FIA president Jean Todt believes it will be “decades” before Formula E is capable of matching the performance levels of Formula 1.
The all-electric series is only in its sixth season, but has already made major leaps in performance and is expected to continue that upward trend with the introduction of its Gen3 car in 2022 – which will be lighter, quicker and capable of fast charging.
But despite advances in electric and battery technology, Todt believes it will be ten or more years until FE can match F1.
“You could not envisage to have Formula E substituting Formula 1,” said the Frenchman.
“FE races last three-quarters of an hour at average speeds of up to 118kph [73mph]. F1 races run for more than twice as long and the average speeds more than twice as high over distances in excess of 300 kilometres.
“There is not one [electric] race car able to do 300 kilometres at Formula 1 speed today.
“I mean, it would be decades before it can happen, if it does happen.”
Todt is therefore keen to see F1 retain and further develop its hybrid engine, rather than pushing for a switch to all-electric in the future, instead seeking advancements in green fuels.
“Simply, today, hybrid is the proper choice,” he added. “The next step is to see how well we can secure greener fuels.”
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