Four-time Formula One World Champion Alain Prost has joined forces with Jean-Paul Driot, founder of leading GP2 and Formula Renault 3.5 team Dams to compete in the next year’s FIA Formula E championship.
The team which will be called ‘e.dams’ becomes the fifth team to sign an agreement to compete in the fully-electric race series which begins in September 2014.
“I am very happy to be a part of the Formula E adventure,” said Prost. “Being able to actively participate in the development of this new technology, which is 100% electric is extremely motivating. As we’ve seen in other championships, 2014 will see a move towards more sustainable racing, proving more than ever that motorsport is the benchmark for the future.”
Formula E will compete in 10 races through the heart of some of the world’s leading cities including London, Rome, Los Angeles, Miami, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires and Beijing.
Earlier this year Alejandro Agag, CEO of series promoters Formula E Holdings announced key partnerships with TAG Heuer and Renault – who together with Spark Racing Technology will produce 42 cars for the first season. Leading Italian firm Dallara will produce the chassis, while Michelin will supply the tyres.
The Formula E race car has been officially named Spark-Renault SRT_01E, and is capable of accelerating from 0 to 62mph in less than three seconds.
European squad Dams (Driot Associés Motor Sport) has acumulated almost 25 years or race experience with numerous team and driver titles to its name including three International F3000 Championships, two A1GP titles, two Auto GP titles, two GP2 Asia titles and one team and two GP2 drivers’ titles.
The squad expanded into Formula Renault 3.5 where last weekend it claimed the team and drivers’ title with Kevin Magnussen in only its second season.
“Getting involved with the FIA Formula E Championship was an obvious choice”, added Jean-Paul Driot founder of Dams.
“Being the race enthusiast that I am, I was immediately convinced by this new concept of using fully electric single-seater cars and believe it will shape the future of motorsport. The implementation of new technologies, in the heart of the most beautiful cities in the world and in front of a young audience, lays the path for a new form of motorsport, which is innovative and respectful to the environment. I am extremely proud to be a part of this new challenge.”
Written By
Steve Davies
Steve is an investor, private equity advisor and former Partner at KPMG, PwC and Bain. Most importantly he's a life-long car enthusiast, mountain biker and active sports enthusiast. He designs and builds technology platforms and is the architect behind Transmission.
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