Formula E expects Battersea race decision next month

Formula E boss Alejandro Agag told AUTOSPORT in Beijing during the inaugural round of the series that a decision from the Borough of Wandsworth, in which the park lies, was due in October.

"We expect the decision in October; we hope so," he said.

A spokesman for Wandsworth council corroborated Agag's statement, confirming that the decision is due at the end of October at a meeting of its Community Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

That means that the timeline for a yes or no on Battersea, which was announced as Formula E's preferred option for the London race early in the summer, has moved forward: a decision had been planned at the end of November.

It appears that no decision can be made at the September meeting of the Community Services committee; it will be only given an update on the plans for the Formula E race.

A decision in favour of the Formula E race by the Conservative-controlled council would not be a guarantee of the race, scheduled for June 27, going ahead.

The event would still be subject to the usual applications for planning permission, which would take a minimum of two months to go through.

Agag confirmed that the ExCeL exhibition centre in East London was Formula E's plan B for the London round, as exclusively revealed in AUTOSPORT.

He described ExCeL as "a real option".

"At the moment we are working on Battersea, but they are both great venues and could put on a fantastic race in London," he continued.

ExCeL London, which lies between Canary Wharf and London City Airport, has admitted its interest in Formula E without going into detail of its plans.

What is not know is whether ExCeL would be able to wait on a decision from Formula E until the end of next month at a time when it is renting out its exhibition space for next summer.

TEST RUN

The test run of a Formula E car in Battersea Park which took place at 5am one morning in August was undertaken by Beijing winner Lucas di Grassi in one of the championship's test cars.

The run was undertaken to assess the suitability of the roadways in the park for racing, particularly sections of heavily-crowned roads.