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Alejandro Agag first entered the world of electric motorsport in 2014 when he launched the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship before creating Extreme E, which had its first race earlier this year.
Both championships aim to showcase electric mobility and promote cleaner technologies through the power of sport. Alejandro's leadership of both Formula E, which this year became an FIA World Championship, and Extreme E has earned the recognition of the world's oldest motoring publication, founded in 1895.
OUR STORY: From ideas on a napkin to an FIA World Championship
“I’m delighted to receive this award from Autocar," said Alejandro Agag, Formula E Founder and Chairman; Extreme E Founder and CEO. "It is a true recognition of the achievements we have made in driving the electric conversation through motorsport. I’m very proud of what both Formula E and Extreme E have achieved and I look forward to ensuring they go from strength-to-strength as we look to support the fight against climate change.”
Mark Tisshaw, Autocar Editor said: “With his leadership of both Formula E and the new Extreme E championships, Alejandro Agag has shaken up the motorsport world with provocative and challenging ideas. He has defied the many sceptics of an electric single-seater series to grow Formula E into a world championship that has attracted some of the industry's biggest manufacturers and with Extreme E, Agag is showing that motorsport can address issues such as sustainability and climate change.”
Formula E: Ideas on a napkin to FIA World Championship
What started as nothing more than a shared dream between Formula E Founder Alejandro Agag and FIA President Jean Todt, noted on the back of a napkin back in 2011, has developed into the fastest growing motorsport series on the planet.
The idea for an all-electric street racing series started out as nothing more than a collection of notes on a napkin.
On the evening of March 3, 2011, FIA President Jean Todt and Spanish businessman, Formula E Chairman Alejandro Agag, met in a Paris restaurant and gathered their thoughts in just a few words on what would become the world's first all-electric international single-seater championship.
“I say many times that I’m the founder of Formula E,” recalls Agag, “but the real founder of Formula E is Jean Todt. He had the idea of introducing an electric car championship, and I said, ‘I would love to be the promoter of that’.”
Indeed, the FIA and Formula E were pioneers in the promotion of sustainable mobility, as President Todt explains: “The world is changing very quickly; when looking at the evolution of motoring, we recognised it was important to define a motor sport category which would be green and encourage people in cities to use electric cars. We clearly identified the need to do something – and Formula E was the answer.”
Formula E’s founding mission was for its race through the streets of the most iconic cities in the world - with a grid full of the best racing drivers and teams around - to show just what sustainable mobility was capable of, driving electric vehicles to the fore in the race for a better, cleaner future.
Since making its debut in the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing in 2014, Formula E has grown into a global entertainment brand with motorsport at its heart. Now, with 12 teams and 24 drivers on the grid, the championship has become a destination for the world's best motorsport teams and racing talent.