Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds believes that the category must have more than one race in the United States on the calendar.
Several championships have looked to expand the number of rounds they run in recent years, as seen most notably in Formula 1, with the 2024 season hosting a record 24 races.
As Season 10 of Formula E comes to an end, with Pascal Wehrlein dramatically claiming his first world title, talk is now on the 2024/25 season, with the calendar already almost complete.
Season 11 plans to host 17 ePrix, the most of any season in Formula E’s history, with one location yet to be confirmed.
And speaking with RacingNews365, CEO Dodds spoke about why the series needs to have at least two venues in the US.
Jeff Dodds believes circuit fatigue and travel requirements mean Formula E needs more races in the US
Formula E has been racing in the States since its inaugural season in 2014/15, racing at circuits in Miami, Long Beach and New York.
For the past two seasons, the electric-powered category has raced around the Portland International Raceway, but for Season 11, it will be replaced by the Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Miami will be a permanent circuit on the calendar and will see Formula E return to the city for the first time since 2015 and many have asked the question whether it would work for one city in the US to host a race every year.
According to Dodds, this is not the right direction for the sport: “If I’m honest, I’m not sure it is,” he said. “The pros of a consistent race venue, like Tempelhof in Berlin, is people get used to the venue.
“They know it’s going to be there, we get calendar consistency, the crowds can turn up year after year after year. However, two things I would say, you get a bit of fatigue sometimes with a venue.
“And also you don’t necessarily attract new fans to come and watch because of the travel requirements.
“So my view has always been the US needs more than one race,” stated FE’s CEO. “It needs at least two, maybe it ends up being more than that. The good news is we have a lot of American cities that are interested in putting on a race.”
Formula E’s presence in the US is vital for the sport
Creating a calendar can be challenging, especially with the continued expansion of multiple championship and the concern of causing a clash.
With the United States and China making up three quarters of global sales of electric vehicles, it is vital that the sport has a large presence in the US.
READ MORE: Formula E 2024 teammate head-to-head battles including race and qualifying results
Formula E have previously raced in two different locations in the States, in Miami and Long Beach in their first season in 2014/15 – the only time they have done it.
Since then, the nation has only had one venue, with New York hosting two races on the calendar from 2017 to 2022 and Dodds has said that they is potentially 20 cities that could host a race.
But the FE CEO thinks travelling from one side of the country to the other, as they did in their first year, is not possible and with him wanting at least two US circuits on the calendar by Season 12 (2026), it will be interesting to see which one is selected.