Last updated on April 8th, 2020 at 08:01 pm
Formula E has been gaining a lot of attention this season with new teams, such as Mercedes-Benz and Porsche joining the motorsport for the first time. With two out of the 14 races already completed in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia the sports is on a winter break. Racing resumes on 18 January 2020 in Santiago, Chile.
During this quiet period, Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has officially given Formula E World Championship status for the start of the 2020/21 season – that's the highest level a sport can achieve. The governing and sanctioning body for world motorsport has voted and agreed ‘to move forward with certifying Formula E as an FIA world championship.'
This puts it on-par with Formula 1 in the single-seater hierarchy, meaning more teams will be drawn to the sport and drivers will be fighting for the newly named ABB FIA Formula E World Championship title next season.
Founder & Chairman of Formula E Alejandro Agag said: “It was always our ambition to one day become an FIA world championship. Everything we have done and delivered to this point has been working towards this particular moment in time. 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.”
Agag adds: “This agreement and announcement truly puts Formula E in the top tier of international single-seater racing. It has been a tremendous effort from many people involved and none of it would have been possible without the support of FIA President Jean Todt and the federation, as well as the dedication and commitment shown by our teams and partners. Now we can say we have done it. But it is only the beginning of a new chapter under the banner of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.”
The agreement comes after the Agag (pictured on the right) and FIA President Jean Todt (left) finalised an agreement at the FIA headquarters in Paris.
Last season, Formula E saw nine different race winners, where over 410 million worldwide viewers tuned in to see the racing in action.
Jean Todt, the FIA President, pictured in right said: “The creation and development of Formula E has been a great adventure. I am proud that today we confirm its FIA world championship status. Since we started this journey, Formula E has undoubtedly gone from strength to strength. Within a short timeframe, the series has proven itself relevant for the automotive industry with two more major car manufacturers having joined the championship at the start of the current season, bringing the 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.”
To find out more about Formula E, read our in-depth guide to the motorsport. You'll also find the full 2019/20 race calendar in our article. Also, visit the ABB FIA Formula E website for the latest driver standings for this season.