FE: Talks begin over new London venue

Formula E has begun formal negotiations with the London mayor's office over racing on the streets of the city in 2017.

London was not on the 2016-'17 FE calendar announced by the FIA last week, but series CEO Alejandro Agag revealed it was a contender for the vacant June 24 slot.

Members of London mayor Sadiq Khan's team attended last weekend's 2015-'16 season finale in Battersea Park, and Agag met with London deputy mayor for business Rajesh Agrawal on Sunday. Agag said these first formal talks would allow the process to try to hold a race on the city's streets in 2017 to begin in earnest.

He is aware there is "a very short period of time" to find a location in London for the race because of the challenge of securing the necessary planning permissions to host a race.

"We need to decide very quickly where and how if we're going to make June 24," said Agag. "It will be important which borough we're in and what council it is. We are optimistic."

London is not the only contender for the June 24 round, with Moscow also in the running, but appears to be the favored option. FE and the mayor's office will now explore possible parts of the city to host the race.

While Agag described Khan's support as "crucial," he said the championship's presence in Battersea Park for two seasons and its growth as a business was the reason it was now realistic to target a race in the centre of London.

"Now they know we're serious people, we deliver, we're financially strong," he said. "Now it's easier to say, 'Let us race in the streets.'"

With Battersea dropping off the FE schedule after two seasons, Agag described the movement from dissenting locals that has forced the series out of the park as "a big mistake."

"What they've done is wrong for the interest of Wandsworth and London," he added. "But it doesn't do anything to look back. We're looking to the future and we're really going to try to race on the streets."

Originally on Autosport.com