Prince Albert backs Formula E grand prix series

Prince Albert II of Monaco gave his support to Formula E on Monday as the environmentally-friendly electric version of Formula 1 prepares for its third season. "It's a formula which can show that performance can be associated with electric vehicles, and you can get a lot of satisfaction from driving an electric car," he told AFP. Prince Albert was speaking after taking one of the Venturi team cars for a short spin in his Monaco Palace back garden. Venturi are one of 10 teams taking part in the 2016/17 season which gets underway on the streets of Hong Kong on October 9. Also lining up on the Formula E grid are defending champions Renault e.dams, DS Virgin, Jaguar, Audi Abt, Mahindra of India, China's Techeetach (China) amd Andretti of the USA. "The (Formula E) message has gotten through before that of other categories in terms of the environment. Now the wider public are beginning to find that interesting," Prince Albert noted. The championship runs through until July 2017 with stops in Monaco, Paris, Montreal and New York. Monaco plays host to a leg of Formula E on May 13, a fortnight before the iconic Formula One Grand Prix. "This helps to get the message out there to promote Formula E, but also clean mobility, to make people aware that this is a promising solution," Prince Albert added. Swiss driver Sebastien Buemi clinched the second Formula E Championship in July in London.