Timely payments, planning must for Hyderabad s return: Formula E co-founder

London: Timely payments, proper planning, and upholding the operational standards of Formula E are among the non-negotiables that Hyderabad promoters will have to deliver if the fully-electric racing championship is to return to India next year, series co-founder Alberto Longo told PTI.

Longo does not want to sound rude while talking about Hyderabad's Formula E debut earlier this year but he needs to say a few things bluntly. The race faces an uncertain future after not being included in the provisional calendar for next season.

Longo hinted timely payments by promotors -- Greenko -- was an issue even as he praised the support provided by the Telangana state government. IT and Industries Minister K T Rama Rao played a key role in bringing Formula E to India.    

"The truth is that we are in talks with Minister KTR and his team, and the promoter. We had some challenges in the past and I'm sure it will be solved but until everything is solved and sorted out obviously we cannot announce the city but we're really willing to go back to India," Longo told PTI in an exclusive interaction.

The construction work around the street circuit was completed at the very last minute for the inaugural race in February. Though the drivers had praised the race track, they were left unimpressed by the lack of toilets in the circuit.
Asked to elaborate on the major issues Formula E had to deal with in the lead-up to the race, Longo said there were some "economical sort of challenges" it faced with promoter Greenko.

"Sometimes, the suppliers stopped working, some works were delayed. Some standards for Formula E were not respected. If we don't do everything by the book, if we don't do everything through planning then there are challenges," he said.

"The race was fantastic but we could have done it way better and I'm sure next year you will see a completely different event because hopefully, we will be doing it by planning."

Formula E, Greenko group, and the Telangana government had signed a four-year agreement for the race.

Longo also clarified that country's tax system was not at all an issue for them, something that put off Formula 1 a decade ago.

"Taxes were not a problem. It was payments on time that allows us to do things properly with planning. Not everything can be last minute. "It's already almost August and have not started while in other places, we have already started the work.

"So we are already a little bit stressed by the fact that we have not started the work that is needed in Hyderabad to be there. Do we have time, 'yes' but we do need action very soon," he said.

A final call on the race will be taken after the World Motor Sport Council meeting in October when the calendar of all FIA-sanctioned championships are ratified.
Longo said Formula E will be sharing a dossier with the Telangana government on the changes it wants to see next year.

"There were things I don't want to specify but there were things that could have been done better. We will give a full dossier to the minister and the promoter about things that need to change for next year and hopefully all that will be done."  

Asked if there was a possibility that Hyderabad maybe removed from the calender, Longo said, "Of course, there is a possibility that's why we have not announced it because we don't have the certainty that things can be done in the way that we need them to be done."

However, he reiterated that Formula E wants to keep Hyderabad on the calendar.

"Our will is to go back to Hyderabad, we have everything on the table, the support of the state of Telangana but we need now the support of our promoter as well.

"Last year we started in October and we failed operationally. It was a success but operationally I didn't really like it. From a PR and marketing point of view, it was a big success."

Longo is a content man as Formula E has created a space for itself in the motorsport world.

"Nine years ago, if someone said we will be in 13-14 of the biggest cities of the world and with 11 car manufacturers or nine car manufacturers in our grid with that grid of amazing drivers, I would have thought that they were crazy.
"We have a tremendous opportunity in front of us and we're going to go for it. We're going to become the most valuable series on earth very soon," he said.