A host of Formula E teams have said that the championship shouldn’t lose focus and turn into an arms race when new manufacturers arrive on the grid.
In recent months, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche have all confirmed they’ll enter Formula E in 2018 and 2019 and speaking to Motorsport, Renault technical chief Vincent Gaillardot said this increased interest in the sport shouldn’t see it ditch its current DNA.
“The bigger costs that could come in the future is definitely a concern. We have to control the costs of any ‘arms race’ through the rules which are controlled by the FIA. We do not want to open [development of] the chassis, the aero, the battery,” he said.
In the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 seasons, McLaren Applied Technologies will be the sole battery supplier for the Formula E Championship.
Gaillardor asserted that a common fear among current teams and manufacturers in the sport is that teams could start building their own batteries if the rules are opened up, therefore allowing outfits with the most money and EV resources to take over.
“We know that some manufacturers will push for open battery competition but we need to wait and know when to do that in the future, but only the longer future,” he said.
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