#14: Nicki Shields,

TV presenter for ITV’s Formula E coverage

Things that are Marmite always attract attention:

Piers Morgan, the Kardashians, Facebook. So you could say that things for Formula E are going well because, at the moment, it truly divides opinion.

While Formula One kingpin Sebastian Vettel has said: “I don’t like it at all, I think it’s not the future,” 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg happily nosed about the paddock at this season’s opening race in Hong Kong, declaring: “I know quite a lot about Formula E – it has an amazing future, a great future.”

Fresh international motor racing series launches are nothing new. In the past decade or so, we’ve seen A1GP, Superleague Formula and GP Masters, to name just a few. The trend has been for these championships to arrive with a big fanfare, and die a death within a few short years because they haven’t been economically sustainable. So why is the Formula E freight train chugging along at unprecedented speeds?

When Audi announced in the autumn of 2016 that it was ending its two-decade-long commitment to the World Endurance Championship to turn its focus to Formula E, it sent shockwaves through the motorsport world. It came of the back of Jaguar joining the series at the start of the third season, after a 12-year absence from single-seater competition. But Audi’s announcement was just the beginning. BMW, Porsche and Mercedes quickly

followed suit, joining Renault, which has been a part of the scene since day one, winners of all three championship titles to date and one drivers’ title with former Toro Rosso driver Sébastien Buemi.

Formula E is a lesson in being in the right place at the right time. E-mobility is happening now so Formula E is an attractive proposition for big-brand manufacturers, as a technological proving ground and a worldwide marketing platform. These racecars are developing key technologies that will be embedded into our road cars of the future.

In January, Formula E unveiled its new-spec chassis for the 2018/19 championship – a car that will be seen on track from this autumn onwards. It has a theoretical top speed of 186mph, meaning 160mph+ is achievable even on tight street circuits.

What’s truly impressive, though, is this car will feature a battery that will last the whole distance of a Formula E race – a doubling of energy density – because, up until now, each driver had two cars they had to switch between in a pit stop.

One thing I’m sure about is that it will stay as competitive as ever. Don’t get me wrong – I fell in love with motorsport because of Formula One, but the close-combat racing in Formula E is supreme and raises your heart rate every time. The championship has gone down to the wire every season and currently drivers from eight diferent teams make up the top 10.

I’m often asked at what point Formula E will catch up or overtake Formula One in popularity. Honestly, I believe there’s room for both. F1 is F1 and will always have the history. Having said that, it took Formula One several decades to become the commercial pinnacle of the sporting world people recognise it as today. Something tells me it won’t take Formula E quite that long…