For the first time ever, Formula E racing comes to New York City as Brooklyn hosts the FIA Qualcomm New York City ePrix automobile race on July 15 and 16. Comprised exclusively of souped-up electronic cars going as fast as 150 mph, this four-wheeled showdown represents the future of motor sports. Drivers receive points based on performance in each race (25 points for first place, dropping incrementally to 1 point for 10th place) and whoever has the most points at the end of the season is the champion.
The race promises to be a picturesque competition: It runs on along a 20-car track, built especially made for the Red Hook waterfront, complete with incredible views of the Statue of Liberty and lower Manhattan.
The brainchild of Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag, Formula E was founded in 2012 and is sanctioned by Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (better known as FIA), the international governing body of motor sports. This year, there will be 12 races taking place in cities including Hong Kong, Marrakesh and Berlin.
A total of 10 teams, from eight countries, compete. Among them are teams owned by American racing royalty Jay Penske, of the eponymous auto-parts-company family, and Michael Andretti, son of NASCAR legend Mario. “The appeal for me is to get in on the ground floor of what seems like auto technology of the future,” Andretti, whose team races BMWs, told The Post. The e-cars produce zero carbon emissions; by comparison, a Formula 1 racer produces 513 pounds of CO2 in a single race.
Right away, viewers will notice one big difference from NASCAR or Formula 1 races: the sound. Formula E motors run at 80 decibels, as compared to 140 for Formula 1. Rather than a roar, the track noise is more like what you hear inside a 747 as it takes off. Andretti calls it “a nice whine.”
“When we first ran the electric cars, I heard things I had never heard before,” said Roger Griffiths, chief technology officer of Andretti Formula E. “I was able to hear the air being exhausted out as each gear shifted. I heard the squeal of tires — and it sounds the same as it does in those cheesy movies from the ’70s. During a race in Monaco, I heard a big crashing sound. It was the bottom of the car [coming off of a bump] hitting the ground. [With other forms of racing] you don’t normally hear any of those things because the cars are so loud.”
Tickets cost $85 and are available via Ticketmaster. There’s also the Allianz eVillage, where you can try racing simulators and get autographs; admission is free with tickets available through online registration at FIAFormulaE.com/nyc.