F1 title no longer enough to be ‘best driver in the world’, says Formula E boss
Formula 1 has long been the established championship at the pinnacle of motorsport, but that is now changing in the eyes of competitors in another series.
Alejandro Agag is the boss of the Formula E championship, which is already in its ninth season and drives a third-generation all-electric racing car.
Over the weekend, the famous Monaco road race saw its ninth race of 2023 – just halfway through the season – and Agag feels the new car is perfectly suited to such a historic and prestigious circuit. Furthermore, Agag says that the championship as a whole has progressed so much in recent years that it can now seriously claim to be a prerequisite for conquest by the best riders.
“It’s a car made for the streets of Monaco. “This Gen 3 really takes Formula E to a new level,” Agag told TalkSport on the yet-to-be-aired show On the right way show. “It takes it to a level where strategy is key.
“I think we’ve gotten to a point where if you really want to call yourself the best driver in the world, you really have to win Formula 1.” And Formula E.”
This view has been shared by several drivers in the FE grid who feel the extra strategy and control required makes it the true pinnacle of motorsport.
Dan Ticktum, a British driver at NIO, narrated The Independent in March that F1 drivers could be selected based on factors such as nationality and financial backing – while FE drivers were there simply for their talent.
“All drivers are here because we are good. It’s all performance driven,” Ticktum said. “Because of your nationality, you very rarely get signed. A lot of people are now being signed in Formula 1 who, in my opinion, are actually not good enough, but were simply born there. Formula E doesn’t pay attention to that.
“The best drivers get to the top – only by merit. There are very few championships in the world where every driver gets paid for their work. From the fans’ point of view, I would really like that – it’s a duel between the best drivers in the world.”
Currently in his debut season with AlphaTauri, Nyck de Vries is the only former Formula E Champion currently active in Formula 1. Some of those on the FE grid were previously in Formula One but the claim suggests that Max Verstappen, the current F1 champion and this season’s championship leader, would also need to make the switch to claim the titles as such to unify.
::The On Track show – the only weekly motorsport program on UK national radio – airs Tuesdays at 1pm on TalkSport and repeats at 9pm.
