Marrakech, one of the major cities in Morocco, has hosted the previous four Formula E races at the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan. The event had been briefly featured on last season’s calendar, having before it finally been canceled as the North African country’s Covid-19 response shifted to suspending flights from the UK.
However, Marrakech will claim a reprieve to cover slots vacated by the Vancouver round, which was canceled last month because promoters were unable to complete the necessary arrangements in time to host the race around the city’s False Creek area.
The Vancouver race will be part of the Canadian E-Fest exhibition, which has also been postponed to 2023, including a business continuity conference and live music. The return of Marrakesh ensures that this year’s Formula E calendar will feature 16 races, making it the biggest championship calendar yet.
Antonio Felix da Costa of DS Techeetah won the previous race held in Marrakech in 2020 en route to the Formula E title, when the circuit hosted its first race in 2016 which was won by Sebastien Buemi.
Current IndyCar Arrow McLaren SP driver Felix Rosenqvist won for Mahindra in 2018, with the India-based team also claiming points the following season thanks to Jerome d’Ambrosio, who took the lead after Andretti da Costa’s BMW and Alexander Sims collided.
Marrakech’s return to the calendar will fill the void left by the cancellation of Vancouver, where there will be a six-week gap between the Jakarta premiere round on June 4 and the New York round in Brooklyn on July 16-17. The remainder of the calendar remains unchanged, with two weeks between the New York and London E-Prix at the center of ExCeL, before the championship heads to Seoul for the doubles final of the season on August 13-14, 2022.
