Ahead of last weekend’s thrilling E-Prix in Portland, Last Word On Sports spoke to Formula E’s new CEO, Jeff Dodds.
Jeff Dodds is only a matter of weeks into his new role as Formula E’s (FE) CEO. Since arriving, FE has announced a new venue for next season and a new TV deal in America. We sat down with Dodds and spoke to him about his ambitions for FE and its status as a premiere motorsport series. We began by asking him about his early days and about his varied career.
“I’m ten days in [at the time of the interview] and they’ve been a whirlwind. I managed to get to Jakarta just before, to experience the race first-hand.”
“The first half of my career was in automotive – I was with Volvo when they were owned by Ford. And then I was with Honda when they were in every single motorsport. The second half of my career has been in media, content and entertainment. So when asked “what’s next for you?”, I would say that if you could have the intersection of a media and entertainment business that involves a form of motorsport, underpinned by sustainability is perfect for me. Now I find myself sitting in this privileged position, so I’m delighted.”
From Tech to the Track
Formula E’s modus operandi is, of course, to generate a pro-green message around the unlikely medium of motor racing. And Dodds is keen to work in such an environment, hopeful to use his connections elsewhere to further FE’s goals.
“I’ve done quite a bit around sustainability and inclusion already and I have a big passion for that. I came from VirginMedia O2 – half-owned by Liberty Global. They are an active shareholder in Formula E, so I’m part of that extended family. If I can activate those previous relationships, that is a big bonus for me.”
With such a diverse background behind him, what was Dodds’ main reason for wanting to head-up a premiere motorsport?
“A year or so ago, I had a chat with the board of VirginMedia O2. I’d been there over ten years, and I had an open conversation with them that at some point, I’m ready to do something else. Something that’s a smaller business with a massive amount of opportunity. As we got closer to now, I got a call to say there was an opportunity that might interest me. I met with the shareholders and investors of Formula E and here I am!”
“Net Zero from Day Zero”
As I discussed previously with FE legend Jean-Eric Vergne, the brand’s sustainability message is something dear to the hearts of all involved with Formula E. Dodds echoes these sentiments, with a wish to widen the message as far as possible.
“Obviously there’s the phrase “net zero from day zero” – the business was born as net zero from carbon from the start. As we get bigger and hold races in new parts of the world, we have to work much harder to remain net zero. Our inward view is that we’re not done. We need to keep working incredibly hard to be at the cutting edge of latest trends in sustainability.”
“We are a platform for taking, questionably the most exciting racing series in the world, to big cities around the world to help raise awareness of, and to drive, the sustainability agenda. In some respects, we are travelling, international and competitive motorsport but we are also a travelling platform to raise awareness of sustainability and show people how we can do things better as a planet. Everywhere we go, we try to leave a legacy to educate people of these issues.”
Markets, Sustainability, and Heritage – The Focus of the FE Calendar
Since this interview took place, Tokyo has been revealed as the latest addition to the Formula E calendar, hosting its first race in 2023/24. With many aspects to consider, the FE calendar is comprised of a variety of different big cities in the world, for several factors at play.
“Everywhere we race, there has to be a reason for racing there. Some of the reasons are that market is so important to our partners and manufacturers, promoting them as well as us. North American cities, China – these places are huge for those reasons. There are some cities which want to drive the sustainability agenda and we are there to help them do that. And there are some cities that are just incredibly famous motor-racing environments where being there brings credibility to us as an elite motorsport.”
“So in the first instance, we are currently looking at getting into mainland China. That’s incredibly important to our manufacturer partners. We hope to announce a race for the next season soon [now revealed to be Tokyo], which will be very exciting and it will be about the advancement of sustainability in that city. And this will help the sustainability issue. And of course, we race in places like Monaco because they have absolute racing heritage.”
Excitement for Portland
My interview with Jeff Dodds took place prior to FE’s first visit to Portland, a race that Vergne promised to be “crazy”. And, with over 400 overtakes, the race certainly did deliver. Dodds was also full of praise for the city given its already-rich motorsport past.
“I’ve been all over the US but never to Portland. But also, the Portland International Raceway has a rich history of amazing racing. Andretti, one of our teams, has its own personal history with father and son [Mario and Michael] finishing something like 0.07 seconds apart. What we know is that it’s a track that’s had some exciting finishes in IndyCar and it’s hosted NASCAR, too, so we are excited. We’ve had some really exciting racing already. In Berlin we had 190 overtakes and over 100 in Monaco which we know is traditionally a processional circuit, so bringing an already-exciting raceway and our sport so it promises to be a blockbuster!”
Unpredictability is what can “connect” with fans
The level of overtaking and unpredictability within its racing is a valuable card that Formula E has in its hand and is what is continuing to draw in enthusiasts. I asked Dodds whether this is something that it can boast above its “cousin” in Formula 1.
“Do you mean the older and less popular cousin?! Formula 1 cars deliver a certain type of racing. They’re bigger, less nimble and faster. Our cars are small, nimble and have the added complexity of energy preservation which changes strategy. I can’t think of another series where you go into a race weekend and you have no idea how qualifying is going to go, how the duels will go and then the podiums. And within a team, you don’t know the driver out of the two in a team is going to come out best. It’s things like that that make the series connect with people. It’s not as if, after the opening round, you have an idea of who’s got the best car and who’s going to battle for the other places below. It’s all a fair game.”
Our sincere thanks to Jeff Dodds for the interview.
