01/12/2012
NEWS STORY
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Rome has become the first European city to sign up to host a round of the new Formula E series which gets underway in 2014.
The Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, announced the agreement in Campodoglio at an event attended by Jean Todt, Formula E Holdings CEO Alejandro Agag and Chairman of the Italian Automobile Club (ACI) Angelo Sticchi Damiani.
Rome becomes the second city to welcome the FIA Formula E Championship following Rio di Janeiro's announcement in August. In total, the 2014 inaugural Championship will feature 10 urban races. FEH has already received interest from a large number of cities to host the 'E-Prix' and will soon define the list of venues that will be proposed to the FIA for the first season. Further city announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
In November, McLaren announced it would design and build the powertrain for the first Formula E cars in consortium with Spark Racing Technology (SRT), a new company led by Frederic Vasseur.
Formula E has declared itself as an 'open' championship. It has been working to encourage other car designers and constructors to build a Formula E car.
The FIA technical regulations, to be published soon for the Championship, will ultimately set the framework for making such submissions possible. To ensure the availability of cars for the first year, FEH has ordered 42 cars from SRT for the 2014 Championship.
"It gives me great pleasure to be in Rome for this exciting announcement that the eternal city has expressed its firm interest to host a race in the Formula E 2014 championship calendar," said Todt. "The contrast between this innovative motorsport series and the rich ancient history of Rome is one I am sure the public and the media will be intrigued and enriched by."
"We are honoured to have Rome on board as the first European city to host Formula E, since Italy is renowned for its motorsports passion, expertise and technical innovation," added Agag. "Clean urban mobility and sustainability are a priority for our Championship, and Formula E wants to become a showcase for these advances through an entertaining and all-inclusive spectacle. We are thankful to the Rome City Mayor and authorities for their enthusiastic welcome and support."