With the conclusion of the GEN3 era and Season 12, Formula E also said goodbye to the ExCel London. The upcoming Season 13 sees new tracks join the calendar, and the series will be heading to more traditional circuits. One of those is the historic Brands Hatch in Kent. The move marks a change for the series, with some of the drivers sharing their thoughts on the new direction.
Formula E at the ExCel London
Battersea Park initially held the London E-Prix during the first two Formula E seasons. Although the race left the calendar ahead of Season 3, it was due to return for Season 6. Formula E was set to swap to the ExCel London, but the COVID-19 pandemic halted the return. Despite the slow start, the ExCeL London officially joined the Formula E calendar for Season 7. Driving through the centre and around the Royal Victoria Dock, this race became the first to feature an indoor to outdoor layout.
Over the years, the centre has seen a range of changes in the track layout. Whilst an excellent venue to host an event, recent years have seen questions raised over its suitability as a race track. While the venue has provided a unique setting for Formula E, its tight layout and changing surfaces have presented challenges for drivers. During the final race weekend at the venue, The Girls Who – Motorsport spoke to some of the drivers to get their feelings on the track.
Drivers Praise The Event But Criticise the Track
Some drivers, like Pepe Martí and Dan Ticktum, praised the ExCel London for the entire event. Martí shared that “The ExCel is known for being a great place to host events“ and subsequently highlighted how that creates “a great experience for the fans“. Similarly, Ticktum looked at the weekend as a whole, sharing how it has been “incredibly unique” for the series. The Brit also acknowledged that it can be fun to drive “when the rubber goes down and the grip’s a bit higher”.
Zane Maloney explained how the nature of the track going from indoors to outdoors made the race “very cool”, despite it causing drivers to not know which visor to use when driving. This track made qualifying interesting, with drivers pushing to achieve a perfect lap. Season 11 champion Oliver Rowland reflected that “[for] one lap we’ll all miss it.”
Whilst the likes of Martí and Ticktum praised the weekend, the suitability has been brought into question. The tight and narrow layout can increase the likelihood of incidents, and the changing surface makes it a challenging lap to prepare for and drive. After complimenting the event, Martí shared how, from a driver’s perspective, the ExCel London is “definitely not the most enjoyable track” to drive. Maloney expanded on this by explaining how it features different tarmac and a lot of slow-speed areas. This caused him to feel as though it is “too narrow and too slow for a GEN4 car”.
Welcoming Brands Hatch to the Calendar
For the upcoming Season 13, the United Kingdom switches its track to Brands Hatch. Located in Kent, this venue has a long-standing history in motorsports. It is currently used predominatly for local series, as well as motorbike events such as British SuperBikes. However, it has hosted F2, Formula 3, and Formula 1. In 2027, Brands Hatch will return to hosting a major international single-seater championship when Formula E arrives. When speaking to the drivers, many were excited to make the move.
Drivers Look Ahead
Whilst he has never raced there personally, Maximilian Günther has watched racing at Brands Hatch since he was young. Consequently, he described it as “an amazing circuit“ and thinks that it is great for Formula E to head there. Martí highlighted the history of the track, claiming how it “has probably missed out on having a major racing series” recently. He echoed Günther’s enthusiasm for the move.
Maloney has enjoyed plenty of success at Brands Hatch, including winning the British F4 title there. As a result, he is looking forward to returning and getting to race there again, naming it “one of the best tracks in the U.K.” Rowland also has a matching opinion, as he named Brands Hatch “a world-class circuit that’s not raced on enough”. Like others, he believes that it is exciting that they head there next year.
Formula E, GEN4, and Traditional Tracks
Traditionally, Formula E has raced mainly on street circuits. Since Season 2, some permanent tracks have featured on the calendar, but these are often alternate layouts to match the shorter track lengths often seen. With a key goal of the series being sustainability, street tracks allow the championship to promote this due to their reusable nature. Alongside this, they are often easy to get to via public transport, which lowers emissions. This in turn helps maintain the affordability and accessibility of seeing the racing in person. However, as the cars develop, more racing on traditional circuits has occurred.
The upcoming GEN4 cars are faster and have more power, but this comes with them becoming bigger. Consequently, due to their narrow nature, some street circuits are now unsafe for them to race around at the high speeds. Consequently, the upcoming season features six traditional circuits. Alongside the well known circuits Brands Hatch, Circuit of the Americas and Zandvoort also make their calendar debut. The all-electric championship also returns to two purpose-built street tracks in Jeddah and Miami. This shift retains the series ethos whilst allowing the cars to get the maximum performance.
Although it is time to say goodbye to the ExCeL London and the unique racing it provided, the drivers are excited for the future. There might be new tracks and new cars, but this marks a new chapter for Formula E as it continues to develop and bring new racing to fans.