FE | Season 11: starting in December, alternatives to Misano are being evaluated

The tenth season of Formula E has not yet concluded, as there are still three stages left until the end of the championship. This weekend the electric category will stop in China on the Shanghai track, which will then be followed by the Portland stop in June and the grand finale in London in July, once again with a double appointment that could leave the games open until the last minute. competition.

However, behind the scenes Formula E is already working on the definition of what the Season 11 calendar will be, with a first provisional draft which should be published, as per tradition, on the occasion of the World Motor Sport Council meeting, with the next meeting scheduled for mid-June.

Although there are still many months left until the start of the next world championship, clearly the electric series must move well in advance to finalize the agreements and slots within the calendar to give promoters the opportunity to organize the city events. This does not mean that, to tell the truth, over the years the Formula E calendar has undergone changes even during construction, as happened this year, with the Indian stage in Hyderabad skipped a few weeks before the race due to of the new local government’s decision to cancel the multi-year agreement.

Probable start in December, but doubts remain

Going backwards, Formula E often started the season in the second half of the year, so much so that the first ever championship in 2014 started in September in China. In the following years the tendency was to postpone the start of the championship, until arriving at the slot between November and December with different objectives. First of all, the idea is to maximize television exposure when other categories are closed for the winter break, by inserting more events, but on the other hand the aim is also to reduce clashes with other championships, in particular the WEC, thus guaranteeing greater freedom for pilots to manage the double commitment.

However, with the COVID period the start of the World Cup was postponed further, as happened this year with Season 10, which kicked off in mid-January in Mexico. The organizers’ idea for the next championship is to return to the December slot, even if the date has not yet been decided, nor the location.

There are three possible slots: 7, 14 and 21 December. The most unlikely one is December 14, because on that day the FIA ​​gala in Africa will be held, where all the winners of the championships managed by the International Federation will be rewarded. Beyond the regulatory aspect, whereby the awarded drivers must be present at the ceremony unless due to force majeure, it is unlikely that Formula E will decide to clash with the governing body by triggering the championship precisely in day of the ceremony.

Formula E Sao ​​Paulo

Photo by: Alexander Trienitz

At that point only the dates of December 7 and 21 would remain, although there is no shortage of doubts. In the early December slot the risk is that of colliding with the last round of the Formula 1 world championship in Abu Dhabi. Although it would be Saturday, with different television times, the risk that F1 will take the spotlight away from FE is real; furthermore, this would also mean having at least a month’s break between the first and second stages of the championship, given that realistically it would resume in mid-January. Precisely for this reason, the date of December 21st is not excluded either, even if it would be close to the holidays.

The location has also not yet been decided, although there are three scenarios on the table. The most likely one is that the Sao Paulo stage will be moved from the March slot to the December one, even if the teams are not entirely enthusiastic, because at that stage of the year the temperatures in Brazil are even higher. This would put not only the staff to the test, but also the cars, which cannot tolerate high temperatures for battery management.

However, the other option is for the Mexico City stage to be brought forward by a few weeks, also because organizing the event would be rather simple given that it is a permanent circuit. More in the background is the possibility of adding another race in Asia, which has been rumored for some time to push the presence of the championship in a continent where the world of electric cars is booming.

Jean-Eric-Vergne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23

Photo by: DPPI

We are looking for an alternative to Misano

Although Misano found good numbers overall, with a total of 25 thousand spectators for both races, which do not differ much from those recorded in the last event in Rome in 2023 under the blazing sun of July, racing in the city clearly has an particular significance for the electric series.

Misano came into play precisely to replace Rome, which left the Formula E calendar rather late: several locations came forward in the months that followed the announcement of the Italian capital’s farewell, including Vallelunga, but in the end it was the Romagna racetrack prevailed. At that stage of the year, for the electric series Misano represented a valid solution to cover the hole left by Rome by keeping Formula E in Italy, an important market for the series.

However, for Formula E, returning to the city is one of the priorities to promote the championship, so much so that during the Italian weekend even the teams themselves mentioned this aspect, while underlining how the Misano event was well organized also in terms of activities for fans.

On the table there is the possibility that the racetrack could remain on the calendar with an agreement for next year, especially if an alternative solution is not found, but it is clear that it does not represent an attractive solution in the medium to long term. For this reason, behind the scenes the organizers are also talking with other cities, as the teams also hope, although bringing the FE permanently back to Italy on a city track does not seem simple at the moment.

Antonio Felix da Costa, Porsche, Porsche 99X Electric Gen3, Jean-Eric Vergne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23

Photo by: Andreas Beil

Doubts about the American stages

Formula E is looking for a certain stability in the calendar, because in the recent past some stages of the world championship have entered and exited within a few years, such as India and South Africa, with the latter much appreciated by the drivers but which has had to leave the post for economic reasons.

However, that’s not to say the electric series isn’t looking for new locations to expand its calendar with. Jakarta should return next year after the problems associated with this year’s elections, also because Formula E is very interested in the Indonesian market and the opportunities that the Asian continent has to offer in the electric world.

The hope is to also increase the presence in the United States, with an appointment on the east coast and one on the opposite shore. Over the years, Formula E has raced in New York on several occasions, even with different tracks, but last season it gave way to Portland, a track used in the past by IndyCar which, although it has enjoyed good success, is in terms of organization and in terms of action on the track, it does not represent the ideal target for the electric category.

The idea was to bring Formula E to Los Angeles already last year, but in the end the organizers couldn’t reach an agreement with the promoters and it doesn’t seem to be on the agenda for next year either. Portland could thus remain for another year to maintain at least one race in the United States, but the real ambition is to bring electric single-seaters back to the big cities.