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Formula E eyes Shanghai race in season four
Formula E is actively seeking a return to China for its fourth season of competition in 2018/19 with a possible race in downtown Shanghai.
Sam Smith
Edited: Mar 24, 2017, 9:45 PM
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The all-electric series raced at the Beijing Olympic Park circuit in its first two seasons, but this dropped off the calendar for the current campaign.
Hong Kong replaced Beijing as the season-opener for season three, but Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag said securing a return to China proper is a "priority" for the championship.
“We are exploring the possibility of expanding Formula E in China,” said Agag, who was in Shanghai this week. "We want to have another race like we had in Hong Kong in mainland China.
“For us it is a key market where electric cars are really being developed and are becoming a lot more mainstream, and it is our mission to promote electric cars. We are making it a priority to race here.”
“We are going to continue to race in Hong Kong but we are talking with our local partners here in China to bring another. There are different cities with different possibilities, and we are having some really positive meetings in Shanghai, which is definitely one of the options.”
Three Formula E teams currently have significant Chinese involvement, with both Techeetah and NextEV having Chinese entrant licences and owners. Faraday Future, which partners with Dragon Racing is also financed by LeEco, a Chinese consumer electronics giant.
One potential location for an ePrix in Shanghai could be in or around the famous waterfront Bund area, which is in the financial heart of the city.
“If it happens in Shanghai, Formula E likes to show the backdrop of the city to highlight we are right in the centre,” said Agag.
“Shanghai is one of the great cities of the world and the backdrop of The Bund and the river would be an ideal place for us.”
Agag was speaking with senior members of SECA the Sports Marketing entity, which is owned by Chinese Media Capital - which in turn owns the Techeetah team and recently became a shareholder in Formula E.
Also in attendance at the meeting were delegates from Chinese Grand Prix promoter Juss Event, the Deputy Mayor of Shanghai, Weng Tiehui, and former basketball star Yao Ming.
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