Honda could be the next automaker to join the FIA Formula E Championship. At the Austrian Grand Prix, Honda’s F1 engine chief Yusuke Hasegawa said they were closely evaluating the prospect, but that it may not happen for a little while.
“So far we have no plans to join FE,” Hasegawa-san said to Autosport, but “in the company some of the members want to join FE as well.” Because of the relatively low costs of participating in Formula E (as compared to Formula One), the obstacle would be less related to cost than it would be to personnel. The company’s best racing engineers are currently tied up in its engine partnership with McLaren.
Honda would not, however, be the only automaker competing in the electric racing series alongside another major factory motorsport program. Though it withdrew its patronage of the Formula V8 3.5 series, Renault recently stepped up its F1 effort while supporting the championship-winning e.dams team in Formula E.
Audi similarly supports the Abt team in FE while running its own factory racing program at Le Mans and the FIA World Endurance Championship. And Citroën competes in both the World Rally Championship and World Touring Car Championship (though that’s changing) while its DS brand supports the Virgin Racing team in FE.
NextEV, Venturi and Mahindra also support teams in the electric racing series, with Jaguar and Faraday Future set to join next season as well. Other automakers including BMW, Nissan and Volvo have also been said to be eying active participation in the near future.
Honda has one of the most robust racing programs in the industry. The company competes in everything from F1 and Indy to sports cars, touring cars, Baja off-road trucks and numerous motorcycle racing series. It wouldn’t be hard, then, to envision it adding another program to its roster.
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