Formula E will return to London for the final round of the 2019-20 season with a unique race weekend in and around the ExCeL Arena.
It has been announced that Formula E will return to London in 2020, with the London ePrix taking place at the capital’s ExCeL Arena. The double header of races will bring the sixth season of Formula E to a close on July 25-26, 2020.
The unique 23-turn track, located on the Royal Victoria Dock, will have its main straight housed inside the ExCeL building, offering a “one-of-a-kind” opportunity for spectators. The 2.4km circuit will then wind its way around the outside of the arena, taking in the scenery of the London Docklands. The London ePrix joins the calendar in 2020 as part of a “multi-year agreement”.
The London ePrix last took place in Formula E’s second season. The event was previously held as the final round of the championship at Battersea Park in both 2015 and 2016. Nelson Piquet Jr. was crowned the first Formula E champion as a result of the 2015 race weekend, while Sebastian Buemi won the title at the event in the following year. The round was dropped for 2017 after protesters argued the race was damaging the local environment.
Since then, the series has weighed up options for a return to Britain, with plans for a street race in Birmingham mooted in 2018. Formula E Founder and CEO Alejandro Agag spoke of the sport’s growing fan base in the UK and the importance of a London event:
“Every motorsport series would love to host an event in London – this has been our desire for quite some time now and we’re delighted to have found a new home at the ExCeL. We have a growing base of knowledgeable and passionate fans in the UK, and this race adds to a fantastic summer of sport as a world-class event we hope Londoners can be proud of.”
The track layout and race date remain subject to FIA homologation and approval from the World Motor Sport Council.