The return of world championship racing in Phoenix with an E-Prix in 2026 is getting closer as Formula E continues to look for a second American race for its schedule.
The Arizona state capital, which hosted Formula 1 races from 1989-91, is in discussions with Formula E about a new street race after first approaching the all-electric series at the 2023 Portland E-Prix.
Outside F1's stint on the street track, Phoenix's motorsport history has mostly been based around the Phoenix International Raceway oval - which hosts NASCAR and was a long-time CART/IndyCar venue.
In October 2023 the city took its first step in getting a Formula E event in place when Phoenix City Council approved funding an initial feasibility study.
Leading delegates from the initiative also visited that year's Portland E-Prix, telling The Race they were very interested in getting the world's only electric world championship to the US's fifth-biggest city.
Discussions have been ongoing since then but went up a notch earlier this month when Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds visited the city and met with interested parties.
"We're talking to a lot of cities and Phoenix is one of those cities, and we've been talking to them for quite a while," said Dodds.
"I think they're a really interesting US city because it's a real sports city, and economically a really vibrant city as well."
Dodds would not elaborate on any specific locations for a race in Phoenix or its surrounding areas but did say: "You've got the city but then you've got Scottsdale, and you've got other areas around it too.
"But there is also this beautiful kind of red rocks area as well, the beautiful backdrops of the mountains, so I think we've got various different connotations we've looked at, but it would be a true street circuit.
"Like everything, the hard work actually starts now. Because there's a willingness on both sides to show an interest in doing it. Now we have to crunch the numbers and look at the locations and look at the calendar in its entirety."
Formula E is aiming to avoid having large gaps in its 2025-26 schedule after two such lengthy pauses in its previous two calendars.
The Race has discovered that Formula E intends to have no TBA (to be announced) dates on the May submission of its calendar and that it could include at least 18 races in 12 locations.
"That's absolutely the intention," confirmed Dodds. "So, we want to give a named calendar in May. And I think there's time to do that."
When asked whether a second event in the US is likely for next season's campaign, Dodds said: "We'll see how Miami goes [its debut at Homestead in April]. But definitely that’s an option."
Other potential new races that could be added to regular events are believed to include Chiang Mai in Thailand, plus returns to Santiago and Cape Town, which could be on the tracks previously raced on in those cities.
