Motorsport calendars and seasons are typically very simple. Look at the history of the majority of major series and you will see that seasons run within a single calendar year. With one notable exception – Formula E.
While both the 2026 Formula 1 and IndyCar campaigns get underway in early March and the World Endurance Championship later that same month, Formula E will be into Round 6 of the 2025/26 season.
By racing when others are in their off-seasons, Formula E is hoping to capture motorsport fans who are looking for a series to follow while other championships are not in action. The series also avoids the cold weather by travelling to places that are warm in these months. During the current campaign it has already visited São Paulo with trips still to come to Mexico City, Miami and Jeddah.
It also looks to attract audiences with good TV timeslots in these opening rounds. The first five races take place at primetime viewing in Europe, on Friday and Saturday evenings, meaning early to mid-afternoon starts in the Americas.
All sounds good so far? However, we have to consider competition outside motorsport, which has never been more crowded. With the Premier League, NBA and NFL all directly clashing, not to mention the upcoming T20 World Cup and returning PGA Tour, Formula E finds itself competing with a whole host of sporting events, covering a worldwide audience. Add in TV and film, plus the ever-growing addiction to our phones, and you can see the problem Formula E faces.
But despite all of this, Formula E’s viewing figures are still growing. Its race average for Season 11 was 33 million, up 16% on the previous campaign. Notably, the opening rounds of that season performed very strongly, backing Formula E’s decision to start its season in the winter.
The next step for Formula E is to continue building the product. Races are often action-packed and entertaining, but portions of motorsport’s fans and media are still to be convinced.
This may mean the winter start is here to stay. But that’s not a bad thing, by completing a third of its season before F1 even begins reduces the inevitable calendar clashes. Only six of the 16 E-Prixs in Season 12 are on the same weekend as an F1 race, and the championship finale is in mid-August, when the majority of the motorsport world is on summer break. By targeting these gaps, Formula E makes the most of opportunities when it can grab the spotlight. With GEN4 coming later this year, bringing faster and more exciting cars with it, an attractive calendar in the winter months could be a big step towards continuing to grow its core fanbase.