Second U.S. Formula E race expected next season

Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds says he expects two races to be on next season’s schedule.

Speaking to RACER at last weekend’s Miami E-Prix, Dodds explained that the calendar for next season will be submitted in April, and revealed that this is likely to have two American races on it, following years of talks and teases about the desire to expand the series’ footprint in the country.

“We submit to the FIA in April, the first draft of the calendar,” he explained. “Our expectation is that there'll be two U.S. races on that calendar we submit.

“We're talking to places like Phoenix, Atlanta, COTA (Circuit of the Americas), Detroit, Denver…,” he said, adding that Toronto north of the border was also a possibility. “There's a whole load of places we talk to, some are more advanced than others.”

Aside from double-headers that took place in New York between 2017-2022, and Portland in 2024, the U.S. last held two races in a single season in the first year of the championship, when Miami and Long Beach both held races.

Along with the anticipated second race location from next season, Dodds wants to see Miami International Autodrome become a fixture on the Formula E calendar, and that the various configurations it has to offer can future-proof it with the arrival of the faster, more powerful GEN4 car next season.

“I think if we anchor Miami on the east coast here, and then we look for something which is either a bit more central or a bit further across. I think we've got a lot of good options.”

“We don't go anywhere thinking it's going to be a short-term thing, but what we have to see is that it suits the cars. Obviously, we've only got one year left at this car, but there's various different layouts available to us here, and the team are amazing to work with, John [Murphy, managing director of the F1 Miami Grand Prix] and and the team, so there's no reason why it shouldn't be.”

This year’s Miami E-Prix took place at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, the third different site the race has been held since its debut on the streets of Biscayne Bay in 2015. While Homestead-Miami Speedway impressed last year, a more central location and a facility designed primarily as a road course was key.

“We're definitely closer to the center of Miami, and I said this last year, Homestead is actually, it's a really good facility,” Dodds said. “They really upgraded that facility. I was very surprised, because I hadn't seen it for years, and when we turned up last year, I was like, Okay, well, they've invested a chunk of money in this [and] actually, quite a few fans attended.

“But the reality is, it's an hour and a half with traffic outside of the center of Miami. And the circuit was good, but it wasn't really a Formula E circuit. It was much more designed for NASCAR IndyCar – kind of a wide circuit. So I think this is perfect for us – close to the city center [and a] road layout.”