Since taking over his new position nearly one yr in the past, System E CEO Jeff Dodds has been vocal on a number of subjects as he seems to information the all-electric championship to larger and higher issues.
The most recent noise has centred across the 2024-25 System E calendar that was launched earlier this month, having been permitted by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council and which incorporates a scheduled 17 races throughout 11 places.
The marketing campaign begins in Sao Paulo in December this yr, races throughout two calendar seasons – one thing which hasn’t occurred since earlier than the pre-COVID period – and stretches till July 2025, the place it would as soon as once more end in London on the ExCeL.
Tokyo, a well-liked new addition for this yr, and Monaco each improve to double-headers given the attraction of each, whereas Jakarta in Indonesia returns after a one-year hiatus attributable to native politics.
Delving deeper, although, Dodds has made no secret of the truth that he sees System E as a “metropolis racing collection” and “of these 17 races, lower than 25% of them shall be on fastened circuits.
“Which means from a sticking to our DNA viewpoint, three-quarters of our races shall be on avenue circuits or constructed circuits,” says Dodds. “It’s an actual combination of previous favourites. A lot of the suggestions we get from groups, producers, from followers, is this type of need for hardcore calendar continuity.”
Of the 11 places listed on the calendar, solely three of them are at everlasting services together with Mexico Metropolis’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, the Shanghai Worldwide Circuit in China and the newest US addition, the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
System E added Shanghai to the calendar for the present season
Photograph by: Andreas Beil
Whereas 9 of the venues have been raced at beforehand by the championship, two new locations shall be visited for the primary time, together with Miami’s speedway, together with a TBD listed for 8 March, which Dodds confirmed shall be new and Autosport understands is Chiang Mai in Thailand.
The American race shall be held on 12 April and takes place on the vast majority of Homestead’s infield street course part, in addition to probably a part of the oval, changing into the fifth totally different venue used for a System E race within the US after earlier visits to a purpose-built Miami circuit, Lengthy Seashore, New York and, most not too long ago, Portland.
“We expect it’s a extremely good circuit, well-suited to our fashion of racing. The Miami title that comes with it, from a world tv viewers, the Miami title is a giant draw, maybe a much bigger draw than cities similar to Portland,” says Dodds, who admits {that a} second location within the US is being sought.
“The fact is for the placement [Misano], which is sort of a means from the closest airport and the fashion of racing which not everybody liked, it didn’t really feel to us like that was going to be the everlasting, long-term residence” Jeff Dodds
“We even have in all probability seven or eight totally different massive US cities presently speaking to us about placing a race on of their metropolis. So these conversations are stay and at all times ongoing. I feel our calendar can maintain two races in North America and possibly two races in China.”
However whereas Dodds is already trying to develop System E’s development in markets the place gross sales of EV expertise is on the rise, a notable absence from the calendar subsequent time period is there shall be no race in Italy.
The Misano World Circuit hosted a double-header earlier this yr for the primary time, however drew criticism, because the extensive, flowing expanses of the Italian venue produced frenetic racing that has turn out to be disliked by many drivers, whereas the commonly distant location meant System E organisers didn’t search a return.
“The fact is for the placement, which is sort of a means from the closest airport and the fashion of racing which not everybody liked, it didn’t really feel to us like that was going to be the everlasting, long-term residence,” admits Dodds. “We expect we should be nearer to a big metropolis and ideally we’d be on a constructed or avenue circuit, not a everlasting circuit.”
Misano has been dropped partly attributable to its distant location
Photograph by: Andreas Beil
Whereas the push for extra avenue circuits nearer to the guts of cities is sensible on paper, provided that was one of many distinctive promoting factors of the championship when it fashioned 10 years in the past, in actuality, it now poses a rising downside because of the ever-increasing speeds of the vehicles.
The Gen3 Evo which shall be used subsequent season is because of be sooner than its predecessor, whereas the deliberate introduction of the Gen4 machine, that includes almost double the facility and slick tyres for the primary time, will significantly compound the issue System E faces if it needs to proceed racing on tight and twisty avenue venues.
Not solely would these places restrict the true potential of the machines, however better prices would additionally should be spent to make sure the venues are as much as an appropriate security customary. The elevated speeds of the Gen3 machine was one of many explanation why the long-standing Rome venue was dropped from the calendar this season, the structure deemed redundant and even unsafe following a nasty multi-car accident on the final go to.
“System 1 is introducing avenue circuits into their calendar and the vehicles are a lot greater and extra highly effective than we’re, so it may be achieved,” says Dodds. “We’re going to places we’re actually eager to race at but when it’s not sensible to construct a race circuit in the course of the town, we’ll take a look at everlasting circuits nevertheless it’s about discovering the correct everlasting circuits.
“Good instance of that, I’d like to have a race on the Bund in Shanghai, however the actuality is 50 minutes away you’ve acquired a world-class race circuit with world-class services with a willingness to make the observe match our wants sooner or later.
“The ambition could be to have a retention of our DNA, racing in cities, however to carry acceptable fastened circuits in the place we expect we will present the aptitude of the automobile and we will entice the fanbase.”
For now, at the least, System E’s focus has moved again to avenue and metropolis circuits which shall be welcome information to drivers, lots of whom have grown to dislike the peloton fashion of racing that everlasting circuits typically produce due to the present breed of automobile.
However how lengthy that is still a viable choice for the way forward for the championship is up for debate because it continues to push EV expertise which will imply present venues danger changing into a non-viable choice.
Metropolis tracks are again in vogue after System E flirted with everlasting services
Photograph by: Andreas Beil