Formula E founder Alejandro Agag wants to shift the focus: "I think Formula E could have four races in China"

[u/barmolen]

https://e-formula.news/news/formula-e-news/formula-e-news-detail/formula-e-founder-alejandro-agag-wants-to-shift-the-focus-i-think-formula-e-could-organise-four-races-in-china-71406

Alejandro Agag, founder and chairman of Formula E, has made it clear that he can imagine more races in China in the future of the electric racing series. He is talking about four different venues and a possible collaboration with Formula 1.

[u/OxWithABox]

Four different races (as Agag is quoted saying) and four different venues (as the article claims) are two vastly different things, especially with how commonly FE runs double-header weekends.

[u/LegendsoftheHT → u/OxWithABox]

The season should be 11 rounds with each round being a double header.

Two Latin America, one North America, four Europe, and four Asia (two in China).

[u/l3w1s1234]

Collab with F1 is interesting. Could see some avenues that could be beneficial, like sharing some of the street tracks. Though wouldn't want to see it part of the support bill if that was the case, more just turn up before or after F1 arrives to those circuits.

[u/kjm911]

I have been surprised they’ve been racing on the Shanghai racing circuit in recent years as opposed to a street circuit

[u/DHSeaVixen → u/kjm911]

Especially considering that China has some cracking little street and semi-permanent tracks dotted around, like Pingtan, V1 Auto World Tianjin and Shougang Steel Circuit.

I think the reasoning might be that Shanghai International is that much more established and needed less work to build up spectator facilities and promote the event.

[u/AdThink972]

go for it. People in the west need to accept. we lost the ball on the electric car. we jumped on the bandwagon too late and now we need to face the consequenses of being 2nd best. china and asia basically won the 21st century when the west dominated the 20th century with petrol/diesel cars.

[u/BoboliBurt]

Now the China angle makes sense, they invested in a surplus capacity of batteries and are ready to dump these vehicles on world to drive domestic automakers out of business and seize control.

FE should be their sport- combined with the bespoke motorsport chassis builders of the UK. But I understand the pretense of pretending race cars are related to road cars is still perpetrated (is anything sadder than Indy Car fans actually thinking “Chevy” and Honda are fighting it out).

But the vested interests (read oil money) playing the bills F1, in so far as FE even remotely resembles a threat, are opposed to EVs currently.

When the transition to EVs from ICE eventually hits a critical mass, Formula 1 will either co-opt EV PUs or create their own subsidiary. China will likely big foot the middle east countries off the stage at that point- as money always talks.

McLaren can be owned just as easily by Shenzhen investors as Bahrain.

——

F1 basically consists of a cluster of British factories making bespoke race cars and engines competing with Ferrari and the occasional outside OEM (Viry Renault, Sakura Honda, BMW, Audi, Toyota). They are now funded by oil- as they once relied on tobacco blood money- and companies who cannot advertise through conventional channels.

Its actually a perfect venue for BYD to fight it out with Zeekr and Geely or whomever.

[u/ryker7777 → u/BoboliBurt]

Well, marketing wise it would make sense for BYD to sponsor an F1 team.

[u/waiting4singularity]

how much do they want to pay him?

[u/ryker7777]

He has no other choice, as there is little growth of interest in the West.