Richard Branson has never been one to shy away from an opportunity to make a statement, so with the Formula E world gathered before him for his home race, he didn’t hesitate.
“I think there’s still going to be room for Formula One for another few more years,” he started. “But I would say there will come a time when Formula E will overtake Formula One.
“I think four or five years from now you’ll find Formula E overtaking Formula One as far as number of people.”
A soundbite crafted to cause any motorsport journalist within a 20-kilometre radius of Battersea Park to salivate, but nonetheless a bold point to put forward.
Emotions were running high during the final race of the sport’s 2014–15 season, and with good reason – the inaugural running of the Formula E championship was a fantastic success, backed up by a thrilling title finale decided in favour of Nelson Piquet Jr.
It seemed natural that the sport – which has been endlessly compared with Formula One despite the pair’s obvious inherent differences and the former’s insistence that it exists to do its own thing – finally embrace comparisons with motorsport’s senior player on a weekend of such positivity, made only more timely by Formula One’s current pessimistic kick.
With Richard Branson Formula E had its perfect flagbearer – the British billionaire had a brief dalliance with Formula One at the turn of the decade before turning his attention to the all-electric formula.
But after visiting my first Formula E race in London over the weekend, I found comparisons to be largely pointless. From the technical regulations and speed to the circuit design and team entries, the two sports exist in different spheres – but with the single exception of the way it deals with its fans.
Fan engagement and race day experience are two ways in which the new kid on the block rapidly diverges from Formula One, and most certainly for the better.
For one, tickets have been reasonably priced all season and granted access to almost the entire circuit, meaning fans weren’t being charged exorbitantly for simply turning up to show their support. Moreover, general admission areas allowed spectators to get remarkably close to the track, exciting the atmosphere.
Secondly, Formula E itself went to a great deal of trouble to maximise fan enjoyment outside of the racing experience. The Formula E fan zone – a concept that those who have visited the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne will recognise – is a large open area filled with food and drink vendors and various activities for fans to engage with between sessions.
Moreover, the podium was placed right in the middle – rather than being kept unreachable above the pit straight, as is often the case in Formula One – which
Image: FIA FORMULA E