With 16 races (in 10 different countries) scheduled between 13 January and 21 July, the 2024 Formula E world championship season is very dense. To bring it to a close, it will be taking on a relatively short - less than 2.1km for 20 corners - but very special track. This is because the layout of the London ExCel exhibition centre [a venue for the 2012 Summer Olympics] is unique in the season, and indeed in the world of motorsport. Built on the banks of the River Thames, on the site of the former Royal Victoria docks, the circuit comprises around 25% of its course indoors.
Every year since 2021, the championship's electric single-seaters have taken off from the heart of the building, which has a total length of over a kilometre), exited for over a kilometre and then returned inside via an access ramp. This configuration means that if it rains, the cars will be racing on a damp surface outside, and therefore dry, for just over 500 metres. A configuration that adds interest to the race, but also extra work for the engineers and drivers.
