Jean Todt: ‘Nonsense’ to suggest F1 could go all-electric
FIA president Jean Todt says it is “nonsense” to think Formula 1 could become an all-electric series, believing it is "boring" to dr💫aw comparisons between the championship and Formula E.
F1 motorsport director Ross Brawn said last month there was “nothing to stop us having electric Formula 1 cars in the future” should there be a desire from the s๊port’s stakeholders to make that switch, adding: “I don't see Formula 1 being locked into internal combustion engines forever, but who knows where we are in 10 years?”
FIA president Jean Todt says it is “nonsense” to think Formula 1 could become an all-electric series, believing it is "boring" to draw♚ co𒊎mparisons between the championship and Formula E.
F1 motorsport director Ross Brawn said last month there was “nothing to stop us having electric Formula 1 cars in the future” should there be a desire from the🐬 sport’s stakeholders to make that switch, adding: “I don't see Formula 1 being locked into internal combustion engines forever, but w⛦ho knows where we are in 10 years?”
The FIA launched its first🦄 all-electric single-seater championship, Formula E, in 2014, with the series set to 𝓡enter its fifth season this December.
Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag was quick to rebuff Brawn’s comments, saying that the series had a 25-year♐ exclusive license, meaning F1 could not go electric until 2039 at the earliest.
Speaking at Monza last weekend, Todt dism🐼issed the idea of F1 becoming an electric series in the future, and said he felt it𝓀 was not worth comparing it with Formula E given the stark differences between the championships.
“It would be nonsense to say in the coming futu🌺re Formula 1 isℱ going to be electric. It’s not going to happen, simply you could not do it,” Todt said.
“We are talking about two completely dif🐻ferent categories. Formula E has not got the performance of Formula 1. At the 📖moment one of the reasons Formula E is in cities is because it would not create any interest to have Formula E on a circuit like Monza, for example. We are talking about two different categories.
“It is completely misleading to compare Formula E and Formula 1. Formula 1 is a very well-established category, and I ke𒐪ep saying, for me, Formula E is the baby of the FIA. So still a lot to learn.
“But saying that, it’s g♕rowing very well. We started four years back, we needed to have two cars to do a race of 45 minutes.
“At the end of th♔e year first race in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, when a woman will be allowed to drive, we will be able to do the race with one car.
𝓀“It shows how motor-racing can be a laboratory, not only a show, a laboratory. But to lose time by comparing the two categories is just boring.”
