It’s less than two years since Formula E made its debut in Beijing and in that time, it has established itself as one of the most interesting and innovative championships on the current world motorsport scene. And that was definitely not a foreone conclusion when it began. The second FIA Formula E Championship season will come to an end this weekend with a double-header at the London ePrix. On Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 July, 18 drivers and nine teams will fight it out on the track laid out within Battersea Park, on the banks of the river Thames in the heart of the British capital.

Three drivers are still in the hunt for the title, but one of them, Sam Bird, would need a statistically improbable series of events to occur, if he is to win. The Englishman would have to pick up maximum points (60, from taking the win, pole and fastest lap in both legs) with Lucas di Grassi failing to score at all and Sebastien Buemi picking up just a single point. However, it’s all to fight for between the Brazilian and the Swiss, as the former has a slender one point lead after the eight races held to date.

Mathematically, there are still four possible winners of the team classification, although Dragon Racing on 112 points and DS Virgin, third with 119, are outsiders. The real battle comes down to Abt Schaeffler Audi Sport on 191 and Renault e.Dams on 202.

“Over these first two seasons, Formula E has brought motor sport to the heart of some of the most beautiful cities in the world,” commented FIA President Jean Todt in the preface to the official programme for the London ePrix. “It has introduced the sport not only to race fans, but also to the general public, while at the same time, turning the spotlight on a topic which is particularly dear to the FIA, namely defining a new model for sustainable mobility. When, less than four years ago, we began working with Alejandro Agag on this project, we were literally starting from a blank sheet of paper and those were exactly our primary objectives. If we look into what lies ahead in the near future also, we can claim to have succeeded in reaching our goals.”

The two races that make up the second edition of the London ePrix take place on an identical track layout to the one which saw Nelson Piquet Jr. crowned, along with the e.Dams-Renault team as the first Formula E champions. The track is 2.925 km long, the second longest of the season after Beijing and it features 17 corners, while the race distance is 33 laps. Last year, Sebastien Buemi and Sam Bird were the winners of the two races, with the Englishman also claiming the race fastest lap in 1.26.790, while Stephane Sarrazin set the outright fastest lap of the weekend in qualifying with a 1.23.901.

2014/15 London ePrix

Race 1

Pole Position: Sebastien Buemi (e.dams Renault), 1:24.648

Fastest Lap: Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT), 1:28.229

Race 2

Pole Position: Stephane Sarrazin (Venturi), 1:23.901

Fastest Lap: Sam Bird (Virgin Racing), 1:26.790

Season 2015/16

 London ePrix 2015/16

Dates: 2 and 3 July

Venue: Battersea Park, London

Track length: 2,925 km

Start/finish line offset: 0 m

Number of laps: 33

Timetable