Formula E CEO doesn’t see F1 electrification as encroachment on his series’ turf

Formula 1’s increased reliance on electrical energy isn’t worrying Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds.

This year’s new F1 power unit regulations mean that around 50 percent of the power comes from electric energy, but far from seeing it as a threat to the entirely separate all-electric series, Dodds (pictured above) sees it as a positive for Formula E.

"For me, it's just a reinforcement that the technology is superior technology,” he told RACER. “I’m definitely not frustrated by it. For me it brings credibility to the notion of electrification.

“When the pre-eminent racing series in the world has an electric element to its setup, I think it justifies electric vehicle technology. The challenge for Formula 1 is it's a power-to-weight game with, obviously, the aerodynamics. So at 50/50 if they want to go beyond that in terms of electrification, they have to add battery weight, and the cars are hugely complex.”

While there has been some pushback about the change in regulations from fans who feel they are turning F1 into Formula E, the latter currently has an exclusivity agreement with the FIA to be its only all-electric single seater series until 2048 – a deal that has a five-year option beyond that. As well, Dodds doesn’t see F1 expanding on its current ratio of combustion to electric.

“As a result of this hybrid approach, we saw a lot of the Formula 1 teams arguing to go back to a pure combustion approach because it would save a lot of money and a lot of complexity,” he said. “I think it's unlikely. We're seeing the 2026 race cars with more electric power actually be slower than the last generation of car in Formula 1, so I think it's unlikely they look to go much beyond the 50/50 mark.”