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2015 is just a few days old but for Formula E the season is already getting close to the halfway point. The Buenos Aires ePrix is the fourth stage of the championship and a good place to make an initial, though still very tentative, summary of what has been achieved so far.
"I am very happy with this start," said Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag, during the traditional Friday press conference. "Mine is not just a personal feeling, but the result of the analysis of the data collected so far by independent companies such as Formula Money and SMG.
“In terms of brand exposure, the value collected in the first three races is over $150 million, while the value of television advertising slots, if they were purchased, is $41.3 million."
There were nearly one hundred brands shown to the public around the world during races in Beijing, Putrajaya and Punta del Este, with TAG Heuer, a founding partner of the series, receiving the best exposure, generating a value of $22.3m, while the race in Uruguay produced an AVE (advertising value equivalent) of $46.2 million.
Television audiences have been strong, with 56 million total viewers for the first three races, while 1.45 billion social impressions have been made. Including the race in Buenos Aires, 2355 VIP guests and 734 media representatives have been in attendance.
Agag also addressed the absence of the series from the list of qualifying championships for the F1 Superlicense, announced by the FIA earlier this week.
"I think it was a very logical choice from the Federation," he said. "Our series is not used to prepare drivers for Formula 1 because we are not part of that pyramid. Formula E is something totally different in the landscape of motorsport, in fact, if anything, what we could see in the future is a championship that will qualify drivers to secure a license to race in our series. "