Cape Town has been confirmed as one of the official host cities of next year’s ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, also known as Formula E.
This follows approval at the FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting this week.
Taking place on 25 February 2023, the global e-racing tournament will see Cape Town become the first Sub-Saharan Africa city to host a round of the Formula E world championship, which is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars.
In a statement, the organisers say the Mother City joins Hyderabad, India and Sao Paulo, Brazil, as new cities scheduled to hold races in season nine of the e-racing event.
The confirmation of Cape Town on the schedule as round five on 25 February means Formula E will visit four continents and 12 major global cities over the course of its 17-round campaign, notes the statement.
“We are excited to announce Cape Town as a new destination for our series in season nine,” says Alberto Longo, co-founder and chief championship officer of Formula E.
“Our local partners are working incredibly hard to bring an ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race to the city and we cannot wait to see the futuristic Gen3 race cars competing against the iconic natural backdrop of Table Mountain.”
Formula E is an all-electric motorsport racing tournament. Its inaugural championship race was held in Beijing, China, in 2014. The cars are powered by 100% renewable energy.
The City of Cape Town previously said hosting the event will help it unlock major investment, job creation and its tourism sector. For example, in the three years Formula E was hosted in Hong Kong, it contributed approximately R1.4 billion to that economy, according to the city.
It further highlighted that the race forms part of its COVID-19 recovery plan, as it will offer a much-needed boost for the events and tourism industries impacted by the global pandemic.
The 2023 Formula E world championship opens in Mexico City on 14 January.
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