Motorsport pioneer, Alejandro Agag, has bet big on the future of racing being electric. The Spaniard believes that Formula 1 too will have to go down the electric route, though an agreement will have to be reached with his own series as his company, which oversees Formula E, has both the hydrogen cell and electric drive patents. Agag has been on a mission to make electric racing championships a viable alternative to the current oil and gas dependant series' across the world. The Spanish entrepreneur has successfully overseen the growth of the Formula E championship, which is now in its seventh season, while he will also launch the Extreme E offroad championship this year as well. While both championships are relatively nascent compared to Formula 1, with the rapid advancement in technology Agag is confident F1 will have to follow his championships in going electric. "I believe that one day Formula 1 will be electric," Agag told F1-Insider. "There is no other way forward, so sooner or later we will have to find an agreement between the two series. Because we (Formula E) Have both electric drives and hydrogen in our patent for formula racing cars. "So we have to come to an agreement somehow. Because either Formula 1 will be electric - or it will be a classic category. I think the latter would be wrong, because Formula 1 always has to represent the top of motorsport and technology. And that will be electric drives - either with batteries or hydrogen." With F1 recently agreeing on an engine freeze until at least 2025, the sport seems to have made its bet with the current V6 Turbo hybrid power-units, at least in the short term. It will be interesting to see if Agag's statements prove to true in the future. While Formula E has so far failed to pique the curiosity of the purists, it has still garnered interest from the world's leading auto manufactures. Renault/Nissan, Audi, Mahindra, BMW, and Jaguar have been joined by Mercedes and Porsche in the last two years, highlighting the appeal of the series for several of the world's largest auto manufacturers.
Most read
