As the countdown to the first race in Beijing this coming September fast approaches, work is currently underway on the new home that will house the teams, operational staff and storage facilities that will house the FIA Formula E Championship from May this year. The commercial aspect of the championship itself, however, will still remain in their current London offices.
January early this year was when work officially got underway on the purpose-built premises that will be located in “Motorsport Valley,” as the 100 percent electric series will be based at Donington Park. The 10 teams will also be able to use the circuit itself for the ongoing development of the Spark-Renault SRT_o1E, as well as testing of the cars themselves.
The facility itself will be located on the Western Paddock, and will comply with many of the standards that will ensure its low-carbon footprint and be in-line with the championship’s ethos in respect of sustainability. The team will also be able to benefit from big environmental standards, effective energy management and keeping carbon emissions as low as possible.
From the fact that the series already has high profile partners in the form of Williams and McLaren, Formula E Holdings CEO Alejandro Agag gave an insight as to why Donington Park was the right choice to move forward to finding the series’ best home: “Our new facilities there provide the perfect central location for operating the FIA Formula E Championship. Being in the ‘Motorsport Valley’ also means we can take advantage of the technology and skills all around us.
“We are also just a stone’s throw from East Midlands Airport and the hub of our logistics partner DHL, meaning will we make substantial cost and emission savings. It’s also great for such an innovative and global racing series to be based at a historic race track like Donington Park and we’re looking forward to welcoming the teams.”
Motorsport is getting greener, and with the advent of this championship being a part of the community here in the UK bodes well for British industry. This could be the evolution of what may develop into a prosperous future for those involved. Donington Park Racing Ltd‘s MD, Christopher Tate, said that the “leap forward” with Formula E basing itself there was a boost for the region, as well as the track itself, saying that there are already 150 people involved in the construction of the new facility.
“Three years after this company took over the estate; this is a major landmark moment for Donington Park,” said Tate, who also explained that it was a joint effort by the team at Donington, the North West Leicestershire Council, the Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and the Growing Places Fund to see the dream of this project now become a definitive reality. “With Formula E, we have no doubt this new centre will come to act as a technical hub for the future development of these exciting new technologies not just for the motorsport industry, but for the wider automotive sector as a whole. Everyone here now awaits the first test day for these new cars on this historic and demanding race track.”
So the teams will start moving in this coming May, as the work will then get underway for all concerned to get themselves ready over the last 10 weeks to get themselves ready for the first onslaught over the other side of the globe, when the lights go out and electric power surges into action in China…
