Formula E to make South Africa debut in Season 9 of World Championship

RIYADH: The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is set to race in Cape Town, South Africa for the first time on Feb. 25 following approval at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting.

Cape Town joins Hyderabad, India, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, as new cities scheduled to hold races in Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, which opens in Mexico City on Jan. 14 next year.

Alberto Longo, co-founder and chief championship officer of Formula E, said: “We are excited to announce Cape Town as a new destination for our series in Season 9.

“Our local partners are working incredibly hard to bring an ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race to the city and we cannot wait to see the futuristic Gen3 race cars competing against the iconic natural backdrop of Table Mountain.”

In further updates to the provisional Season 9 calendar, Berlin will now host a double-header race weekend on April 22 and 23 while the two races previously announced for Seoul have been removed from the calendar. Locations for rounds 10 and 13 in the 17-race season are being finalised and will be announced at a later date.

“Renovation work at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul, the venue for our first races in South Korea earlier this year, means we cannot return to the same location next season as originally planned and so we are exploring other options in South Korea to replace this venue.

“We are also in active discussions with more world cities and venues to host an event on the other date without a confirmed location,” Longo added.

Season 9 marks the beginning of the Gen3 era in Formula E. The third generation of race car in the championship, the Gen3, is the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built.