Added on July 26, 2018  The News Wheel   , , , , , , , ,
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Audi Takes Home Formula E Title Surrounded By Hollywood Stars

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Audi Formula E Team PresentationThis month, FIA Formula E wrapped up its fourth season of racing in New York City, and Audi took home the big team prize thanks to the performance of drivers Lucas di Grassi and Daniel Abt. The duo, racing for Audi’s team Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, managed to win a third of the races this season and snatch the team prize by two points. Considering that the racing series is all about promoting awareness of electric cars and breaking stereotypes about EV performance, it was very exciting to see the event get coverage on mainstream press sites like CNN and CNBC. But what pushed Formula E from car exhibition to recognized race series? Our theory is that its celebrity followers had a lot to do with it.

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Back when Formula E first started, the most famous face involved was actor and activist Leonardo DiCaprio, who joined the series’s committee in 2015. While stars of the automotive world, from racers to manufacturers, committed to the event with cars and money, it was more of an event for industry fans that didn’t seem to catch the attention of press outside of the area. As the cars gained technological improvements and more brands signed on, the races and the series has finally received the attention they need to be successful advocates for consumer EV cars.

The last two races of the Formula E season took place in New York City’s borough of Brooklyn. Governor Andrew Cuomo promoted the event before the first teams even arrived to set up by taking a Formula E car as his ride to the New York International Auto Show in March.

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During race weekend itself, Formula E got international coverage in papers like the Daily Mail and Women’s Wear Daily thanks to the involvement of stars like Patrick Dempsey, Liv Tyler, and Natalie Dormer. Many people know Patrick Dempsey as both Dr. McDreamy and a race car driver, and Liv Tyler is the star behind elf Arwen in the Lord of the Rings films and just took up a new role on Hulu’s Harlots. Both celebrities hit the track in Brooklyn with the press in tow for demonstration laps to promote the race series. Tyler also hosted a cocktail party to celebrate team owners, organizers, and racers.

If you want to follow Formula E racing and cheer on champion Audi, its fifth season takes off on Dec. 15 in Saudi Arabia. We hope that the press will keep watching and that Formula E’s famous fans keep showing up to support it.

News Sources: Daily Mail (source one and two), Reuters, and Women’s Wear Daily