Even the Abu Dhabi Auto Racing League
The Homestead facility known as a NASCAR venue and a new track in northern Thailand are set to debut when Formula E announces its 2024/25 calendar next week.
Homestead is set to become the fifth Formula E track in the United States, following the purpose-built Miami circuit (2015), an adaptation of IndyCar's Long Beach street track (2015 and 2016), and Brooklyn's Red Hook track (2017-22). And the Portland Road Course which debuted last year and will host FE again at the end of this month.
Formula E will use the majority of Homestead's indoor road course, a Grand-Am circuit that has recently been used for national junior single-seater and single-make GT races. The Homestead oval track has been a long-time IndyCar track and has been on the NASCAR Cup calendar since 1999, spending many years as a season finale.
The date will likely be April 2025, although it may initially appear as “TBA” when the calendar is released to the public.
Racing revealed last month that talks between Formula E and the Homestead facility have intensified in recent months and a site visit is believed to have already taken place.
It is believed that the possibility of holding two races in the United States was considered, but ultimately ruled out, mainly for logistical reasons. That last happened when the Miami and Long Beach teams competed in Formula E's inaugural season.
Debut in Thailand as well
Ahead of Homestead, which is likely to be a single-race event, Formula E is expected to confirm a planned race in the Thai city of Chiang Mai, thus becoming the first international single-race championship to be held in the country. Formula 1 recently clarified that it is also looking to race in Thailand in the near future.
The possibility of holding a race in Chiang Mai is believed to have crystallized recently, with a date agreed in early March.
Prime Minister Srita Thavisin had already announced during a tour of northern Thailand in March that Chiang Mai province plans to host Formula E in 2025.
The race is expected to be linked to a major environmental festival aimed at highlighting the country's sustainability drivers, including the issue of air pollution and the promotion of electric cars.
The Formula E championship is believed to have an element of cover for next season with the possibility of the Tempelhof event in Berlin being moved to early spring if Chiang Mai or Homestead encounter difficulties.
Earlier this year, the Hyderabad E-Prix in India was canceled just six weeks before it was due to start after regional political complications hampered the race.
Formula E chief executive Geoff Dodds told The Race in March that “a lot of the conversations we're having now is 'Do you accept disruption being part and parcel of having street circuits?' Or alternatively, do you say: 'OK “Look, there are options. We can book fixed circuits in advance, on certain dates and pay small deposits if something goes wrong?”
Another World Series clash?
The Berlin Tempelhof Gallery is expected to move to the July date but could be used with floating intentions and moved earlier in the year if necessary. The last FE dates were in April or May.
What happens with Berlin could ultimately determine whether there is a conflict with the World Endurance Championship, which is believed to already have an event confirmed for mid-July 2025. Its calendar is expected to be announced next Friday during the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Another clash between the Formula E Championship and the World Endurance Championship would have a major impact on the Formula E driver market, which is currently witnessing a state of enthusiasm, given the traditional overlap between drivers between the two series.
Some Formula E teams are now requiring exclusivity from their drivers, as many already have WEC contracts for 2025 which themselves contain priority clauses.
Formula E will begin its 2024/25 campaign on the first Saturday in December at the specially constructed Anhembi Stadium track, which has hosted the Sao Paulo E-Prix since March 2022. This will then be followed by the traditional early/mid-January date at The Mexico City E-Prix. , held again at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
Pre-season testing will take place in the first week of November and, as revealed by The Race, will include a women-specific testing period during the three days of racing.
The provisional calendar for the 2024-2025 season is set to be ratified next week at the FIA's World Motor Sports Council meeting.
