India’s first Formula E to attract record-breaking audience

HYDERABAD: The inaugural of the first-ever Formula E racing event in the country, taking place at the NTR Marg near the picturesque Hussainsagar on Saturday, is expected to attract a crowd of over 22,000 spectators in addition to millions watching it live around the world.

Cars will whizz past the Hussainsagar, Mint Compound, NTR Gardens, NTR Park, and Prasad’s Imax 32 times to complete the race. The final event begins at 3 pm, after day-long related racing events. The practice sessions, however, provided plenty of spills and chills with cars from iconic manufacturers having dramatic moments. There was a collision between a Porsche and a barrier; a Maserati and a McLaren made contact, according to fiaformulae.com.

Maserati and McLaren will be making their Formula E debut at Hyderabad. There will be 11 teams and 22 drivers; Nissan will be on the grid, as will the homegrown teams Mahindra and Jaguar TCS. There will also be an Allianz Fan Village, which will include displays from manufacturers such as Mahindra and Formula E.

For the Sunday racing event, a 250kW battery will be used to power the cars. The race will be considerably quieter and will only reach 80 dB during full racing due to the use of electric engines. Because they use hybrid tyres, these cars are designed to last the entire race and in any conditions. Renewable energy major Greenko is the local promoter of the race along with the Telangana government.

Minister K.T. Rama Rao expressed his delight about the event on Twitter. "For Telangana, the event comes at an opportune moment, as it has been rapidly becoming a hub for investments in the e-mobility space," he tweeted.

The 2.835-km race route has 18 turns and the cars can cross 250 kmph down the straights. The Rs 1,000 Grandstand and Rs 4,000 Charged Grandstand tickets have been sold out, while the Rs 7,000 Premium Grandstand and the Rs 10,500 Ace Grandstand tickets are still up for grabs. There’s also the Ace Lounge package for a staggering Rs 1.25 lakh.

The parking spaces remain unchanged. The organisers have set aside two parking spaces at Jalavihar and People's Plaza, each of which can accommodate 800 vehicles. Commuters were asked to take the Metro Rail to avoid traffic rush. The organisers have provided shuttle services at the Jalavihar entry point after parking their vehicles.

After receiving a flak during the Indian Racing League event, the authorities worked arduously to build the track in accordance with FIA specifications. The authorities claimed that they had addressed over 30 issues that the Federation of Motor Sports Club in India (FMSCI) had brought to their attention during the first and second trial runs.