Formula 1's director of motorsports Ross Brawn believes F1 could make the switch to all-electric power within a decade if it's what's deemed best for the sport.
Brawn did however rule it out in the short-term, citing Formula E's "tame" races and lack of "spectacle" as reasons why it wouldn't be the right move for the premier motorsport series.
"I think we have to respect what Formula E’s doing and what it’s achieving," he told F1 Fan Voice. "[But] if you look at the magnitude of the two [F1 vs FE] they’re not really comparable in the number of fans we have, the appeal of Formula 1. Formula E is still very junior in that respect.
"With all due respect it’s a pretty junior category of road racing. it’s a great event in terms of all the stuff that’s going on around it but the race itself is pretty tame compared to a Formula 1 event. The cars are not particularly fast. They don’t have the personalities involved. It’s a smaller, junior formula.
"But they’re doing a fabulous job of the event, making it a street party. But Formula 1’s different. Formula 1 is the pinnacle of motorsport. The speeds we do, the calibre of driver we have, the calibre of teams we have."
Whilst F1 has an element of electric-power through its hybrid power unit, a switch to all-electric would only happen if there was a desire for it from fans and manufacturers and that wouldn't happen solely for the sake of it according to Brawn.
"I think Formula 1 will evolve in the direction that has the right balance of sport and relevance and engagement with the fans. If in five years’ time or 10 years’ time or whenever there is a need, desire, wish, to have a different type of power unit in Formula 1, we’ll do it.
"I don’t see Formula 1 necessarily being locked into internal combustion engines forever. Who knows where we are in 10 years, 10 years ago I don’t think many people would [be] able to predict where the world is now and therefore I don’t know where we’re going to be in 10 years’ time. But Formula 1 will move in the right direction.
"There’s nothing to stop us having electric Formula 1 cars in future. At the moment they don’t deliver the spectacle."
