‘New teams, new brand’: Formula E CEO Jamie Regal looks forward to Diriyah E-Prix double-header
Dubai: In the end, it turned out to be a fine night.
Around 40,000 raucous fans flocked to Mexico City two weeks ago to welcome the Gen 3 era of Formula E, and this weekend Riyad will host the Diriyah E-Prix double-header.
“Mexico was fantastic,” said Formula E CEO Jamie Regal. “I think I have to start by saying that it cannot be denied that there was a high level of anxiety leading up to the race for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is the first race of the season, so the inevitable Visually it is a mix of upbeat feelings and anxious feelings.
“We’re talking to top-level sporting drivers, team principals, manufacturers who want to win – the feeling of anticipation is so good, but this year it was heightened, because it’s a new car, the Gen3, which is a big jump forward. .
“And we really push the limits in terms of the car,” he said. “We reduced the weight by 60 kg, we increased the power by 100 kW, a lot of changes under the hood, so to speak, as well as new tires and a new battery. So there were some very well listed challenges that the teams faced in the testing period.
After four successful years of Gen2, it looks like Formula E has been revived.
“From a purely business perspective, we launched our new brand identity,” said Regal. “We had three new teams coming in, you had Maserati joining you, in partnership with Monaco Sports Group, you had McLaren coming in, and then Kupra coming back with the ABT team. New teams, new brands , just everything was new, and it was really successful.”
On Friday and Saturday the action moves to Saudi Arabia, with Rounds 2 and 3 of Formula E Season 9 under lights in Diriyah, a favorite destination for drivers.
“I was at dinner last night – we had a charity fundraiser, gala dinner, and I was at the table with Andre Lotterer (of Avalanche Andretti),” Riegel said. “I wasn’t trying to tee him up. We had a bunch of guests over and I asked ‘Andre, so which is your favorite circuit in Formula E and motorsport?’ This guy has won Le Mans three times and has raced many places. Without skipping a beat, he said Diriyah. It’s fast, high-speed corners, it’s really challenging to drive. The setting is amazing and it’s a Night racing is, and sports, especially electric cars and motorsport, look just as cool at night.
“Drivers love it.”
Regal’s first run as CEO was Diriyah in 2019, and he oversaw the game’s development over the ensuing three years, which of course included the COVID-19 pandemic.
The future, they say, is “electric.”
Riegel said: “If you think about the sports that didn’t exist 20, 30 years ago, and are big today, there are very few. There’s really only one that has broken into the top, top tier, And it’s probably the UFC. It started in the ’90s, kind of bubbled around, and then it just got bigger and bigger.
“And in Formula E there is that opportunity,” he added. “We have top drivers, we have a lot of top manufacturers and teams – all the conditions are there. We have these great venues. The question is, do we have the fan base?”
Polling in Mexico – “a big moment” – as well as the Gen3 car and the change in racing format, would suggest that increasingly, Formula E does.
Then there’s the stellar lineup of drivers.
“People want to see the best compete against the best,” Riegel said. “The good news for Formula E is that we already have stars of a very high level. The way we grew up, we don’t have pay drivers, we don’t have people whose fathers are team owners. These are all top-class professionals – people who have won Le Mans, who have been in Formula One, who have won in DTM and who have had a career in Formula E.
Regal highlights the career path of Dutch driver Nyck De Vries – Formula E champion and now signed to Formula One’s Scuderia AlphaTauri – as an example of the high standards in electric racing in 2021. Other examples are Mitch Evans and Jake Dennis, winners in Mexico City.
“Last year we did Indonesia for the first time and we had 60,000 people,” Riegel said. “MotoGP, it’s really their only international sporting event, now we’re adding to that. So you’ve got these huge opportunities in emerging markets.
“This year we are adding Hyderabad, Cape Town – we are going to Sao Paulo and Portland. Those are the big markets we are going to open, which is really exciting.
“If in three years we’re not adding a few more cities, I’ll be disappointed.”