Jean Todt and Alejandro Agag between joy and hope for the future of the category
On the sidelines of this weekend's event, the Executive Director of Formula E and the President of the FIA praised the excellent French preparations. But the two men see even further ahead: the future of the discipline looks exciting!
The present: a Paris ePrix in the spotlight
Invited this Friday in front of the assembly of journalists, Jean Todt did not hide his emotion in front of the microphones:
« It is a pride to bring Formula E here to Paris, » declared Jean Todt. »
« My FIA office is just a few steps from the circuit. I have lived in Paris for so long, it’s a very exciting moment for me. Formula E has already evolved in fantastic places, but a race in Paris is an even better place! The setting is perfect for this kind of discipline. I hope we will stay here for a few more years. »
For Alejandro Agag, Formula E indeed blends wonderfully into the Parisian universe:
« We must thank all those who made this race possible. Formula E has very strong French DNA. »
For the anecdote, he also confided to us that the idea of such a championship was born in a Parisian restaurant!
I think this race will be the biggest and the most beautiful of those we have organized so far.
As soon as political approval was given, the efficiency of the French organization did the rest. Although it was a difficult exercise, the construction of the track was carried out efficiently and quickly. We are very impressed with the work done so far: it is a pleasure to organize this race here.
As such, although the duration of the contract between the Paris City Hall and Formula E is only for one year, Alejandro Agag admitted that discussions are already underway to establish Formula E permanently in the heart of the French capital.
The Future: A Discipline with an Increasingly Distinctive Style?
The two protagonists also commented on the overall evolution of Formula E, a rapidly growing discipline both technically and structurally. With the opening up of technical possibilities for the teams, the arrival of Jaguar in 2016-2017, and new destinations like Hong Kong, the good news keeps coming…
As the former director of Scuderia Ferrari reminded us. « The series is progressing well. »
« We want to see Formula E with more autonomous and sustainable batteries. We specifically think about doubling the autonomy capacity for the race. Innovations from the series should benefit everyday life cars. »
But could this ambitious roadmap deal a blow to the already diminished prestige of Formula 1?
According to Alejandro Agag, Formula E does not compete with Formula 1. I myself am a big fan of the category, he defended. The interest of our discipline is its spirit, its autonomy, and its speed. Obviously, it would be a big mistake to try to compete with it.
In any case, Formula E is part of the future of motor racing.
On the electrical front, efficiency and speed levels are brought to an unprecedented point.
In this spirit of continuous pursuit of innovation, Formula E is indeed clearly stepping forward with the upcoming launch of a “Roborace” championship, dedicated to autonomous electric single-seaters, meaning without a driver.
After Tron, Oblivion, Lotus… genius designer @DanielSimonCom strikes again with @roborace https://t.co/dxJMD56wXH pic.twitter.com/MDb0g8BteU
— laurent buanec (@laurentbuanec) April 17, 2016
Nevertheless, Alejandro Agag was keen to reassure the 18 participants of the series.
« There will be no FIA-labeled Championship without drivers. Our Roborace events will just be demonstration races, in support of Formula E. »
It is there about the very essence of motorsport:
« Humans want an exciting race between human drivers! »
