Season three of the all electric racing series, FIA Formula E, enters its third season of competition this month.
It is a series that has received some dismissive comments in terms of the noise of the cars and the fact that drivers change cars during a race. Neither has particularly bothered me and in the case of the use of two cars, it just shows to me how undeveloped the technology of an electric motor is.
To add to these there is also the argument that perhaps the series visits too many cities and doesn’t embrace circuit racing, with currently the only circuit being that of Mexico City. However, the idea of the series is to race in the heart of cities around the world to gain interest and attention to electric motoring technology and show that it is suitable in city ares.
It has also meant that the sport has been able to hold races in the heart of some of the most impressive cities in the world, including Paris, which was received with much fanfare in Season Two. The sport this season is also planning to visit New York, an area which even Formula One has been unable to hold an event.
Another reason why I see Formula E as one of the most exciting racing series around and to me is only going to get better is that of involvement from car manufacturers and sponsors. This season sees Jaguar join the series with Audi and BMW also increasing their involvement in the sport in the next few seasons, not to forget that Porsche have expressed interest in the series to. Involvement of car manufacturers is always important for racing series, and to have such a strong representation in Formula E is very good for the sport.
It is also good to see a strong showing of sponsorship for the teams and the series in general when you compare to the likes of Formula One where quite a few teams have struggled to secure sponsorship.
Lastly, the series will see a complete redesign in the chassis in the next few seasons and the use of only one car during an ePrix, rather than the current two. This to me shows, along with everything else, that over the next few years Formula E is in a good position to take its place alongside the likes of Formula One and the World Endurance Championship as a top racing series.
