F1 News
Formula E boss: "We have exclusive rights until 2039"
- Nicolás Quarles van Ufford
After Jean-Eric Vergne's earlier comments about a potential merger with Formula 1, Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag has come out to explain FE has exclusive rights from the FIA to electric motor racing for the next two decades.
The idea of having Formula 1 also be fully electric in the future has been floated around a few times by the likes of Ross Brawn, but Agag was quick to burst that bubble, at least for the coming two decades.
"Ross said that Formula 1 could go electric in 10 years – and basically, they can’t," the Spaniard told Motorsport.com.
"Formula E has an exclusive licence with the FIA for 25 seasons, and we’ve only done four. So the earliest Formula 1 could go electric is 2039, if we don’t renew our agreement with the FIA then, but I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t renew for longer.
"We have exclusivity until at least 2039 – so no electric F1 until then at least. If they want to talk to me then of course that’s a different question – I’m always open to talk to people."
So, two decades of waiting for the F1 to be able to go electric. Is the F1 better off anyway to stick with fossil fuels? Or should the sport be looking at alternatives in the future, like electric racing or diesel?