Scooters and F1? How pinnacle of motorsport is involved in new racing series

Formula 1

Scooters and F1? How pinnacle of motorsport is involved in new racing series

Former drivers involved with new series and an F1 team creating the scooters? Sounds fun

Ewan Gale

Saturday 23 January 2021 14:29

Scooters. You know, the two-wheeled L-shaped device Lewis Hamilton uses to get around the paddock at Formula 1 races.

But did you know F1 is now influencing the production of race-ready models ahead of the introduction of a new series?

In fact, expertise nurtured within the world of F1 is aiming to ensure the inaugural eSkootr Championship is a huge success later this year.

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Williams, Alexander Wurz and Lucas di Grassi are all involved in the project set to get underway with a pre-season test in early summer.

But what is the eSkootr Championship? Well, as the name suggests, it will be an electric scooter racing series focused on sustainability and affordability, potentially opening the doors to hoped-for interest for riders and teams to get involved.

The scooters will be expected to reach speeds of 60mph through major cities around the world. Think of it, if you will, as Formula E for scooters.

Williams Advanced Engineering, a branch of the F1 team, will provide the scooter chassis, the battery and the powertrain for the eSC's inaugural two seasons.

Di Grassi, the former Virgin Racing driver and Formula E champion who is acting as a sustainability ambassador, said: "As a racer, I want to create a series that has all the thrill and intensity of the motorsport series we all grew up with, but with the costs and responsibility that make it accessible and appealing to everyone."

Former Benetton, McLaren and Williams driver Wurz will act as safety ambassador, using his years as chairman of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association and as a track designer to aid his input.

COO and co-founder of the series Khalil Beschir, who raced for Lebanon in the A1 Grand Prix series, said: "When we go racing, it will be as a means to change motorsport and mobility forever."