Formula E chief executive Jamie Reigle says he is “flattered” by criticism of the all-electric championship from Formula 1 boss Chase Carey and Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko.
Marko recently told Autosport that Red Bull had no interest in entering FE “because we are racing purists” and it “does not fit” with the brand’s promotional activities.
“As good as we are in marketing, Formula E is for us only a marketing excuse from the automotive industry to distract from the diesel scandal,” he added.
Days later, Carey, the CEO of F1, was asked during an interview with CNN whether the FE championship posed a threat to F1’s popularity and media profile. He replied: “No. Actually, I think Formula E is a very different vehicle…largely a social cause and, you know, more of a street party.”
In a “Future Forum” organized through BMW in Vienna this weekend, Reigle responded with the interest of brands in FE and the competitive nature of their careers.
“I think the vital word in Marko is “purists,” he said. “There is a definition of what motorsport was and therefore for other people who have this point of view, what it deserves to be. In my opinion, the good thing about motorsport is that it is this culture of sports and technical innovation.
“The technical inventions that happened years ago were things like mirrors and seat belts. We’re pushing the edge and basically, if you look at the number of brands entering FE, drivers, their competitiveness, the fact that the maximum of the races we organize, there’s another Array winner.. for me, that’s the definition of sport.
“It’s the pinnacle of human effort, whether it’s engineering or sports and how you put them together.”
As for Carey’s derogatory comment, Reigle added: “My opinion is that the world is a very big position and that there is plenty of room for various championships in motorsport.”
“It’s flattering that Chase and Marko communicate about us.”
The 76-year-old Marko is not shy about voicing controversial opinions. In March, he admitted that he wanted Red Bull drivers to deliberately contract the coronavirus before the start of the F1 season.
He said his concept was to take the team’s older drivers, Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon, in combination with the minor drivers at an education camp.
“Of course, this would have been ideal for infection. They are all young, strong and healthy men,” Marko told the Austrian television channel ORF. “Then you’d be in a position for every time you start, and you’d be in a position for a very difficult world championship.”
Since then, Marko admitted that his plan had “not been received.”
Formula E resumes racing on August 5 in Berlin, with six races in nine days on 3 championship circuits.
Each pair of races will take position on another field, and the sixth and seventh rounds at the Tempelhof field will be clockwise or opposite, the first for a foreign championship on the circuit.
Adaptations will be made on the ground in the 24-hour period between the first and second pair of races with run-off, curbs, barriers and broadcast placements all subject to being changed on the fly.
“This is a huge undertaking in terms of production to set up three different configurations for this event, with fewer people on site to be able to carry out those changes,” said Formula E sporting director Frederic Espinos.
“We’re doing something that has never been seen before in world-class motorsport and it’s an example of how reactive and innovative Formula E is－it’s in our DNA.”