Why a fearsome 'electric alliance' has lasting significance
OPINION: Formula E has invested in Extreme E to create a formal allegiance between the two most influential electric motorsport series. Allaying fears of financial uncertainty, together they will shape the future of battery-powered competition
News that Formula E has opened its chequebook and invested in Extreme E might come as a surprise to many. The two FIA-sanctioned all-electric championships both work out of the same building in London. Both were co-founded by Alejandro Agag and both cars - the standardised FE chassis and the ODYSSEY 21 E-SUV used by XE - are built by Spark Racing Technology and share an array of electric motor componentry.
Surely, on a surface level, they were sister series. So why has FE moved this week to become a minority shareholder, with its chief executive Jamie Reigle now on the XE board of directors?
Share Or Save This Story
Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.
Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.
Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.
His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.
Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.
He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.
More from Matt Kew
Stella: Piastri has “gone a long way forward” and still has ‘more to cash in’
Stella: Red Bull didn’t enjoy F1 tyre advantage at high-graining Melbourne
Wolff: Mercedes F1 relationship with Verstappen "needs to happen at a certain stage"
Honda opens new UK F1 engine base ahead of Aston Martin partnership
Wolff: Correlation issues, not dogmatism behind Mercedes F1 struggles
Leclerc knew Ferrari could win F1 Australian GP from FP1
Stella: Leclerc finished ahead of Norris on merit in F1 Australian GP
The impatient pair who’d hoped to be a thorn in Red Bull’s side again
Latest news
Kenya president pushing for longer WRC Safari Rally
The good, bad, and ugly of IndyCar's half-baked exhibition race
How WRC Rally1 teams embraced the return of the snorkel
Vasseur: More consistent car means Ferrari F1 drivers no longer in "survival mode"
Autosport Plus
How brilliant Bird survived the heat to end Formula E win drought in Sao Paulo
How Cassidy surprised himself to storm to Formula E's summit in Saudi
How Wehrlein kicked off Formula E's new season with a statement of intent
How a "complete reset" helped Dennis deliver Andretti's Formula E title
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.