De Silvestro demos Formula E car in Geneva

Ahead of next week's Geneva motor show, Switzerland's own Simona de Silvestro drove a Formula E car on the streets of the Swiss city on Sunday to promote a recent government move for a an exception to be made that would allow the all-electric series to end the decades-long ban of motorsports in the country.

"For me it was the first time I drove the Spark-Renault SRT_01E and the first feeling I had is that there was no noise! For a driver, every new challenge is a great experience and this was even more special – the acceleration of this car is really good and I had a lot of fun. I am sure that the American fans will love to see Formula E in Miami and Long Beach in the next weeks."

The last auto race to be held in Switzerland was at the circuit of Bremgarten, near Bern, in 1954. Now, after a historic decision by the Swiss National Council to adopt a motion by MP Fathi Derder has set the stage for professional racing to return. It was Derder who actually gave the start of the street demo, waving the Swiss flag ahead of the car.

The new law – still to be confirmed by the Council of States – is limited to electric vehicle racing. This opens up the possibility for Formula E to race on the city streets of Switzerland in the future.

"We would never have dreamed of getting an ePrix in Switzerland off the ground without TAG Heuer and Jean-Claude Biver's continuing support," said Alejandro Agag, CEO of Formula E. "We are very proud to have TAG Heuer as a founding partner, and thankful that they are able to assist us in this exciting challenge. If the race takes place, TAG Heuer will definitely be our title sponsor. The ePrix will strengthen our close relationship with this country, which is the home market of our Global Partner Bank Julius Baer. They have been fully behind us since the very first race in Beijing."