There are few names in racing bigger than that of McLaren. So, when that organization says it is mulling over involvement in the upcoming FIA Formula E Championship series, it gets our attention. Big time.
When the Formula E recently announced it had its organizational structure in place, and had signed up its first city, it also mentioned something about, "interest being expressed from both traditional racing teams and global brands." No doubt McLaren was one of the teams they had in mind.
As if to substantiate that statement, McLaren Racing CEO and team principal Martin Whitmarsh is now being quoted by Reuters as saying, "I think there's quite a lot of interest... it's something that McLaren would be delighted to be involved with so we're obviously looking at it at the moment. Who knows, we might pop up in it."
Now, before we get too excited, we should also mention that he tempered those words by saying that, while it may enter a team at some point in the future, it will not happen right away. Rather, McLaren is looking at "the technology challenge and how we can contribute there."
The company has previously developed a 120-kW electric motor for automotive applications and also supplies electronic control units to Formula One and NASCAR teams. That's a handy bit of expertise in a sport that's using more electric motivation in a bid to reduce fossil fuel consumption at the track.
Regardless of when an all-electric McLaren Formula E car appears, one thing is certain: interest from high-profile companies such as this can only help increase the profile of the series and inspire others to get involved.
When the Formula E recently announced it had its organizational structure in place, and had signed up its first city, it also mentioned something about, "interest being expressed from both traditional racing teams and global brands." No doubt McLaren was one of the teams they had in mind.
As if to substantiate that statement, McLaren Racing CEO and team principal Martin Whitmarsh is now being quoted by Reuters as saying, "I think there's quite a lot of interest... it's something that McLaren would be delighted to be involved with so we're obviously looking at it at the moment. Who knows, we might pop up in it."
Now, before we get too excited, we should also mention that he tempered those words by saying that, while it may enter a team at some point in the future, it will not happen right away. Rather, McLaren is looking at "the technology challenge and how we can contribute there."
The company has previously developed a 120-kW electric motor for automotive applications and also supplies electronic control units to Formula One and NASCAR teams. That's a handy bit of expertise in a sport that's using more electric motivation in a bid to reduce fossil fuel consumption at the track.
Regardless of when an all-electric McLaren Formula E car appears, one thing is certain: interest from high-profile companies such as this can only help increase the profile of the series and inspire others to get involved.
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