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Formula E to expand to Africa, India?

LONDON, England - The Formula E electric racing series is aiming to expand to Africa and India after a successful debut season in Asia, the Americas and Europe.

Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag told reporters, after the final round at London's Battersea Park on the south bank of the River Thames (June 28): "We want to conquer as much of the world as we can.

"We will be looking for places maybe in Africa also."

MORE RACES PLANNED

Agag said the series, won by Nelson Piquet junior for Team China Racing, could have two new cities in the second season although the number of races was likely to remain the same or one more.

He said: "We want to give the championship stability for the teams. Probably grow another two races for season three."

FORMULA E FOR INDIA

One of those could be in India, with Mahindra president Pawan Goenka telling Reuters the choice was likely to be between New Delhi and Bangalore.

Goenka said: "It cannot happen in 2015/16, it's too late, but in 2016/17 we would like to. Organisers have a general interest in bringing a race to India.

"Delhi will be ideal in terms of interest and visibility and the backdrop that you get and wide roads - but perhaps most difficult at the same time - followed by Bangalore. Mumbai is out of the question."

Agag said the debut season, which kicked off in Beijing in September 2014 and raced in 10 cities, had been a "great success, especially when you consider how difficult it was to make it happen."

Read: Branson warns of Formula 1's funeral

Virgin entrepreneur Richard Branson, whose British driver Sam Bird won the final race on Sunday, told reporters Formula E would overtake Formula 1 within five years but Agag played that down.

"We love F1 and think it's great. But we think Formula E is different. We would be making a big mistake if we tried to compete with F1 and be similar to that sport," he said.

"We have to be radically different to F1 to have a chance of survival. I don't mean survival by beating F1 but co-existing complimentary to F1.

"I think that will be the only chance for us to have a long term future in the world of motorsport. We stand no chance against F1 but we do stand a very strong chance on our own as a different product."

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