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Formula E: a whole lotta records and the rise of a new era in motorsports
By Silvia Schweiger| Posted October 3, 2023 | In Formula E
By Silvia Schweiger| Posted October 3, 2023 | In Formula E
Formula E: a whole lotta records and the rise of a new era in motorsports
Zoooooom! That’s the sound of many records being broken one after another. Formula E season 9 didn’t just rustle but exploded, sending shockwaves throughout the motorsport landscape.
Formula E
The meteoric rise of Formula E is impressive. Yes, it has grown: this year it recorded a staggering 17% increase in fans, which translates into a global fan base of 344 million. NASCAR, a major American series, is now looking at the tail end of Formula E.
This rise, mind you, has happened in a single decade, an extraordinary feat for any motorsport championship.
But it is not just about numbers, it is about market involvement and growth. With the United States and Germany experiencing a 45% and 30% increase respectively, the championship has become truly global. The surge in China, Brazil, India and South Africa further validates the infectious appeal of Formula E.
Diversity in performance, cohesion in spectacle
What about the races? 225 million viewers were glued to their screens. That is a 4% increase over the previous season. A nice number, isn’t it?
Formula E season 9 started with a bang in Mexico City, with the debut of the GEN3, a beast that redefines the concepts of speed and electrical efficiency.
The most powerful car ever used in the category, its innovative design created a trail of excitement and wonder. Although the GEN3 was the star of the show, the races were full of overtaking, drivers taking turns at the lead and record-breaking lap times.
Jake Dennis of the Andretti Formula E team took the first win of the GEN3 era in Mexico. The penultimate race in London again saw Dennis take the title of World Champion, with the competition hot on his heels. Team dynamics also shifted, culminating in a heart-stopping final race in which Nick Cassidy took the win for Envision Racing, leaving Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans behind.
Leaders speak
At the conclusion of the season Jeff Dodds, CEO of Formula E spoke: ‘Formula E is revolutionising motorsport. Not only as a pioneer of entertainment and innovation, but also as a beacon of sustainability. Last season? It exceeded even our wildest dreams. GEN3 pushed the boundaries, elevating the spectacle of Formula E and bringing an unprecedented wave of fans and spectators. Rest assured that we are only accelerating, with ambitious plans to improve the show and further increase the growth of our fanbase.
It should be noted that the championship has seen seven different winners from six different teams. This season had it all: races winding through iconic cities, from Mexico to Monaco, unprecedented numbers of drivers in the lead and each team making its mark.
The ninth season also marked Maserati’s return to competition with the iconic Modenese manufacturer’s entry into the Formula E World Championship, and as if that wasn’t enough, Team McLaren also appeared on the grid.
Records, records, everywhere!
Before the curtain closes on Season Nine, another Formula E highlight: an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title. The occasion? The staggering speed record set by Jake Hughes of the NEOM McLaren Formula E team, who surpassed the previous benchmark by more than 50 km/h, reaching 218.71 km/h at London’s ExCeL. This monumental feat was achieved with the GENBETA car, a marvel created in collaboration by Formula E, the FIA, ABB, SABIC and Hankook, whose efforts produced this technological masterpiece that goes by the name of GEN3.
As Season 9 passes into history, all eyes are on Mexico City for the start of Season 10 on 13 January 2024.
Now the teams are preparing for pre-race testing in Valencia, Spain, next October and one thing is clear: the future of motorsport is electric, and Formula E is its torchbearer.
Note: Statistics are based on meticulous research conducted by Potentia Insight in July 2023.
Silvia Schweiger
Associate Director, Executive Marketing and Commercial at RTR Sports Marketing, a London-based sports marketing company specializing in motorsport for over 25 years. Without sports, life is boring
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Read MoreWhy choose RTR Sports Marketing
In an era where it is possible to get anywhere with a click, there is a strong temptation to approach teams and properties directly for sponsorship projects.
By doing so, we are convinced that we are shortening the value chain, saving time and money. However, these DYI methods are anything but risk-free and what initially appears to be a competitive advantage soon turns into a problem that is difficult to resolve. That’s why there are agencies. And this is why you should rely on us for your sponsorships.
