'Copied’ F1 concepts reflect Formula E’s impact – Piquet

Nelson Piquet Jr. says Formula 1’s proposed future design concepts for 2021 have been effectively “copied” from Formula E, adding it highlights the impact the all-electric series is having on motorsport.

F1 provided the first glimpse of what the future of the sport could look like in line with the next major regulation cycle planned for post-2020, revealing three concept car designs during the Singapore Grand Prix.

But ex-Renault F1 driver and season one Formula E champion Piquet feels the designs have been influenced by Formula E’s latest generation of cars – dubbed the 'Gen2' - introduced for the upcoming season five campaign.

“It seemed like they copied the design over here. It definitely shows that we are the series to look at,” Piquet said at the launch of Jaguar’s 2018/19 Formula E car earlier this week in London.

“In season one you couldn’t even compare it, people were laughing at us when we did the first season and now it’s the place to be.

“[It's] the place where all the drivers and manufacturers want to be. Everyone is looking to be in Formula E.”

When asked to elaborate on his comments by Crash.net, Piquet added: “I don’t know if the guys producing the new spec F1 saw this car and couldn’t escape from the idea of the lines this one had.

“For me when I first looked at it, it looked a little bit like a Formula E car with the lines and being so smooth, trying to look a bit futuristic.”

Formula E is set to be boosted by the arrival of new squad HWA - an affiliate of Mercedes – taking the grid up to 22 cars for 2018/19, while German giants Mercedes and Porsche will join rivals Audi and BMW in the coming years.

That will take the number of competing manufacturer’s into double figures, while F1 is currently considering delaying the introduction of planned new engine regulations amid struggles in attracting new entrants to the sport.

Piquet is confident Formula E’s growth will only continue to increase in the coming years with greater “force and power” from the impending arrival of additional manufacturers.

“I think the rapid rise will be once all the manufacturers are on board, once Porsche and Mercedes are finally in, they will elevate everything for everybody,” he explained.

“Not because of them but all these big premium manufacturers together, they are going to expect more from Formula E and everything will be bigger and more serious. We’re going to have more force and power to make things happen.

“When you have 12 manufacturers with the strength that they have, anybody linked to car manufacturers are going to be in Formula E. All of a sudden there’s three or four manufacturers in F1 and 12 in Formula E.

“There’s no way that won’t make the headlines, it’s going to grow massively in the next couple of years. Even at a bigger rate than it has done in the last few years.”