Drama once again engulfs the Formula E calendar, as the Mayor of Montreal confirmed on Monday that the race is a no-go for their city streets in 2018.
While Formula E has steadily grown over its first four seasons, there have been some bumps along the road. Season one saw a large rotating cast of drivers entering and exiting the series, with some entries being shared by nearly half a dozen people.
Tracks, too, have rotated on and off the calendar very fluidly. Montreal is now the latest city to drop the all-electric championship, after being scheduled to host the doubleheader season finale in July.
Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante confirmed the news on Tuesday via Twitter that the city will not welcome back the championship due to issues surrounding its use of public roads and being a publicly funded spectacle. Her comments, according to Racer.com were:
"We had 3 options in mind: moving the race to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, building a temporary race track somewhere else, taking a one year break in order to clean the house and work on a better business model.My administration is willing to take risks and to invest money to promote Montreal, to attract international events, but not without a serious business case. The administrators of Formula E told me they couldn’t bridge the gap for 2018 because they are accountable to their stakeholders, I reminded them that we are accountable to the people of Montreal.This is where we draw the line. Formula E will not return to Montreal in these conditions."
The move is one that does not come as a surprise when you look at all the information. The city of Montreal lost millions on hosting the season finale last year, while also having to deal with the logistical headaches of shutting down roads. The promoter also inflated statistics regarding attendance, reportedly handing out over 20,000 free or discounted tickets. Overall, it is not a situation that sounds ideal for the city of Montreal or for Formula E to be a part of.
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The all-electric championship has yet to comment about Montreal canceling the race, nor has the series announced a replacement for the season finale. This move comes just a few short weeks after the series was forced to replace the Sao Paulo race in 2018 with Punta del Este. The race in Brazil will now be moved to 2019.
It is possible that Formula E will shorten the 2017-18 campaign and use the New York City ePrix doubleheader as their season finale. Perhaps the series will seek out alternate venues for their final race of season four, whether on a permanent road course or street course. However, destination cities like Miami, London, and now Montreal have now spurned Formula E, leaving fewer options on the table.
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Where do you think Formula E will turn next for their season finale? Will New York be the new stop, or will they find a new venue? Comment below with your thoughts, and be sure to tune in for the next ePrix from Marrakesh, Morocco on January 13, 2018.