The Formula E Season 13 calendarofficially begins onDecember 18 and 19 with the Jeddah E-Prix, scheduled for theSaudi Arabian city.
However,the complicated geopolitical situationraises doubts about the actual holding of this first race of the Gen 4 era of Formula E.
At theLondon E-Prix, we asked for an overview of the situation, butboth Formula E and the FIA responded very “politically correct,” saying they are monitoring the situation and will update on further developments in due course.
It’s also no secret that several teams are unwilling to race if this situation drags on until December.
So, in the editorial office, we reasoned that Formula E historically has two “wildcard” circuitswhere races could be held relatively quickly, and in fact,this has already happened more than once in the twelve-year history of Formula E.These circuits arePunta del Estein UruguayandMarrakesh in Morocco.
Electric Motor News’ “Orecchio Lungo” informed us thatAlejandro Agag had personally called Fernando Caceres, organizer of Punta del Este, to inquire about the situation; but the answer wasnegativefor the simple reason thatthe authorities of Maldonado (the department where Punta del Este is located) decide the annual budget in December,so in short, there would not be the resources to organize the race.
The other circuit we mentioned isMarrakesh, whereFormula E has already raced in seasons 3 (2016-2017), season 4 (2017-2018), season 5 (2018-2019), and was the last race of season 6 (2019-2020) before the COVID interlude and the suspension of the championshipuntil the final six races in Berlin behind closed doors,and in season 8 (2021-2022), when the race was organized at the last minute as a replacement for Vancouver.
This location could be viable.
We also know thatthere have been discussions with Barcelona, but without success.
One thing is certain….Work is underway behind the scenes to potentially replace Jeddah, which isn’t easy because Saudi Arabia’s PIF (Public Investment Fund) is one of Formula E’s biggest financial supporters.
#MarceloPadin #theEMNteam
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