Formula E in New York: How to watch, stream, preview for the New York City E-Prix

CBS Sports speaks to Formula E co-founder Alberto Longo as the series returns to Brooklyn this weekend

By Steven Taranto

Jul 14, 2022 at 4:14 pm ET • 2 min read

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For many years, the idea of racing in New York City has been but a dream for many racing series that have sought to have their drivers compete against the backdrop of the Big Apple. But since its inception as the first all-electric world championship, Formula E has become a racing series that turns dreams into reality -- including racing in New York.

This weekend, Formula E returns to the streets of New York for the annual New York City E-Prix, a critical two-day stretch in the fight for the Formula E world championship. Being run for the fifth time since its inaugural event in 2017, the New York City E-Prix takes place on a 1.42-mile, 14-turn street course in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, integrating the layout of the streets around the Red Hook Container Terminal beneath the backdrop of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.

The annually growing New York City E-Prix has become a major point of pride for Formula E, as it not only gives the sport a presence in one of the largest and richest cities in the world, but also gives them the special distinction of being the only racing series to be there.

"Formula E races in the biggest cities in the world. And obviously, we needed to race here in New York," Alberto Longo, Formula E co-founder and chief championship officer, told CBS Sports. "And what makes it even more important is that we are the only motorsports championship that is capable of racing in any of the five boroughs of New York, because no other one has ever raced here. Obviously that is because we have the green angle, our vehicles are fully electric.

"... You know how many thousands of international events happen in New York. So we have come from a small event that was happening in Brooklyn to an event this year, after COVID, that we have sold out everything within 48 hours. We are so proud to be here. We have been here for five years, hopefully many more to come."

For Formula racing in the United States and its business partners alike -- particularly the manufacturers and brands that have aligned itself with Formula E -- the New York City E-Prix is an important event. But it's also very important for the competitors themselves, as this weekend's double-header will go a long way in determining the 2022 world championship.

Entering New York, Edoardo Mortara leads the championship standings by 11 points over Jean-Eric Vergne, with Stoffel Vandoorne and Mitch Evans just 14 and 15 points back. With just six races left in the season, the Formula E championship battle is shaping up in a way that fulfills the series' vision of an even playing field across a wide variety of drivers and teams.

"Funny enough, all of them are from different teams," Longo said. "This is how competitive the championship is, and this is one of the key elements when we decided to do this venture -- We said that we needed to do something that allows more people to win. ... That doesn't happen in motorsports today. It only happens in Formula E."