The inaugural FIA Formula E season will be broadcast live and free-to-air in the UK, the series has officially announced.
This is fantastic news for motorsport fans, with all 10 races of the 2014/2015 championship being shown on ITV4 and ITV4 HD, as well as coverage online and on-demand with ITV Player.
Formula E has already secured broadcast deals with FOX Sports and Japan's TV Asahi. It is an exciting, new and all-electric single-seater championship with races taking place on street circuits across the globe.
For the first season, 10 teams and 20 drivers will take part. Each driver will be provided with two Spark-Renault SRT_01E cars. Lucas di Grassi and Daniel Abt are the only drivers currently confirmed to race in the first Formula E season (driving for Audi Sport Abt team), with 23 others expressing their interest in the official Drivers' Club.
ITV4 will continue to cover the hugely popular British Touring Car Championship live, as well as showing delayed coverage of the British Superbikes and World Rally Championship and MotoGP highlights in 2014.
All Formula E rounds will take place on one day. There will be a one hour practice session before qualifying - where each driver has a maximum of four laps (one out lap, two flying laps and one in lap). The races will start at 16:00 local time.
The season will kick off in Beijing in September 2014 on a 3.44km, 20 turn, anti-clockwise track that has been set around the grounds of the iconic Olympic Stadium, which was the venue for the 2008 Olympic Games. The opening campaign will come to an end in London (in an as-yet-unconfirmed location) next June.
The deal with ITV will see each race shown live, along with pre-race build-up that will include practice and qualifying highlights. The podium celebration and post-race driver interviews will conclude its coverage.
Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Formula E, said: "We’re delighted to be announcing this partnership with ITV today and to be securing live, free-to-air coverage of all Formula E races for our UK fans – of which we’re confident there will be many.
"The UK is widely considered the home of motorsport and a very important market for Formula E. As such, with its unrivalled commitment to motorsport, ITV provides the perfect platform to showcase our new fully-electric series - which will also be racing in London in June 2015 – and to appeal to a new generation of motorsport fans."
Niall Sloane, ITV's Director of Sport, said: "I’m delighted ITV4 will be able to bring viewers the opportunity to see this innovative new series - which promises top-level open-wheel racing with the iconic backdrops of some of the world’s most famous cities. The coverage of this series adds another new dimension to ITV4’s motorsport portfolio."
I'm personally really excited for the new Formula E season. I'm intrigued to see how it works and whether it will prove to be a success, with such a different event format and the all-electric cars. For more of my thoughts, see this piece I wrote late last year.
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| © FIA Formula E |
Formula E has already secured broadcast deals with FOX Sports and Japan's TV Asahi. It is an exciting, new and all-electric single-seater championship with races taking place on street circuits across the globe.
For the first season, 10 teams and 20 drivers will take part. Each driver will be provided with two Spark-Renault SRT_01E cars. Lucas di Grassi and Daniel Abt are the only drivers currently confirmed to race in the first Formula E season (driving for Audi Sport Abt team), with 23 others expressing their interest in the official Drivers' Club.
ITV4 will continue to cover the hugely popular British Touring Car Championship live, as well as showing delayed coverage of the British Superbikes and World Rally Championship and MotoGP highlights in 2014.
All Formula E rounds will take place on one day. There will be a one hour practice session before qualifying - where each driver has a maximum of four laps (one out lap, two flying laps and one in lap). The races will start at 16:00 local time.
 |
| © FIA Formula E |
The deal with ITV will see each race shown live, along with pre-race build-up that will include practice and qualifying highlights. The podium celebration and post-race driver interviews will conclude its coverage.
Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Formula E, said: "We’re delighted to be announcing this partnership with ITV today and to be securing live, free-to-air coverage of all Formula E races for our UK fans – of which we’re confident there will be many.
"The UK is widely considered the home of motorsport and a very important market for Formula E. As such, with its unrivalled commitment to motorsport, ITV provides the perfect platform to showcase our new fully-electric series - which will also be racing in London in June 2015 – and to appeal to a new generation of motorsport fans."
Niall Sloane, ITV's Director of Sport, said: "I’m delighted ITV4 will be able to bring viewers the opportunity to see this innovative new series - which promises top-level open-wheel racing with the iconic backdrops of some of the world’s most famous cities. The coverage of this series adds another new dimension to ITV4’s motorsport portfolio."
I'm personally really excited for the new Formula E season. I'm intrigued to see how it works and whether it will prove to be a success, with such a different event format and the all-electric cars. For more of my thoughts, see this piece I wrote late last year.
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