Scuderia E, an Italian-Turkish team that has registered interest in joining Formula E in 2022, is in contact with three teams from within the series as they look to find their way onto the grid.
Formula E has a maximum of 12 teams allowed to participate in the championship, which means that the man spearheading the venture, Italian EV pioneer Gianfranco Pizzuto, needs to either partner or buy out an existing Formula E team.
Before Pizzuto announced his proposal to launch a Formula E team he spoke with the series chairman Alejandro Agag, who told him that he could speak to three teams about potentially buying or joining forces with them.
“I have had the conversations with Alejandro Agag,” explained Pizzuto. “I told him that we are serious about joining the Formula E grid. Agag also confirmed to me the three teams that I could speak to.
“Of those three teams, I could either take over or work alongside them. I am talking with these three teams, and because there is a limit of 12 teams, we can’t just make ourselves a new entry; we want to be one of these 12 teams.”
Pizzuto is also ensuring that the team has enough funding for Scuderia-E’s first three years in the series, and in order to do this he will need to raise 50 million euros through investment and sponsorship to ensure the short-term financial stability of the team.
“It is not just about getting the money to be on the grid; I am looking to ensure the team has funding for at least a three-year lifespan before we start buying a team. To take over a team is one thing, but we must secure three years of life for the team first.
“We will need a mix between investors and sponsors, but in order to get off the ground and ensure we have our three-year life span, we will need €50 million euros. This is what we think is necessary to secure the team a three-year life span.
“I don’t have a crystal ball that can make me plan for further than three years, but of course, if all things go well, I can plan for a longer-term life span for the team. But the €50 million euros will be for acquiring the team and its running costs over the next three years.”
Pizzuto is also looking into getting people with racing experience onboard to ensure that the team gets off to the most competitive start possible. Since the Italian revealed his intent to enter Formula E, he has had over 100 people contact him about being part of his racing team.
“When I published that we are interested in racing in Formula E, over the following five days I have received at least 100 requests of people with Formula 1 backgrounds, Formula E backgrounds, and general racing backgrounds who want to help us.
“I am having conversations with my partners about what we need to do to ensure we are a serious Formula E team, which is roughly 30 people, and we will see what we can bring in from in-house and what we have to acquire.
“So, once we know who we can bring in from within our companies, then we can hire people from outside that can come and help us move forward. My aim is to ensure that we get in the right people so we are not fighting for last place. I want to ensure we have a competitive team with a car that can fight for strong finishes.”
