Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds has confirmed that the series is eyeing another race in the United States in addition to the Portland E-Prix, amid speculation the all-electric open-wheel series could race in Los Angeles.
The series has had a near-constant presence in the U.S. since its inaugural season, previously racing in Miami in 2015, in Long Beach in 2015 and ’16, and New York between 2017-22, while Portland first held a race last year (pictured above). Elsewhere in North America, Mexico has been a fixture since 2016, while Canada held a race in Montreal back in 2017. Now there is talk of another North American round, specifically one in Los Angeles, joining the Portland and Mexico City races.
“Obviously we’re in Mexico, we’re in Portland; I think the North American market — specifically the USA — can sustain another race,” Dodds said. “It will be nice for us to have two races going forward, and I think there are plenty of big, exciting cities to race in.
“There are many rumors circulating about a potential race in Los Angeles, rarely is there smoke without fire in motorsport,” he admitted. “I think Los Angeles will be an incredible venue to hold a Formula E race, particularly given the state of California’s focus on sustainability and environmental issues.
“North America (is a) very big market — space for more than one race, that’s for sure,” he added. “And we’ve raced in Long Beach before, (and) New York, but I’ve made no secret of the fact I’d like to expand our footprint into North America and I think LA is one of a small number of venues that would do an amazing job.”
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On the subject of calendar expansion, Dodds pointed to Formula 1, saying “personally I think the Formula 1 season is too long,” because of the strain it places on staff and participants. He did suggest that there was a little room for Formula E to grow from its current slate of 16 races, although technical limitations would prevent the series from going much further.
“Whether 16 or 17 races is the right answer, I’m not sure, but there are also technical restrictions to us in terms of the battery,” he said. “We have to try and keep the battery to a certain number of races a year; but as we go through Generation 3 to Generation 4, that will certainly give us the flexibility to add more races to our calendar if we want to.
“My instinct — not a commitment or guarantee — is we continue to grow the number of races but probably once you get to 18-20, we feel like that’s the maximum number of races we want to bring into a season.”
One thing that is unlikely to happen, however, would be Formula E following Extreme E’s lead in making every event a doubleheader. While it could be more cost-effective for the series, it would also increase the impact on cities that the series visits, while limiting the championship’s ability to sell out events.
“From a cost point of view it’s very efficient for us to do that, but a couple of considerations — if I went to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and said, ‘Can you just keep those roads closed for another day?’ I suspect they would be quite challenging in their response to me,” he said. “If it’s a fixed circuit, (it’s) much easier.
“On the other hand what we also want to do is for the racing to be very exciting and full of fans, so there are some venues where you could easily sell out a doubleheader; there are some locations where it would be much more challenging. What we don’t want is a full stadium on one day and an empty stadium on the second day. So I think where it’s appropriate, we look to do it, but it’s not always possible.”