First world championship of 100 % electric motorsport, Formula E (FE) celebrated its tenth anniversary last year and continues its growth far from the French media gaze. Because after four editions in Paris (from 2016 to 2019), the hexagonal round disappeared from the calendar when the planet was confined in 2020.
Since then, the layout at the heart of the capital has no longer reappeared. At the start of the season, the Spaniard Alberto Longo, co -founder of the discipline with his compatriot Alejandro Agag, gave an interview to the JDD. He reveals that a return to Paris is a priority.
The JDD. When will we return from the Paris e-prix?
Alberto Longo. We would be delighted to see him come back. As you can imagine, the French market is an absolute priority for Formula E. We have had many meetings with the municipality. It is true that cars and their technology evolve so quickly that, unfortunately, the place we used, around the Invalides, is no longer suitable. But there is a common desire to return to Paris.
What was the duration of the initial contract with the Paris municipality, interrupted due to the health crisis?
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From memory, I would say five years. Mayor Anne Hidalgo is still in place, her team too, and we continue the discussions. We therefore hope to find the ideal place for the E formula to return to Paris. Again, this is our goal.
Have cars become too fast to ride in the city center?
We settle in the heart of the largest cities in the world, it is our DNA, but more in the streets. For what ? Because the streets make right angles, which makes it very difficult to make a Formula E circuit. So we have decided to opt for hybrid sites: they are urban while offering us the freedom to design suitable circuits. Take the example of Tempelhof, in Berlin.
-“We must continue to develop our fans’ base”
It is an open space in the city [en réalité un ancien aéroport au sud de Berlin, NDLR] Where we can make a route adapted to cars and their technological developments. Same for Excel, London, which offers us a lot of space [ce parc des expositions se situe à l’est de la capitale britannique]while in Sao Paulo, we use sambadrome [au nord de la mégalopole brésilienne].
By going to the city centers, the formula E wanted to seduce a new audience. What about, knowing that you are now more on the outskirts?
We have almost as many women as interested men: 49 against 51 %. The young generations follow us. Our audience is fifteen years younger than in competing sports. And we are not only fading motorcycle fans, but also those who have never watched a race. I used to say that there are 600 million fans of motor sports worldwide and 7 billion people who are not. These are the ones we have to attract.
Easier to say than to do, right?
Of course, it is always difficult, especially when you know that we have only ten years of existence. Last year, we once again broke an audience record with 491 million viewers, a growth of 35 % compared to the previous season. We are now well established in the fourth row of car sports after Formula 1, MotoGP and the World Rally Championship. All the other motorsports are already behind us, the WEC [championnat du monde d’endurance] l’Endycar et la nascar [deux championnats américains]while they are much older.
How do you dream of formula E in ten years?
Imagine where we were a decade ago and how fast we grew up. “The Sky is the limit”, “The sky is the limit”. We must continue to develop our fans base, to go to incredible cities, to attract the largest manufacturers.
We have created an entertaining sport, people have fun during the race, but also around, taking advantage of the entertainment offered. The future of the automobile will be electric and we are at the heart of this technology. Formula E is limitless. Why would we not one day become the benchmark for motorsport?
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