Written by Vyas Ponnuri, Edited by Ishani Aziz
With the Formula E season only a month away from commencing at Mexico City, the final vacancy on the Formula E calendar for 2023 has been filled by Portland. Yes, Formula E will be heading to the American city for the Portland E Prix to be held on June 24th, 2023, as Round 12 of the 16 race season.
Following the news of New York not being able to host a race next season, due to renovations at the Red Hook Cruise Terminal, Formula E considered other options it had to continue racing in the USA. Apart from Portland, the other candidate was St Petersburg, Florida, before the announcement of Portland filling the void was made. Portland is set to join the likes of Hyderabad, São Paulo, and Cape Town in hosting a Grand Prix for the first time in Season Nine of Formula E. This event will also mark the first instance of the Gen3 Formula E car making its debut in the USA.
Formula E has previously kept racing in the USA high up on its agenda, as there has always been a race in the USA since Season One, with the likes of Long Beach, Miami, and the aforementioned New York City hosting races. Although, this isn’t the first time top-tier motorsport will make its way into the port city of Oregon, as the Grand Prix of Portland has been held every year since 2018 as part of the IndyCar Championship.
Alberto Longo (Co-Founder and Chief Championship Officer of Formula E), aptly declared:
“We are excited to bring the premier electric motorsport world championship to Portland for the first time in June next year. There is a big, passionate fan base for professional sports in the city, together with strong ecological credentials which makes Portland a perfect host for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The USA remains an important market for Formula E. We are delighted to maintain that critical presence and engage a new audience in the Pacific Northwest region in all-electric motorsport.”