Races in Vancouver, Cape Town and Monaco have been confirmed after the provisional schedule for the 2021/22 FIA Formula E world championship was released, following the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in Monaco today.
With the additional confirmation of the Seoul E-Prix having already been announced as rounding out the season in August, it means that at least three new venues will appear on a Formula E calendar for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
As predicted by The Race in May, Cape Town gets a February 26, 2022 slot, as it becomes the second major city on the African continent to host an E-Prix after Marrakesh in Morocco.
The Cape Town event will be a part of a major e-festival in South Africa’s second-largest city with a multi-year deal for a race at a location around the Green Point Stadium, which hosted matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The city recently secured the necessary permit to host the race close to the stadium.
The Vancouver race will take place on the Canada Day weekend in early July, and in a similar vein to Cape Town, it will see a sustainability festival combine with music concerts in the same False Creek area of the Canadian city that hosted CART/IndyCar/ChampCar races between 1990 and 2004.
Monaco returns to the Formula E calendar after a successful first event on the full Monaco track this year. The Race reported in May that plans on keeping the previously biennial race for 2022. It will take place on Saturday, April 30.
Speaking to The Race regarding the new venues, Formula E co-founder and deputy CEO Alberto Longo said that the new locations “indicated that Formula E is highly attractive to progressive cities around the world and that racing in the heart of the cities is still the real DNA.”
On securing a Monaco race for the second season in a row, Longo said that he expects the Principality “to feature on an annual basis for Formula E”.
“I think we demonstrated this season we can provide a cool race and nice atmosphere, so it was natural to pursue the possibility to race in Monaco in 2022.
“Thanks to the ACM [Automobile Club de Monaco] and His Royal Highness Prince Albert of Monaco we are able to race there again next April.”
Longo and his city hosting team have been working extensively throughout 2021 to outline the 13-city calendar despite significant difficulties resulting from the knock-on effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the variations in vaccination programmes throughout the world.
The new season will kick off on January 28/29 with a continuation of the night races at the Diriyah track in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Although Santiago does not appear on the calendar The Race understands that Formula E is still confident that a race deal can still be signed and agreed by the new mayor of the city. Should this happen then a January 24 date is known to be the preferred choice meaning that the Diriyah double-header could be brought forward to December 17/18.
Confirmation may be left relatively late due to a change in the mayorship of the city recently. Communist candidate Irací Hassler secured a surprise victory over incumbent mayor Felipe Alessandri in May.
Formula E will return to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on February 12 after a season away. The Puebla venue was drafted in as a substitute as the Mexico City facility was used as a vaccination centre this year.
March will be given over to a planned race in China although this remains a ‘to be confirmed’ date on the calendar.
Longo was unable to go on record regarding a venue for the race in March but Formula E is known to be in close contact with at least one Chinese city about hosting a race, while the Sanya venue in Hainan that hosted a race in March 2019 could also still be used.
The European leg of the world championship will begin at its traditional venue of Rome in April before the Monaco date at the end of that month.
Berlin will move back to its usual May date for the first time since 2019 as the Tempelhof Airfield again hosts an E-Prix on May 14.
The second TBC date on the calendar is set for June, with the preferred location believed to be Jakarta. The Indonesian capital first announced plans back in 2019 but like Seoul is yet to have completed a race because of the pandemic.
However, Jakarta is known to also present other difficulties, including political and commercial complications, and a confirmation of an event is believed to be several months away.
After the Vancouver date, the Red Hook/Brooklyn track in New York City will again host a pair of E-Prixs on July 16/17.
The second visit to the ExCeL Arena is slotted in for the final weekend of July, before Seoul will host a double header finale in mid-August.
Provisional 2021-22 Formula E calendar
January 28/29- Diriyah E-Prix
February 12 – Mexico City E-Prix
February 26 – Cape Town E-Prix
March 19 – TBC (China)
April 9 – Rome E-Prix
April 30 – Monaco E-Prix
May 14 – Berlin E-Prix
June 4– TBC
July 2 – Vancouver E-Prix
July 16/17 – New York E-Prix
July 30/31 – London E-Prix
August 13/14 – Seoul E-Prix
