Alberto Longo exclusive: "We need to add 4 to 6 new venues to the Formula E calendar by 2030"

After four seasons with 16 races each, the coming season will see 18 races for the first time in the history of Formula E according to current plans. However, this is not the end of the story, but only the start of further expansions to the racing calendar. From a geographical perspective, the racing series is focussing on three key markets in particular. The presence in Europe is also to be extended to more cities again.

Bern, Misano, Paris, Rome, Valencia, Zurich - the list of cities in which Formula E held races in Europe but later turned its back on is long. However, the reasons for this development could hardly be more different. The loss of the Italian capital weighs heaviest for most drivers, as the circuit was very popular with all drivers.

"Rome was an amazing track, but it also has some limitations, because there were some corners that were on the limit in terms of safety," describes Formula E co-founder and Chief Championship Officer Alberto Longo in an interview with e-Formula.news. He is alluding to the serious accident in which Edoardo Mortara collided with Sam Bird after the latter spun and came to a halt on the track - in the middle of the racing line and at right angles to the direction of travel. Fortunately, the high speed crash was minor for all involved and no driver was seriously injured.

"We did some conversations with the city and the officials to help us develop a wider track," explains Longo. "Unfortunately, there was no option to do so. The reason why is that in Rome, every time you dig a hole 30 centimetres deep, there is something underneath that has been there for 800 or even 2000 years. Then the work is stopped for the next ten years."

"We will definitely be back in Italy"

"You are digging and then you don't know when you're going to end up the work", he sees possible archaeological finds as the biggest obstacle to the necessary adjustments and the real reason why Rome is no longer part of the racing calendar. "They were telling us that they wouldn't advise us to go ahead with the work. So we decided to stop the race."

"Italy fur sure is a key market for us," affirms Longo. However, Rome is not the only option for the racing series. "I would love to go close to the Colosseum, but there are other amazing cities in Italy. I don't know if it's going to be next year or in a couple of years, but we will definitely be back."

Although there are no concrete plans for a return to Italy, Longo does not see any haemorrhaging of Europe in the racing calendar. Madrid will be added as a venue for an E-Prix next season. This will be only the second time in Formula E history that a race will be held in Longo's home country of Spain. However, Longo also wants to add more cities in Europe.

"At least one more race each in China, USA & Europe"

"We have four races in Europe next year, four cities to be precise, and in most of them we do double headers," he describes. "So we definitely do a big part of the calendar in Europe and we want to keep in growing here. (The goal is) at least one more race in Europe. But we're a global championship. So we need to keep growing in the USA, as well as in China and Asia. These are the three key markets for us: China, the USA and Europe. Hopefully we will be growing by at least one more race in every single of these markets."

"By 2030, we have a very clear target, which is to have 22 to 24 races in 16 to 18 different venues," he adds. "That is what we are going to. Definitely, we need to add four to six new venues, at least one in China, one in the USA, one in Europe and the rest in the rest of the world. That would be the ideal calendar for Formula E in 2030."

First, however, the race calendar for the 2025/26 season must be finalised. The venue for the two planned races on 30 May and 20 June 2026 has not yet been officially determined. However, it can be assumed that Formula E will also be held in Jakarta next year. In addition, Sanya on the Chinese island of Hainan is set to return to the race calendar after 2019. We expect the official announcement after the meeting of the World Motor Sport Council on 16 October.