No final at Battersea Park for Formula E?
During the first season of Formula E, the final took place at Battersea Park with two races scheduled. Yet for this second season, the London park may not host any events due to protests from local environmentalists.
The second season of Formula E began at the Beijing ePrix with Sébastien Buemi’s victory on e.dams Renault. Last weekend, it was Lucas di Grassi on ABT who took the win after an exciting race. The next ePrix will take place in Uruguay at Punta del Este. The championship will stop in England, but as of now, it is possible that this double race might not happen.
The deadline for the right of refusal clause that ties Formula E to the Wandsworth council has indeed been postponed. This clause was supposed to be exercised before November 2, but it has been extended until next month when a meeting will take place, as Alejandro Agag, quite confident, explains in Motorsport: « The deadline has now been pushed back to December, when the next meeting will occur. In principle, we have a contract with Battersea. They have a clause not to hold the race this season, but we believe they will not use it. We will not exercise our clause and hope they do the same. If they want to, they can exercise it. But at the moment, we have a contract and we will race at Battersea ».
It must be said that the race took on a political dimension when a local environmental association criticized the stance taken by the global NGO Greenpeace for supporting the event. Greenpeace responded through one of its main activists, Barbara Stoll: « The impact study by Wandsworth Council did not highlight significant environmental damage during this event, but it is important that the concerns of local populations are heard, inconveniences minimized, and access to green spaces protected as much as possible. We hope that the organizers and residents can sit down together and find a solution that suits all parties »
As a reminder, the finale of Season 2 of Formula E will take place on July 2 and 3.
