“It is a question of taste,” Todt said. “I don’t have any problem with the
noise, but I need to take it into account if a lot of people say they want
more noise. But believe me, in a few months’ time, nobody will speak any
more about the noise. We will have found something else.”
Meanwhile, as the bickering over F1’s fresh direction for 2014 continued,
motorsport’s all-electric formula received another boost.
Aside from rubbing its hands with glee at Formula One’s continual argument
over green technology, Formula E, based in the UK, received €50 million (£41
million) from a mixture of technology and private equity firms.
The series, which is to race on 10 street circuits around the world, will
reveal its 40 new cars on Thursday in a launch at its new Donnington Park
headquarters. The championship begins around the ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic Park
in Beijing in September.
It boasts former Formula One drivers Jarno Trulli and Nick Heidfeld among its
ranks, with the actor Leonardo DiCaprio, Sir Richard Branson and four-time
F1 champion Alain Prost owning teams.
Some in F1 are privately frustrated that Formula E has been allowed to occupy
a space in the motorsport market, appealing to younger more
environmentally-conscious fans, as Formula One’s green revolution has been
consistently shouted down.
Alejandro Agag, the sport’s CEO, said: “What started out as an idea, is now
becoming a reality. With the first cars delivered to the teams in just over
a week, and works beginning around the Olympic Park in Beijing, Formula E is
moving closer to its goal to show fans around the world the true potential
of electric cars.”