Formula E Insists Its City-Centre DNA Remains Intact Despite Calendar Shift Toward Permanent Circuits

Formula E is pushing back against the narrative that it is abandoning its urban identity. Despite a visible shift toward permanent circuits on its calendar, the all-electric championship insists its founding philosophy — racing in the heart of cities, in front of fans — remains the guiding principle behind every venue decision.

The Urban Identity That Defined a Series

But the 2025-26 calendar tells a more complicated story. Jarama and Shanghai have joined Mexico City as permanent-circuit venues on the schedule, and the trajectory is set to continue. With the arrival of the faster, more powerful Gen4 car expected later this year — a machine that has already attracted attention from high-profile names curious to experience it firsthand, including Lando Norris who had planned to test one — the pressure on traditional street venues is only set to increase. It is understood that the existing street race around the London ExCel will be dropped in favour of an alternative British venue.

Speed, Power, and the Street Circuit Problem

"We haven't changed our DNA. We are still thinking that we need to look for these venues in city centres," Longo told Motorsport.com. "The problem is that street racing is becoming super challenging because of the speed of these cars and the power of these cars."

The solution, in Longo's view, is not to retreat from cities but to redefine what a city venue looks like. Berlin's Tempelhof Airport and the Miami Autodrom are held up as the blueprint — private venues located within or adjacent to urban areas, where circuit designers have the freedom to create layouts that do justice to the performance of the machinery.

"So what we are trying to find more and more is venues like the Tempelhof; private venues where you can actually design the track the way you want to showcase the performance of these cars," Longo said. "That is kind of what we're heading to, and that hasn't changed."

Market Presence Comes First

Underpinning Formula E's venue strategy is a clear commercial and sporting hierarchy. Being present in the right markets takes precedence over the type of track used to get there.

"For us, what is very clear is that we need to be in the markets that we want to be in," Longo explained. "That is the top priority. If I need to be in the UK for example, I will be in the UK. The type of track won't be [relevant]. Once we go to markets, then the second priority is what type of venue we use in that market."

It is a pragmatic framework, and one that signals how Formula E is evolving from a series defined by its format to one defined by its footprint.

Tokyo: A Night Race Too Good to Leave

Perhaps no venue illustrates the tension between Formula E's ideals and its practical challenges more clearly than Tokyo. The series made its Japanese debut in 2024 with a temporary circuit built around the Tokyo Exhibition Centre in Ariake — a vibrant, compact layout that fits squarely within the series' urban philosophy. This year, a switch to a night-race schedule will also allow it to be broadcast at a more favourable time for European audiences.

The challenge is that Tokyo's narrow confines make it difficult to accommodate the Gen4 car without significant alterations to the circuit. Discussions over the venue's future have been ongoing, but Longo is confident a solution can be found and that Tokyo will remain on the calendar for the 2026-27 season.

"The contract with Tokyo is finishing at the end of the season, they're willing to continue," he said. "We have been talking to the FIA at length regarding that particular track. We want to have this compromise of showcasing the best technology in those cars, but also being loyal to our principles, racing as much as we can in city-centre venues."

For Longo, the case for staying is straightforward. "Tokyo ticks all the boxes. Vibrant city, top five in the world, and a night race. Definitely, it's a hard one to leave, and we hope to continue there."

The direction of travel is clear: Formula E is not retreating from cities, but it is rewriting the definition of what a city race can look like in the Gen4 era.