Written by Vyas Ponnuri
11 celebrities will be chosen to take part in a special event at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium on March 5th and 6th, as Formula E has finally found an answer to its conundrum of filling up the two-month void between the Jeddah and Miami E-Prix weekends.
Ever since the calendar for season 11 was first revealed in June, Formula E found itself with a major headache to deal with. The uncertainty of a race weekend in March loomed, even as the round had been pencilled in for late March.
However, a few months later, Formula E published the final calendar, approved by the Fédération Internationale d'Automobile (FIA), the sport's governing body, in October.
This revised calendar featured only 16 rounds, the same as season 10, with the proposed race weekend in March removed.
This created a two-month gap in the calendar for organisers to fill, with the Jeddah E-Prix double header set for mid-February, and the Miami E-Prix at Homestead in mid-April.
As such, Formula E had announced plans to host a special event for the fans to fill this void, and ensure the sport doesn't come to a full stop during the two-month break.
This event, set to take place on March 5th and 6th, is officially known as 'Formula E Evo sessions.'
Taking place at F1's Miami Grand Prix venue, the shortened version of the Miami International Autodrome will play host to an event organisers deem 'never-done-before' in Formula E circles.
The all-electric racing series will invite 11 top celebrities with combined reach totalling over 300 million. These names will partner 11 full-time Formula E drivers, taking part in a special celebrity time trial event.
Formula E unveiled the first six names to take part in this exclusive event, namely British entrepreneur Brooklyn Peltz Beckham, son of British footballer David; and Argentine football legend Sergio Agüero among the high-profile names.
Also included in the initial list are Emily in Paris web series actor Lucien Laviscount, American actress and record car builder Emelia Hartford, tech content creator and video journalist Cleo Abram and influencer Vinnie Hacker.
The next five names will be announced in due course on Formula E's social media channels, as well as the 11 Formula E regulars set to partner these celebrities in the event.
The celebrity participants will undergo an intensive training programme to understand the working of the Formula E Gen3 Evo car, with fitness training, simulator sessions, engineering sessions, driver coaching and several familiarisation laps around the shortened version of the Miami International Autodrome.
"This is wild!" was the first reaction when Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds presented this special event to teams and partners. Dodds immediately knew he had to bring it to life.
"We wanted to do something that has never been done before in motorsport; something that would give audiences and our fan base a unique perspective into the world of a Formula E driver, through the eyes of some of their favourite online personalities," Dodds expressed his rationale behind this out-of-the-box idea.
On the theme of giving fans a view into the world of a Formula E driver, The entire journey from rookie-to-racer will be captured for content across social media platforms through the creators’ lens, and shared across their and Formula E's social media channels.
This will give a special experience for fans watching back home, giving them a behind-the-scenes, all-access viewing right from the wheel of a Formula E car, allowing for an immersive fan experience.
This will also feature in the form of a full-length Formula E documentary, set to be released in late 2025 as per sources.
Celebrities in motorsports have always been a topic of discussion and debate amongst many, and Formula E has been no stranger to seeing public figures such as Cara Delvigne, sprinter Usain Bolt, and CEO Jeff Dodds himself pilot race cars in the past.
This experience could certainly be a win-win for an ever growing championship like Formula E, with each celebrity leveraging their fanbases towards following the sport through their involvement in this one-off event. Growing the fanbase is a goal Dodds aims to continue till the end of the decade.
“Formula E is the fastest growing motorsport in the world, and we have a clear target to hit half a billion fans by 2030.
"Through collaborating with some of the biggest names in popular culture right now, we’re able to open up Formula E to a whole new fanbase."
Brooklyn Beckham, son of English footballer David, expressed his delight at jumping behind the wheel of a motorsport machine:
“I’ve loved motorsport all my life, so when the opportunity came to be a part of Evo Sessions with Formula E, I jumped at the chance.
"I love it as a sport, but it’s an incredible opportunity to actually get behind the wheel and experience what it takes to compete at the top level of motorsport.
"The performance of the cars is insane, so I’m pleased I’ll be learning from the best in how to get the most out of them.”
Despite plenty of flak and criticism, this event could open up Formula E to an entirely new fanbase, and invoke further curiosity into the decade-old series, going forward.
Formula E will return in just about two weeks time, with the Jeddah E-Prix double header taking place on 15th and 16th February. Do stay tuned to DIVEBOMB for more updates on Formula E's newest event, as well as the upcoming Jeddah E-Prix.
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