Renault has confirmed it will withdraw from the FIA’s all-electric championship Formula E at the end of the forthcoming season. The French manufacturer — in partnership with junior formulae giant DAMS — has been Formula E’s leading team since the sport’s inception in 2014.
Renault e.dams has claimed three teams’ championship titles in three seasons and won the drivers’ championship in season two, with Sebastien Buemi edging out Lucas di Grassi in a dramatic finale in London.
Nissan will takeover Renault’s entry from 2018/19 allowing the latter to focus its efforts and resources on its pursuit of F1 success. Renault says its withdrawal from Formula E will allow the team to focus on meeting its ”aggressive goals” in F1.
“We had an incredible championship run during our first three years in Formula E and look forward to a competitive fourth season with the benefit of a very stable environment at Renault e.dams,” said Thierry Koskas, Groupe Renault EVP sales & marketing. “As a pioneer in EV, we have learned a tremendous amount about high-performance electric vehicles and energy management that directly benefits our EV customers. After Season four we will focus resources on our aggressive goals for Formula 1 and we look forward to continuing to gain benefits from motorsport racing across the Alliance with Nissan.”
Renault currently sits seventh in the F1 constructors’ championship — five points behind sixth-placed Toro Rosso.
Source: ESPN.com