Formula E race coming to central London

The all-electric Formula E racing series is negotiating with the new Mayor of London’s office to bring a race to the streets of the capital in 2017.

The 2016-2017 FE calendar was announced last week and did not include London, but FIA Formula E Championship CEO Alejandro Agag said the city is a candidate for the vacant slot on 24 June.

Agag met with London deputy mayor for business Rajesh Agrawal on the Sunday after members of Mayor Sadiq Khan's team attended last weekend's 2015/16 season finale in London’s Battersea Park.

Agag said: "We need to decide very quickly where and how if we're going to make June 24… It will be important which borough we're in and what council it is. We are optimistic."

Moscow is also competing to host the 24 June race but FE and the London mayor's office are now exploring areas of the city to hold the race.

Agag said that support from new Mayor of London Khan was "crucial", and the Formula E presence in Battersea Park for two seasons and its growth as a business means that a race in the centre of London is now a realistic target.

Agag said: "Now they know we're serious people, we deliver, we're financially strong… Now it's easier to say 'let us race in the streets'… We're looking to the future and we're really going to try to race on the streets."

Sadiq Khan, who took over from former mayor Boris Johnson in May, is a supporter of FE and has already launched emissions reduction policies.