Formula E to race in Portland for first time ever per revised season 9 schedule

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has posted a revised season 9 schedule that now includes Portland, Oregon. Today’s approval from the FIA World Motor Sport Council sets the stage (or circuit) for “The City of Roses” to host a Formula E event for the first time. The approved race also makes Portland the only stop in the US for Formula E this coming season. Check out the latest calendar below.

Formula E is a single-seater motorsport championship series that was conceived as an all-electric counter to the ever-popular Formula 1 series that has been racing combustion vehicles since 1950. Formula E held its inaugural championship race in 2014 and has grown in popularity since, gaining FIA world championship status in 2020.

Season 8 kicked off last January, which introduced an exciting new “knockout” qualifying format. Stoffel Vandoorne won the driver’s title, while Mercedes EQ inevitably won the team’s championship for the second season in a row. The season 8 schedule also marked the last year Formula E would drive the Gen2 EVs.

This past April, Formula E introduced its Gen3 car which is lighter, faster, and much more angular. Despite sharing an initial Season 9 schedule over the summer, Formula E should appease some of its fanbase with the addition of a race Portland, Oregon this summer – its only US event in 2023.

Portland joins Formula E season 9 schedule

The all-electric world championship announced the addition of Portland within a revised season 9 schedule in a press release today, sharing some addition details of what US fans can expect to see.

Portland replaces the “TBD” initially listed on the season 9 schedule and will now host Round 12 of 16 total Formula E races around the globe, joining cities like Hyderabad, India, Jakarta, Indonesia, and Berlin, Germany. Formula E cofounder and chief championship officer Alberto Longo spoke:

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 fanbase 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.

In addition to witnessing the US debut of the Gen3 race cars, Portland race attendees will get to see two new Formula E teams compete, including McLaren and Maserati. Formula E states that the Portland race is still subject to FIA circuit homologation, which is standard for all new venues, but the council has approved the city to host Round 12 on June 24, 2023. Ticket will be available here.

Formula E’s season 9 race schedule is officially complete and the championship league will focus next upon finding a location in Seoul, South Korea to race during season 10.