Formula E hasn’t even raced in Tokyo yet, but it is already eyeing a second race in the Japanese capital. The first Tokyo ePrix will take place on March 30, 2024, but a preliminary date of May 17, 2025 has already been targeted for season 11.
Like the upcoming Season 10 event, the second Tokyo ePrix will be hosted in cooperation with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and will help the city promote its aim of banning new combustion vehicles from 2030.
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A Tokyo ePrix has long been in the works, with the city being among the first to express an interest in hosting a race of the all-electric series when it debuted in 2013. The news of it already locking in a second event comes as the track layout for the first Tokyo ePrix was revealed.
The 18-turn, 1.604 mile track will circle the Tokyo International Exhibition Centre – otherwise known as the Tokyo Big Sight – close to downtown Tokyo, with the paddock area being located on the Tokyo Bay waterfront. It will be the first time any motorsport series has closed down the streets of Tokyo for a major event.
“We are excited to unveil the track for the inaugural Tokyo ePrix and are confident it will create a unique challenge for the 22 drivers in Formula E to showcase their elite driving skills and give fans in Tokyo an experience they will never forget,” said Alberto Longo, co-founder and chief championship officer of Formula E. “We are honored to be the first motorsport world championship to race on the streets of Tokyo.”
The 2023-24 Formula E season officially began last month with a four-day test in Valencia, but the first race won’t take place until January 13 in Mexico City.
From then, a double-header event will take place on the streets of Riyadh in Saudi Arabia two weeks later, followed by trips to Hyderabad in India and Sao Paulo Brazil before the inaugural Tokyo race.
Afterwards another double-header event will take place at a yet-to-be announced location in Italy, with rounds in Monaco and back-to-back double-headers in Berlin, Germany and Shanghai, China following. The season will conclude with a round in Portland, Oregon, and two races in the UK and London’s ExCeL.