With minor adjustment: Formula E confirms layout for race on IndyCar track in Portland

Since Formula E cannot race in New York City this year due to construction work, the Portland International Raceway will step in for the 2023 US race weekend. The track in the far northwest of the U.S. has been familiar to IndyCar fans for years. Now, however, Formula E published a track map with minor adjustments to the standard Portland layout.

In less than a month, it's time for Formula E to hold its first E-Prix in Portland. For the race in the state of Oregon, the electric series will use the Portland International Raceway, which has been part of the calendar of the IndyCar Series or its predecessor championships for decades. The Formula E drivers will have to complete a total of twelve clockwise turns on one lap - just like the IndyCar drivers.

There will be one change, however: The Formula E track is 20 meters longer than the IndyCar version. Instead of 3.166 kilometers, a lap for the drivers of the electric series will comprise 3.186 kilometers. "The track remains largely unchanged from the IndyCar version", explains a Formula E spokeswoman when asked by 'e-Formula.news'.

"There is, however, a small change in the track length, as we will adapt turn 1. That's why the lap will be slightly longer than usual." One side effect that is certainly not undesirable is that the lap times of Formula E and IndyCar will not be exactly comparable as a result of the adjustment.

Long straights invite slipstream driving

But apart from that, the track layout remains unchanged compared to the IndyCar series. Two longer straights invite slipstreaming and overtaking, while the technical, medium-fast section of turns 4 to 8 requires good vehicle balance. It is currently unknown how many laps the Portland race will have in total.

Formula E describes the track on its official website as a "familiar stop for American motorsport series such as IndyCar, whose layout has provided some close battles in the past. In 1997, the series saw its closest three-way battle on a street circuit when Mark Blundell edged Gil de Ferran and Raul Boesel at the finish line by half a tenth."

We're excited to see how close the Formula E race in Portland will be. The E-Prix will form the twelfth stop on this year's race calendar and is scheduled to take place on June 24, 2023.