Why Formula E's London return delivered anarchy in the UK

Formula E landed for a London E-Prix for the first time since 2016, at the indoor-outdoor circuit around the ExCeL. Featuring the birth of renewed title pushes, a long-awaited maiden win and the second race's controversy, the round proved to be an exhibition of the electric series' anarchic nature

The latest Formula E-hatched unconventional world first for motorsport with a part-indoor, part-outdoor circuit. The long-awaited return of London to the electric calendar. A brilliant second victory for series rookie Jake Dennis to tee-up a genuine but totally unforeseen title challenge. A maiden victory for Alex Lynn, which arrived so soon after the Briton learned that his services would no longer be required by Mahindra Racing for the 2022 season.

All these remarkable story threads will be remembered in good time for their own small place in racing history. But the masses of internet comments posted in response to last Sunday’s race at the ExCeL would have you believe there was only one talking point.

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Author Matt Kew

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.