IndyCar, F1, NASCAR will not land any new manufacturers

Lucas di Grassi (above) predicts internal combustion engines and racing will go the way of tobacco advertising – banned

Former Formula E champion Lucas di Grassi says electric racing is growing faster than expected and expects some countries will ban the promotion of motorsport which uses combustion engines just like they ban tobacco advertising – it's bad for your health.

Speaking to media ahead of the second round of the 2018-19 season in Morocco this weekend, Di Grassi predicted no more manufacturers will enter F1, and you can include IndyCar and NASCAR in that list.

“If in the long-term future all manufacturers are only producing electric cars because they will be cheaper and they’re forced by the rules to produce electric cars, why would any manufacturer join Formula 1 if it’s still combustion? And then the question is will Formula 1 go electric in the long-term or not?"

Asleep at the wheel. Race series like IndyCar and NASCAR, which have zero plans to incorporate electrification into their power units in some form, will go the way of the dinosaur

“But in the future I would say, apart from classic motorsport, all motorsport will be electric. By the long-term future, not now. It will be cheaper to operate, it will be technically easier to design the car with more performance.

“Some countries will not accept promotion of combustion racing any more, it will be the same as promoting tobacco today."

"How quickly this transition is will be the key point," he said.

“We are already seeing a much quicker transition than expected towards Formula E, so manufacturers joining en masse here. How this progresses is the key question. This, nobody knows the answer."