As it nears the start of its 10th season, Formula E is at a critical juncture. Now a well-established part of the motorsport landscape, it still faces a daunting task to break out from its current position as a niche within a niche to achieve true mainstream recognition, not helped by the COVID-19 pandemic and the quickfire exits of Audi, BMW and Mercedes.
“Already we’ve made some structural changes, and we announced the [2023/24] calendar, which required some quick decisions to be made. So I feel like I’m already into it. I’m excited, I’ve loads of energy to bring to it, and everywhere I look, I see potential. The fast, flowing nature of the Portland track, which featured almost no heavy braking zones to allow regen to take place, delivered a very different spectacle to what Formula E fans are used to seeing on more traditional street venues. But Dodds says he is open to the idea of adding more permanent tracks to the Formula E calendar in future.
When it comes to the calendar however, Dodds is not afraid to keep chopping and changing, suggesting a ‘hybrid’ model between returning to the same venues year-on-year and new locations.