Save time and money
When first approaching a sponsorship or sports marketing project, it is difficult to know immediately which stakeholders are correct, what the decision flow is, and what the right timelines are for each process. Sports is a very specialized field of action, and fitting effectively into its paths can take a lot of time and therefore money. We, on the other hand, know referents and spheres of action and know who to talk to, when and how. So you are also more effective.
The right information, the right choice
Sports is an immense passion, and for our heart colors we would be willing to do anything. But business is a different business, and it is important to make the best possible strategic decisions based on independent research, statistics and reliable data. A sports marketing and sports sponsorship agency like RTR has an objective, 360-degree picture of the scenario and can tell you what is really best for you: which sport, which athlete, which team. This is because we possess a great deal of data and information on ratings, segmentation and attitudes. Because the numbers don’t lie. Never.
Activations are the beating heart
Activations are the real heart of sports sponsorship. Without them, there remains only a blank sticker on a motorcycle, car or uniform and no contact with the public, no emotional connection, no impact on the bottom line. Then how do you do it? It certainly won’t be the teams or the athletes who will help you leverage sponsorship and enjoy the many marketing rights you have paid for. To bring out the best in a sports marketing project you need an agency that knows how to use sponsorship to engage the fanbase on the Web, to reach out to Shopping Centers, to organize hospitality, to develop B2B and B2C opportunities, and to get “your” athletes in front of millions of potential consumers.
Objective measurements for a certain return
Would you ever go to the dealer who sold you the car and ask if the competitor’s car is better? No, of course. So, how do you expect to get firm measurements of the effectiveness of your sponsorship if you do not rely on someone super partes? At RTR, we have always worked with independent third-party agencies that allow us to know the return on any exposure of your brand on TV and in the media. In addition, we believe in calculating ROI as the ultimate measure of your success-so we can tell you for every penny you spend how much you are making.
Sit back, relax, we’ll take care of it
We have been involved in sports sponsorship and sports marketing for more than 15 years. We are consultants in the sense that our goal is to maximize your investment, but we are also an agency that manages the project from start to finish. We have been doing this since 1995 with passion and professionalism, following three principles that have become cornerstones of our business: independence, verticality and transparency.
I would like to highlight the fact that one of the qualities of RTR is its great ability to approach the sponsorship scenario strategically, together with its passionate attitude, its amazing enthusiasm for solving problems, and its high level of professionalism.
Gianluca Degliesposti
Executive Director Server&Storage EMEA
Eurosport is truly delighted with its business relationship with Riccardo Tafà, who has become extremely popular, thanks to his detailed knowledge of the sports marketing sector and his highly diligent attitude to work.
Francois Ribeiro
Commercial Director
Passion and Expertise are the features that I have found in RTR since the very beginning. Serious and reliable professionals but also very helpful, nice and open-mind people, willing to listen and compare different ideas. All the values in which RTR believes make this agency a partner, not just a supplier, a partner with whom we have had the opportunity to achieve significant commercial results in term of success and image.
Luca Pacitto
Head of Communication
We have been working with RTR Sports Marketing for over 10 years. The objectives and the programmes of collaboration continue to be renewed and to grow with mutual satisfaction. I believe RTR is a team of great professionals led by Riccardo Tafà, who I consider a manager of exceptional skills and with a great passion for his work.
Lucio Cecchinello
Team Principal
I have known and worked with Riccardo Tafà since 1995 when we collaborated for the first time on a project for the Williams Formula 1 team. Several clients followed. After leaving Williams to work for Gerhard Berger then owner of the Toro Rosso F1 Team, I turned again to Riccardo to seek his help in finding a tool supplier for the team and Riccardo duly obliged with an introduction to USAG, a partnership with Toro Rosso which endured for five years. I recently started a new role as Group Commercial Director for the renowned Andretti Autosport organisation and I find myself working with Riccardo once again on a number of interesting projects. Why has this relationship with Riccardo endured ? He’s smart, knows the commercial side of sport inside out and back to front and he’s honest and trustworthy. Riccardo Tafà is a “doer” not a “talker”: in over 20 years I have never had a dispute either with him or with a company that he has introduced and each partnership introduced by Riccardo has delivered quantifiable ROI to rights holder and sponsor alike. I can think of no better testimonial of Riccardo’s diligence, knowledge, contact base and hard work than that.
Jim Wright
Group Commercial Director
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