Are Formula 1’s days numbered?
Nissan has bought a team in Formula E, the FIA-sponsored electric single-seater racing category, joining other automakers for the eighth season of the environmentally friendly motor racing format. Maserati has also announced that it will compete in Formula E from next year, and the organization is also trying to get the legendary Ferrari to join.
However, last year’s winner, Mercedes, has announced that it will leave EV racing at the end of this season and focus on Formula 1, arguing it gives it more room for technology transfer. Renault left Formula E to focus on Formula 1 in the 2018–19 season.
Nevertheless, this raises questions about the future of Formula 1, originally designed as a way to test technologies and transfer them to mass market vehicles when that mass market is increasingly dominated by EVs in the run up to a ban on diesel and gasoline vehicles in many countries from 2030 onwards.
Formula E’s mission is to research and develop electric vehicles, promote them and increase their popularity, showcasing innovation within a framework that combines technology and sport. This makes sense at a time of rapid technological change, when all manufacturers need test beds and incentives to make their vehicles more competitive.
At the same time, some of Formula 1’s innovations to do with chassis, aerodynamics…
