As Season 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship draws to a close, excitement is ramping up to fever pitch in Seoul. Eagerly anticipated, this will be the first E-Prix hosted in South Korea, and they are pulling out all the stops for the double-header finale on 13-14 August 2022.
For drivers André Lotterer and Pascal Wehrlein and the rest of the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, the Hana Bank Seoul E-Prix represents the culmination of a thrilling, challenging campaign. They’ll be digging deeper than ever to extract the last reserves of performance and inspiration on the brand-new circuit - designed to provide the ultimate racing experience for fans and drivers alike.
Approximately two-thirds of the 2,618km track runs through the Jamsil Sports Complex, with the spectacular Olympic Stadium as its centrepiece. The start/finish line is located at the current gantry entrance, with the Jamsil Baseball Stadium on the left. A nice, fast straight heads directly towards the stadium, before the track abruptly turns right-left-left. Working its way through three more turns, it enters the stadium after T6. Once inside the 70,000-seater arena, a series of eight turns ensures that spectators on every side can enjoy a close-up view of the racing stars. Exiting with a flourish at T15, now the circuit heads left, out past the Gymnasium and turning hard right into the main road at T19. It’s a clean, extended straight, just begging for speed records to be broken! The track then turns hard right into Olympic Road – another fast straight – before re-entering the sports complex and completing the lap.
For South Korea, the Hana Bank Seoul E-Prix means more than just fun and excitement; it has far-reaching implications for the country’s future economy and culture. In 2018 Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag signed an agreement with JSM Holdings Chairman Moon Jae-sik, granting the rights to host the Championship from 2020-2025. The aim was not only to take Formula E to a wider audience, but to provide a platform for cooperation between Formula E and the South Korean automobile industry, with special focus on eco-friendly technological innovations. As such, it calls for celebration. And so, the racing event will also be the focal point of a four-day festival – the Seoul Festa – featuring some of the world’s biggest K-pop artists, including PSY ("Gangnam Style"), Enhypen, NCT Dream and Stray Kids. It will also be headlined by BTS (themselves no strangers to the Stadium, having sold it out in 2018) who have also been announced as "global ambassadors" for Formula E.
Over the past decade, the K-pop phenomenon has put South Korea front and centre-stage for a new generation of music lovers world-wide. What better match than Formula E – the new generation motorsport? The future may be wide open… but one thing is certain: with the Season 8 grand finale having fans dancing in the aisles, you don’t want to miss the show on 13-14 August.