ZURICH: Motor racing will soon return to Switzerland thanks to Formula E which had added a round in Zurich of its 2017/18 schedule. Switzerland enjoys many interesting particularities, but beyond the fact that it invented Velcro and the Swiss Army knife, or that it is only one of two countries to have a square flag, another specificity is that racing is banned in the nation.
Switzerland effectively outlawed motor racing after the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours tragedy which killed dozens after the Mercedes of Pierre Levegh plowed into the crowd. A special provision relaxed the law however in 2015 to allow all-electric racing. Formula E was introduced to the country during a demonstration run held in Geneva two years ago, but the FIA World Motor Sport Council just confirmed that the city of Zurich will hold a round of the burgeoning series next year on June 10. “To be able to reintroduce this discipline to a country where it has been absent since it was banned in 1955 is an exciting prospect and the achievement of an important goal for the FIA,” said its president, Jean Todt. “I would like to congratulate everyone involved in making it a reality, as it is important for us to continue to bring motor sport to new audiences around the world. “Together with the other new events on the calendar in Santiago, Sao Paulo and Rome, I believe we have a very strong season of Formula E ahead of us.”
Formula E founder Alejandro Agag underlined the crucial role played by series partner and Swiss private bank Julius Baer in bringing a motor race back to the country. “This wouldn’t have been possible without the core fundamentals of Formula E – driving the electric revolution and sustainable mobility,” he insisted. “I would like to express our gratitude to [Julius Baer] CEO, Boris Collardi, and his entire team for their continued belief in Formula E – we’ve again been able to break new grounds in the world of motorsport.”
