- Governing body FIA has upgraded Formula E to world championship status, joining Formula One, rally, endurance racing, rallycross and karting
- Hong Kong was forced to cancel the March 2020 FE race in the city because of anti-government protests
Hong Kong has a glorious opportunity to raise its profile as a regional motor racing hub with FIA's announcement this week that the Formula E series will be designated an official world championship from the 2020-21 season onwards.
Lawrence Yu Kam-kee, one of the founders of the Hong Kong E-Prix, said stakeholders were keen for the city to be part of the upgraded electric car circuit, but remained wary of making promises because of the social unrest that forced organisers to cancel the March 2020 race at the Central Harbourfront.
"Both the Hong Kong government and FE would like to have race here but we still have to wait and see the political situation," said Yu, governor of the Hong Kong Automobile Association, who played an integral role in bring FE racing to the city in 2016.
Hong Kong was scheduled as the sixth leg of the 2019-20 season, having staged three races since joining the circuit in 2016. However, organisers announced in late October that the March 1 race was cancelled because of the often violent anti-government protests that have plagued the city since June.
BREAKING NEWS! Formula E to become a World Championship from next season pic.twitter.com/7hqCabCB5o
" ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 3, 2019
When asked if Hong Kong would be part of the inaugural ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, a FIA representative said venues would be announced at a later date.
Formula E chairman Alejandro Agag has been insisting since the circuit's early days that the electric car series would one day become as important as Formula One, which is considered the pinnacle of global motor racing.
And FIA's recognition " announced on Tuesday " means that Agag's prediction is coming true as far as the world governing body is concerned, if not among diehard motor racing fans.
FE, along with F1, are the only two FIA open-wheeled car racing competitions that enjoy world championship status. On a similar level are the FIA World Rally Championship, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the FIA World Rallycross Championship and the FIA Karting World Championship.
The ongoing FE season, which started on November 22 in Saudi Arabia, is already a step up from previous years with marquee names Porsche and Mercedes-Benz joining the fray alongside BMW, Audi, Jaguar, DS Automobiles, NIO, Penske, Nissan and Mahindra Racing.
"I am proud that we confirm its FIA world championship status," FIA president Jean Todt said in a statement. "Since we started this journey, Formula E has undoubtedly gone from strength to strength. Within a short time frame, the series has proven itself relevant for the automotive industry with two more major car manufacturers having joined the series at the start of the current season, bringing their total number to 10.
"The commitment and professionalism of those manufacturers and their respective teams is mirrored in the quality of the driver roster which has improved with every season. Since its first race in Beijing in 2014 and with every E-Prix thereafter, Formula E has proven that the concept of cutting-edge electric racing works. I wholeheartedly welcome Formula E as the latest FIA world championship."
For Agag, it is a dream come true.
"It was always our ambition to one day become a FIA world championship," he said after signing the agreement in Paris. "Everything we have done and delivered to this point has been working towards this particular moment in time.
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"Achieving the feat and being granted with FIA world championship status adds more credibility to what is already a fully fledged formula of racing and a spectacular sporting product.
"This agreement and announcement truly puts Formula E in the top tier of international single-seater racing."
Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, of Brazil, Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) and Lucas di Grassi (Virgjn) are among the former F1 drivers who are competing this season in FE.
Other big names who dabbled in FE are former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, Nelson Piquet Jnr and Nick Heidfeld.
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