London E-Prix

London E-Prix
E-Prix Details
Name	Heineken London E-Prix
Location	London, United Kingdom
No. Held	Unknown
Circuit	ExCeL E-Prix Circuit
Previous Circuits	Battersea Park Street Circuit
First Race	2015 London ePrix I
Last Race	2022 London E-Prix II
Only Race	unknown
Most Recent Results
Name	2022 SABIC London E-Prix II
Pole	Jake Dennis 1:12.535
First	Second	Third
Lucas di Grassi	Jake Dennis	Nyck de Vries
Fastest lap	Jake Dennis 1:14.446

The London E-Prix is a semi-regular motorsports event based in the City of London, UK, that serves as a round ABB FIA Formula E Championship. The London E-Prix has been staged six times in FE's history, having originally served as the season finale for both the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons with a circuit based around Battersea Park.

The local residents of Battersea contrived to end the race in the local part after the 2016 visit, meaning London dropped off the calendar. However, ahead of the 2019/20 season it was announced that a new venue had agreed to host the London E-Prix, with a new circuit created at the ExCel Exhibition Centre.

Yet, the impact of the 2020 Covid-19 Pandemic would result in the two 2020 London E-Prix being cancelled, with the ExCeL Centre being turned into a temporary hospital to help treat patients. Fortunately the race would make its return for the 2020/21 season, with the ExCeL making history as the first venue to hold an FIA World Championship event on a mixed indoor/outdoor circuit.

City History

London's history as a city can be traced back to the Roman era, having been founded as Londinium in 43 AD. London became the capital of England (or Britannia as it was still known) in 100 AD after its reconstruction, although the fall of Rome saw London abandoned. However, after the construction of Westminster Abbey by Edward the Confessor, London was given its former status as capital once more, and one it has retained ever since. Previously the largest city in the world from 1831 to 1925, London was often considered the financial capital of the world, a status that few may challenge, with many international businesses placing their headquarters in the British capital.

Formula E History

London was among the first major cities to express an interest in the new FIA Formula E Championship, and duly signed an early deal with Formula E Holdings to join the inaugural 2014/15 calendar. Further negotiations with Wandsworth Council resulted in Battersea Park being selected to host the race, with a circuit designed by Simon Gibbons constructed within the Grade II listed park. The Battersea Park Street Circuit was duly approved on the 19 February 2015, and would host its first two ePrix in June 2015.

Championship Concluder

London's position at the end of the 2014/15 season ensured that it served as the title decider, with Nelson Piquet Jr. claiming the inaugural FE Championship. However, the entire race weekend proved controversial off the circuit, with protests by the local residents about the use of the Park by the series. Indeed the Battersea Park Action Group made plans to disrupt any future races at the circuit, prompting concerns that the 2016 races would be cancelled.

Indeed, it was only after FE Holdings agreed that the series would not return to Battersea after the 2016 visit that the 2016 London ePrix went ahead, reaching a deal with BPAG in June 2016. This time, it was Sébastien Buemi who won the Championship in the Park, beating Lucas di Grassi in a shootout for fastest lap after the pair crashed together at the first corner.

ExCel Exhibitions

The London ePrix subsequently fell off the calendar after the 2016 races, although FE CEO Alejandro Agag made it clear that it was a priority to restore the British capital to the FE timetable. Negotiations with the ExCeL Exhibition Centre opened during the 2018/19 season, with a deal between FE Holdings and the ExCeL's owners duly announced on 5 March 2019. The new circuit, christened the ExCeL E-Prix Circuit, would run around and through the exhibition centre itself, and serve as a double header to conclude the 2019/20 season.

The Covid-19 Pandemic would curtail plans to complete the 2019/20 campaign in London, although the London E-Prix would finally make its FE return in 2020/21, serving as the penultimate round of the season. Two races around the new ExCeL Circuit, which was modified from its originally proposed layout, were staged in July 2021, and would see Jake Dennis and Alex Lynn claim victory.

Circuit History

After a successful negotiation process with the Wandsworth Council, as well as the London City Council, Battersea Park would play host to a double header which would serve as the season finale for the inaugural season, serving as the Championship's home round. The London ePrix would also play host to the conclusion of the 2015/16 Championship, although a protest from a local action group put the double header in doubt. However, negotiations were made to allow the season finale to be held, albeit at the cost that Formula E could not use Battersea Park ever again.

An entirely new circuit, the ExCeL E-Prix Circuit, was built for the series' return to the UK capital in 2020, based around the ExCeL Exhibition Centre and the Royal Victoria Docks.

Records

A full list of records for the London E-Prix ePrix is outlined below, including a list of race winners.

Winners

Below is a list of all of the winners of ePrix held in London E-Prix:

London E-Prix ePrix Winners List
Season	Name	Circuit	Date	Winner	Report
2014/15	2015 Visa London ePrix I	Battersea Park Street Circuit	27 July 2015	Sébastien Buemi	Report
2014/15	2015 Visa London ePrix II	Battersea Park Street Circuit	28 July 2015	Sam Bird	Report
2015/16	2016 Visa London ePrix I	Battersea Park Street Circuit	2 July 2016	Nicolas Prost	Report
2015/16	2016 Visa London ePrix II	Battersea Park Street Circuit	3 July 2016	Nicolas Prost	Report
2019/20	2020 ABB FIA Formula E London E-Prix	ExCeL E-Prix Circuit	25 July 2020	Cancelled
2019/20	2020 ABB FIA Formula E London E-Prix	ExCeL E-Prix Circuit	26 July 2020	Cancelled
2020/21	2021 Heineken London E-Prix I	ExCeL E-Prix Circuit	24 July 2021	Jake Dennis	Report
2020/21	2021 Heineken London E-Prix II	ExCeL E-Prix Circuit	25 July 2021	Alex Lynn	Report
2021/22	2022 SABIC London E-Prix I	ExCeL E-Prix Circuit	30 July 2022	Jake Dennis	Report
2021/22	2022 SABIC London E-Prix II	ExCeL E-Prix Circuit	31 July 2022	Lucas di Grassi	Report
2022/23	2023 ABB Formula E London E-Prix I	ExCeL E-Prix Circuit	29 July 2023		Report
2022/23	2023 ABB Formula E London E-Prix II	ExCeL E-Prix Circuit	30 July 2023		Report

References

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