Birmingham in ‘final stage’ talks with FE to host 2019 race

Birmingham is in the “final stages of negotiations” with Formula E about bringing the all-electric series back to the UK next season, according to West Midlands Mayor Andy Street. 

The city wants to fill a slot on Formula E’s 2018/2019 calendar for the fifth season of the championship, which will feature the introduction of the series’ new Gen2 car. 

Birmingham previously hosted motor racing events between 1986 and 1990 in the Birmingham Superprix, which acted as a round of the FIA Formula 3000 Championship, as well as the British Touring Car Championship, Formula Ford 1600 and sports car racing.

“To be really clear the deal has not yet been signed but we want to come clean because others are talking about it and we are in the final stages of negotiations for bringing a Formula E race to the streets of Birmingham,” Street told Capital Reports. 

“Formula E is all about electric vehicles so what this gives us is a superb opportunity for us to join the Formula E programme with other world leading cities such as Paris, Berlin and Zurich, and Birmingham would be the UK’s representative alongside them. 

“To have this street racing showcasing an industry of electric vehicles will be a real strength for the West Midlands in the future, that’s why it’s so important.”

Formula E said bringing a race back to the UK is a "priority" for the series.

"The UK has a strong racing heritage and is an important market for Formula E - so it’s a priority to bring a race back to British soil," a Formula E spokesperson told Crash.net. 

"Formula E is based in the UK, as are a number of drivers, teams and manufacturers. With the impending ban of petrol and diesel cars in 2040, the movement towards electric is unstoppable and Formula E is helping to speed-up that process.

"Regarding an E-Prix in the UK - we want to find the right venue for the long-term. We’re currently evaluating a number of options and Birmingham is one of them.”

An amendment to the Road Traffic Act to allow the use of closed-roads for motorsport events in England was passed by the UK parliament last year, boosting Formula E’s hopes of a return to Britain. 

The UK last held a Formula E event in the second-ever London E-Prix which took place around Battersea Park in 2016.