ExCeL emerges as Battersea alternative for London Formula E race

ExCeL, which is located between Canary Wharf and London City Airport, has made an approach to run the final round of the inaugural season of the one-make electric-vehicle championship in the summer of 2015.

It has proposed hosting the race on a circuit that would combine external sections with a loop through one of the facility's exhibition halls.

The plan is at an advanced stage and appears to be regarded as a genuine alternative by Formula E, even though series boss Alejandro Agag's strong preference is Battersea.

AUTOSPORT has learnt that a delegation that visited Battersea Park last month, which included FIA head of safety Jacques Berger and MSA technical director John Symes, also visited ExCeL on the same day to give a verdict on the alternative venue's proposed layout.

A spokesman for the MSA stated that the governing body of British motorsport had "assisted the FIA with inspecting a number of potential sites for the UK round of the new Formula E championship, including Battersea Park", without naming ExCeL as one of those alternatives.

ExCeL executive director Jeremy Rees would only confirm the facility's interest in hosting Formula E without going into detail.

"We have been carefully tracking the progress of this exciting project since public launch and believe that London will be a fabulous host city for the final race of the 2014/15 series, and we would obviously welcome the opportunity to host it," he explained.

A spokesman for Formula E, which kicks off this weekend in Beijing, would not comment on the ExCeL plans.

"There is a plan B because a London race is important to us given that the UK is such a stronghold for motorsport, but it is not something that we can divulge," he said.

BATTERSEA LAYOUT TESTED

But plans for the Battersea race, scheduled for June 27 2015, have not moved on substantially since Formula E announced in June that the park in the Borough of Wandsworth was its "chosen location" for the London round.

A spokesman for Wandsworth explained the local council was still in informal discussions with interested parties, including local residents groups.

"Formula E clearly wants to come to Battersea Park and we still have to see if that is possible: our decision will largely be based on the responses from interested parties," he said.

The spokesman revealed that a final decision from the council's relevant committee was unlikely before the end of September.

Only then could the application for planning permission begin, a process that would take between two and three months.

That means that the Battersea fixture is unlikely to be set in stone until January or February.

This week's AUTOSPORT magazine - available in shops and online now - includes more details of the ExCeL Formula E proposal, including our verdict on the battle between it and Battersea Park

On Saturday, follow the inaugurual Formula E race in Beijing as it happens with AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live from 9am UK time on Saturday morning