Currently reading: Formula E to return to UK with partly indoor track

Electric single-seater championship will race in and around London's ExCel exhibition centre in 2020

The electric Formula E single-seater championship will return to Britain in 2020, with a new event held on a temporary circuit that will run in London’s Royal Docks – and inside the ExCel exhibition centre.

The start line of the 1.49-mile, 23-corner circuit will be inside the exhibition centre, before working around the venue and along the waterfront. The double-header event is currently scheduled for 25/26 July, and the championship says it has a multi-year agreement with the venue.

1eprixtrackmap

Formula E previously staged events in 2015 and 2016 on a street circuit in Battersea, but that race was eventually dropped due to opposition from local residents.

Formula E boss Alejandro Agag said: “Every motorsport series would love to host an event in London.” He added that hosting an electric motorsport event was “also a strong message for London to tackle inner-city air pollution by promoting clean technologies and electric sustainable mobility”.

Agag told the BBC that using a track that featured an indoor section was “a gimmick”, but added that “we embrace gimmicks”, highlighting Formula E’s use of fan boost, which gives the winner of an online poll extra power for brief spells in a race.

Having a circuit that includes an indoor section is also a way of highlighting the lack of emissions from electric cars.

Read more

How faster cars will shake up Formula E

Mercedes to race in Formula E from 2019

James Attwood

James Attwood, digital editor
Title: Acting magazine editor

James is Autocar's acting magazine editor. Having served in that role since June 2023, he is in charge of the day-to-day running of the world's oldest car magazine, and regularly interviews some of the biggest names in the industry to secure news and features, such as his world exclusive look into production of Volkswagen currywurst. Really.

Before first joining Autocar in 2017, James spent more than a decade in motorsport journalist, working on Autosport, autosport.com, F1 Racing and Motorsport News, covering everything from club rallying to top-level international events. He also spent 18 months running Move Electric, Haymarket's e-mobility title, where he developed knowledge of the e-bike and e-scooter markets. 

Join the debate

Comments
2
Add a comment…
typos1 5 March 2019

Electric cars DO produce

Electric cars DO produce emissions, albeit less than ICE cars and not directly from the cars themselves.

CarNut170 5 March 2019

An elevating experience?

Judging by how that track layout tallies with Excel's format - unless their indoor section's in the underground carpark, there'll be some substantial ramps for the cars to traverse. 

Also, the layout looks fairly technical. Overtaking potentially a real challenge. Perhaps the entire race is going to be a bit of a gimmick?

......is Formula E a bit of a gimmick?

 

A shame, as with the acceleration potential off Formula E cars - there's real potential for excellent racing, on a real circuit.