Closed Circuit

While comparisons with F1 are inevitable, Formula E aims to introduce closequarters EV racing to a future generation of enthusiasts. Contributor lan McLaren attended the Monaco ePrix to gain insight into this still relatively new formula ahead of a scheduled Cape Town race in 2023

- lan McLaren

What if I told you that one of the most legendary motor-racing venues in the world isn't particularly well suited to motor racing? The streets and lanes that bisect Monaco are so compact and narrow, it's tricky to manoeuvre anything larger than a VW Polo. Yet it is home to some of the globe's wealthiest citizens. An average day spent exploring the second-smallest sovereign state is filled with opulence and grandeur, bookmarked by a broad selection of some of the finest motor vehicles ever created.

Monaco is not immune to change, though. The side streets of Monte Carlo are lined with rent-ready e-bicycles and electric-car charging stations. On two separate occasions during my first morning back in the principality, I marvelled at the surreal sight of a magnificent Ferrari passing me in stealth mode, using only the electric motor incorporated within its hybrid powertrain. That evening in the hotel restaurant, I smiled as a well-dressed patron bemoaned to anyone who would listen the traffic fine he'd received for a noise violation of his brutish V8-powered British sportscar's exhaust.