Motor racing returns to Switzerland
“Did you know that before last weekend it had been 64 years since motor racing last took place in Switzerland as a consequence of the 1955 Le Mans disaster?”
That statistic was trotted out a lot throughout the build-up to the inaugural Zurich eprix, as well as in the aftermath and, despite that snarky first sentence, rightly so. This was a big moment for motorsport and Formula E deserves credit for pulling it off, seeing as it even required a change of law in one of the planet’s most fastidiously-governed countries.
The historical significance was clearly not lost on the competitors. On Monday morning, race winner Lucas di Grassi was tweeting pictures of the start of the 1954 Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten alongside the Zurich race start. Audi team principal Allan Mcnish “sent an email to the main heads of department in Audi after [the race] with a picture of it just saying
‘look, it’s a historic moment’”.
The two full-season Swiss FE drivers – as well as nearby resident Nick Heidfeld, who travelled in by train just because he could – were also clearly pleased to finally have a race on home soil. Sebastien Buemi – running a modified helmet design to prominently display the Swiss flag, a big plus for the local fans – recalled how he “could never dream” of a Swiss-based race while climbing the single-seater ladder. Edoardo Mortara, who was enjoying his second home event of the season after Rome thanks to his dual nationality, said it was simply “amazing to be racing here”.
In practical terms, the event came together at the very last minute, but this was purely to keep the disruption to the city and its residents to an absolute minimum. The race ran on a Sunday so that the road closures needed to put the final walls and barriers in place, as well as allow the shakedown running, could come into effect. Extra seating areas and fan amenities popped up overnight on Saturday, and everything appeared to be in place come race day.
It was a busy paddock – sponsor tours regularly packed the pitlane – and the organisers claim that 160,000 attended the evillage fan zone, which was free to enter. When the sessions were in action, people crammed against the barriers to watch – only reserved grandstand seating required tickets – and others watched out of windows in the office buildings and homes that lined the 1.531-mile circuit.
Naturally, there were some complaints reported about the disruption to locals, but the vibes for motor racing’s return to Switzerland seemed pretty positive.
Zurich mayor Corine Mauch described the race as a useful way to highlight the benefits of e-mobility to the city’s residents, while event CEO Pascal Derron said it “surpassed our expectations”. The number of people visiting the evillage was “a great success for all involved,” he continued. “We are happy.”
Overall, and even though the race was tame by FE’S standards, the first Zurich eprix was a hit – particularly for the electric championship’s many Swissbased sponsors and their guests.