Photo: Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz’ Grand Prix division, MGP Ltd, has announced it has signed a deal with Formula E Operations, the company that controls the top branch of electric car racing.
According to this deal, Mercedes-Benz has GP has the option of being one of the 12 entries of the 2018-2019 Formula E Championship, which will be the fifth season of the sport.
As the press release concerning the story explains, the agreement allows Mercedes-Benz to have a spot on the grid, but it does not mandate the entry of this brand in the series.
In other words, it is like a reservation, which allows the holder to see how things work until the moment it has to do something, while the organizers will be sure there are interested OEMs in the sport, and will know whom to approach first when the subscription lists are opened.
For the moment, the entry agreed by Mercedes-Benz GP seems to be valid for both the current format, which has two cars per driver for the race, and the future configuration that will only have one car per driver for every race.
The new entries are subject to the approval of the FIA, which is the organization that controls all global branches of motorsport with automobiles. It has a “relative” that handles motorcycling, and that operates by similar rules.
Formula E currently has ten teams, which are expected to continue racing in 2018 and 2019, when Season 5 will take place. The teams can forge alliances with automakers, and even join forces with themselves.
Evidently, other companies can enter. However, the grid will be limited to a maximum of 12 entries in the 2018-2019 season of Formula E.
Toto Wolff, a former racing driver that is currently the Executive Director of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, stated that he and his colleagues had followed the growth of Formula E with keen interest. Currently, they are still examining all options for the future, and entering this sport will now be possible thanks to this agreement.
Wolff says that Formula E will be “very relevant in the future,” because "racing has always been a platform for research and development of new technologies for industry." With the current automaker interest in electric cars, it is easy to understand the link between Formula E and new products.
As the press release concerning the story explains, the agreement allows Mercedes-Benz to have a spot on the grid, but it does not mandate the entry of this brand in the series.
In other words, it is like a reservation, which allows the holder to see how things work until the moment it has to do something, while the organizers will be sure there are interested OEMs in the sport, and will know whom to approach first when the subscription lists are opened.
For the moment, the entry agreed by Mercedes-Benz GP seems to be valid for both the current format, which has two cars per driver for the race, and the future configuration that will only have one car per driver for every race.
The new entries are subject to the approval of the FIA, which is the organization that controls all global branches of motorsport with automobiles. It has a “relative” that handles motorcycling, and that operates by similar rules.
Formula E currently has ten teams, which are expected to continue racing in 2018 and 2019, when Season 5 will take place. The teams can forge alliances with automakers, and even join forces with themselves.
Evidently, other companies can enter. However, the grid will be limited to a maximum of 12 entries in the 2018-2019 season of Formula E.
Toto Wolff, a former racing driver that is currently the Executive Director of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, stated that he and his colleagues had followed the growth of Formula E with keen interest. Currently, they are still examining all options for the future, and entering this sport will now be possible thanks to this agreement.
Wolff says that Formula E will be “very relevant in the future,” because "racing has always been a platform for research and development of new technologies for industry." With the current automaker interest in electric cars, it is easy to understand the link between Formula E and new products.
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