Formula E race was a remarkable first that Hong Kong should be proud of

The writer does violence to a global sporting event and trivialises the pride of our city into a personal rant. He laments Hong Kong’s waning attractiveness to world-class sports events, yet denigrates the Formula E event on assertions of lacklustre star power, speed appeal and TV viewership.

The writer lays blame on our government, whose support of the city’s inaugural motorsport event threatens to gridlock traffic and conflicts with his preference for mass transportation.

The Formula E series is organised by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the global motorsport governing body and organiser of leading events including Formula One, the World Endurance Championship and the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).

The series launched its current season with Hong Kong, whose circuit earned FIA accreditation – a remarkable feat for a motorsport ingénue. It then goes to Paris, New York, Berlin and other major cities, supported by some of the biggest automotive industry names.

While the author complains about a “lack of big name[s],” the rest of the world counts eight F1 drivers, two Le Mans champions, one reigning triple WTCC champion, plus winners of the World Endurance Championship, the DTM series and F3.