buy up data centrers and servers and create thousands of false votes.