Rome Added as Second City in Formula E’s Inaugural 2014 Season

A second locale for the inaugural all-electric Formula E Championship in 2014 has finally been announced: Rome. Alongside the announcement of the Championship itself this past August, Rio di Janeiro was announced as the first location – leaving us with 8 more to to discover over the course of the next month or so.

Unlike Formula 1, Formula E races are restricted to street circuits, making some races such as Albert Park in Australia or Monte Carlo in Monaco likely contenders. There doesn’t seem to be an official list of cities that have applied for consideration, but I’d be surprised if we didn’t see Germany and the UK also appear on the final list. Could we also see the US? It’d be nice – especially given the semi-heightened awareness of Formula racing thanks to the Circuit of the Americas Grand Prix held in Austin last month.

We’re very much in the early stages of Formula E, where many of the rules don’t even seem to be entirely clear. However, it is evident that many things will be strikingly different – and we’re not just talking about moving from gas-guzzlers to all-electric engines. Formula E Holdings, the overlord of Formula E, itself purchased 42 McLaren-infused “Spark” cars that will be distributed to the teams – 4 per, with the other two to be used for other activities. Teams will however be able to build their own cars, adhering to the FEH’s stringent guidelines, which we’ll likely see occur if the Championship becomes successful.

While few specifics are known at this point, what I do know is that Formula E is going to be interesting for a variety of reasons. Noise-level sure sits near the top of the list!