The inside story of Formula E's London return

It doesn't seem very long since UK platforms were again playing Frank Skinner, David Baddiel and the Lightning Seeds' Three Lions 1996 hit with joy. In the summer of 2018, thanks to the performances of a young, talented and popular squad, the exploits of the England football team were merrily serenaded from afar with the song's most famous refrain: 'It's coming home'.

In 16 months time, that chorus will apply to UK motorsport, and, in particular, ABB FIA Formula E. The electric racing series, which has its headquarters in a high-rise block in Hammersmith, will return to London in the summer of 2020 for its season six finale.

The race will take place around - and inside - the capital's famous ExCeL exhibition centre, which is situated out in the east of the city in the Docklands area.

In much the same way that the Brooklyn circuit that holds FE's New York round boasts the Manhattan skyline in the background for that ever-important cityscape shot, the ExCeL track will have London's O2 Arena and the Canary Wharf financial centre as its background, with the City, the Shard, the London Eye and Tower Bridge in sight further to the west.

The event will take place on a 1.5-mile, 23-turn layout, which will start and finish inside the mammoth ExCeL building.

The 2019/20 championship will end with two races around the new London track, which increases the likelihood that the season six champion will follow Nelson Piquet Jr and Sebastien Buemi in being crowned in Britain's capital city.

Those two moments of FE history took place on the opposite side of London at the Battersea Park venue that hosted the final rounds of the championship's first two campaigns.

FE agreed not to return to Battersea after the second event - despite having a deal in place to carry on racing there - in the face of fierce opposition from local residents. This arrangement averted a challenge to Wandsworth Council's agreement to close the park for the race from going as far as a judicial review.

But FE has always wanted to make a glorious homecoming. In ExCeL, it has found a pretty perfect location - one that it will use for at least five years, starting with the 2020 race.

In fact, FE's London history might have turned out completely differently. The building and its surrounding streets - although only one, Sandstone Lane, is a public road - were actually assessed as a UK race location option before the inaugural championship even got under way.

"We are constantly talking to FE about preferred cities and London, unanimously, was the number one focus from everyone" James Barclay

It is understood that as a result of this feasibility study, ExCeL remained as a back-up to Battersea and the two parties kept in touch throughout the years.

At the 2018 Autosport Awards, FE CEO Alejandro Agag teased the room at the Grosvenor House Hotel by saying that he had "a little plan" to bring FE back to the UK in conjunction with David Richards and Motorsport UK.

Other areas of the country were assessed as part of this, but London - a global as well as national capital - was always the priority. That awards comment came just over three months before the ExCeL announcement and discussions about the new race took place over that period before quickly gathering pace - the deal was officially signed the day before it was revealed to the public.

FE sources were highly secretive about the plans for the race, but once it was all out in the open, any tension that existed has turned to absolute pride that a London return has been achieved.

FE is understood to making a significant investment to race at the ExCeL centre, which is owned by the UAE's Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company. It is another link to the region after Saudi Arabia and its race in Riyadh joined the calendar with a 10-year deal at the start of the current campaign.

FE will hire the whole of the ExCeL building - a vast 100,000 square metre space - with the team garages, start/finish straight, fan E-Village, hospitality areas and (presumably) grandstands all located under one roof.

Considering the UK's prominent place in the motorsport sphere, and the allure of London sporting events (the consequences of whatever happens with Brexit notwithstanding), choosing to invest here makes sense for the series. After all, its stakeholders were pushing for a London return too.

"We are constantly talking to FE about preferred cities and that one, unanimously, was the number one focus from everyone," Jaguar team boss James Barclay, who is also the chairman of the Formula E Teams and Manufacturers Association (FETAMA), says of London.

"London is a world capital in many senses as well. Key cities of the world like Paris, New York, London, these are places where having a Formula E race is really important. So, [there was] unanimous support for London, which is great. [There's a] big media audience in London as well, and a huge amount of motorsport expertise is in the UK."

The ExCeL location was not the only area of London that FE looked at potentially hosting a new race.

Back in December, Agag spoke of "combing the city, looking at every single street", and an event in the very heart of the city near Buckingham Palace and taking in the Mall - which acts as the finish line for the London Marathon and the RideLondon cycling event - was desired.

But the championship could not get the agreement of the Royal Parks, a vital cog that needed to be spinning with FE, as the Mall is part of St James's Park. Yet according to Barclay, not getting a race on these iconic streets may not be such a bad thing for FE.

"Although on paper it may sound fantastic to be right in the heart of a key location in somewhere like London the challenges weigh up for what that means for disrupting the city - does it mean longevity?" he says.

"If we go and have one race and everyone complains because the traffic is terrible and then we don't go back, that's not good either.

"What is exciting about the venue that's been selected for London is that it looks like it has much more potential for longer-term stability. So, from that point of view, that's a real positive. We need a venue that we know we can go back to for the longer term.

"We talk about date equity and date equity is really important - a date people know in their calendar, 'that's when that is every year'.

"The biggest and best sporting events are always at the same time. Not just sporting, the cultural events are the same time every year. So, that's why I think this venue should work really well. It should be less affected by some of those issues than having it on the Mall, potentially, and places like that."

The elements that caused the local objections at Battersea Park - areas closed to the public and TV helicopters stand out as prominent examples - should not be an issue in the Docklands. Not only is the track located inside and around the perimeter roads of the ExCeL building, but the area goes through substantial road closures every year for the London Triathlon event without disruption. London mayor Sadiq Khan has given the race his blessing.

It's not inconceivable that some building work - which, it should be noted, happens at pretty much every FE event - will have to be done to the ExCeL to accommodate the race. The pitlane, according to the track map released along with the race announcement, will run parallel to the building's south side, along the edge of the Royal Victoria Dock.

For the second time, Formula E has beaten Formula 1 to a round in London

During the triathlon event, competitors use this narrow bay to return to the transition area inside the building to collect their bikes. It's not a large area, and so the traditional FE pit tents are unlikely to fit.

The event plans are still at a very early stage, but some kind of US racing style pitlane wall arrangement may well be needed. It's also possible that the track may be narrow in places - nothing that FE hasn't faced before.

When the race was announced, the indoor/outdoor nature was heavily promoted - although the championship already has a similar set-up (albeit on a much smaller scale) at its Berlin round. When the track was revealed, some observers pointed out that in the event of rain (which would obviously never occur in London), going from a wet surface to a dry one could be tricky.

But FE cars always race on all-weather tyres, so there's little chance of a slicks-on-water challenge for the drivers.

"It's a difference, there's no question about it," says Audi team boss Allan McNish. "But you just have to manage it. Just like [F1 drivers] have to manage the tunnel in Monaco, just like you have to manage when half of the circuit is dry at Le Mans and the other half is wet - you've got to manage these things. You've got to do it, it's the same for everybody.

"[Audi is] very keen on London coming onto the calendar. The UK is a big market for us and also from a personal point of view, it's great to be racing in the UK. To have one in London is superb.

"I'm very interested to see what it's like in the ExCeL - the area is obviously good, it's got good connectivity [transport] and everything else - but I'm really quite interested to see what driving through the arena is like and then to go on outside."

For the second time, the electric single-seater championship has beaten Formula 1 to a round in London. Returning to the city is a huge achievement for FE - and it would be even if grand prix racing was also coming to town.

It has long felt - and not just to the paddock's British personnel - like FE was missing something all the time it lacked a race presence in the UK.

Excitement about the London event is going to build over the next year as, finally, FE is coming home.