There was a brief, slightly absurd period when you could stand in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and watch world-class electric race cars thread a street circuit with the Manhattan skyline doing its best “movie poster” impression in the background.
That was the New York City E-Prix at the Brooklyn Street Circuit. It was loud in a sharp, futuristic way. It was tight. It was technical. It looked incredible on camera. And then—like many things that seem too good to be logistically true in New York—it stopped.
As of early 2026, Formula E’s published Season 12 calendar (the 2025/2026 season) does not include New York City. The last NYC E-Prix at the Brooklyn Street Circuit was held in 2022.
So what happened? Why did a race with that kind of view fade out? And what would it take for Formula E to come back to NYC without the whole thing feeling like a pop-up shop built on permits and optimism?
Let’s walk it through Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Why NYC Was Perfect for Formula E (On Paper)
Formula E has always sold a certain idea: racing that belongs in cities, not far outside them. In other words, the championship wants the sport to show up where people already are.
New York City is the ultimate version of that pitch. It is a global stage. It is also a place that has never met an “easy load-in” it didn’t immediately complicate.
Still, the Brooklyn Street Circuit made the concept feel real. The track sat around the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal area in Red Hook, with views across the water toward Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. That backdrop did a lot of work, and it did it well.
But the real hook wasn’t just the skyline. It was the contrast.
You had cutting-edge electric cars racing in a neighborhood that still feels a bit industrial and tucked away from the city’s usual tourism conveyor belt. The setting didn’t scream “motorsport.” That was the point. Formula E looked like it had invaded the daily map of the city, and for a weekend, it sort of did.
The Brooklyn Street Circuit Was a “Knife Fight” Track
If you never watched the NYC rounds closely, it helps to know what kind of circuit this was.
This was not a wide, flowing track where you settle into a rhythm. It was a tight street course with limited runoff, short straights, and corners that rewarded precision and punished impatience. Even the general descriptions of the circuit emphasize its technical nature and its city-edge layout around the waterfront.
That mattered because Formula E is not just about who brakes latest. It is also about who manages energy best.
On a tight circuit, you can’t always pass with raw speed. You pass by forcing errors, timing attack mode windows, and staying clean while others get greedy. You win by being disciplined when the track layout is begging you to be chaotic.
That’s why NYC Formula E often felt like a chess match being played at sprinting pace.
Energy Management: The “Uncool” Part That Makes It Fun
Here is the part that sounds boring until you watch it happen: energy management is the sport.
In Formula E, drivers are constantly balancing pace against battery usage. Push too hard too early, and you get hunted later. Save too much, and you never use the advantage. On a street circuit, that tension is even sharper because one mistake can cost you track position you may not get back.
NYC amplified this because the track was compact. Gaps were small. Traffic was real. Strategy mattered more than comfort.
And comfort was not on offer.
If we’re being honest, that’s also why it worked for television. The racing looked busy. It looked stressful. It looked like the drivers were always one decision away from regret. 4 things you need to know about the news today.
Which, to be fair, is the emotional tone of New York City in general.
The 2022 NYC Double-Header: A Last Big Memory
The last time Formula E raced in New York City (so far) was 2022. That weekend had the kind of storylines Formula E seems to generate naturally: mixed conditions, chaos, penalties, and a result that felt like it was decided by both speed and survival.
Nick Cassidy’s 2022 New York weekend is one of the headline examples people still bring up—fast pace, dramatic moments, and the kind of outcome that reminds you Formula E can flip a race on its head very quickly.
And if you zoom out across the event’s history, New York’s winner list reads like a quick tour of the series’ competitive depth, with names such as Sam Bird, António Félix da Costa, and Nick Cassidy appearing across seasons and race formats.
So yes, NYC delivered racing.
That was not the problem.
Why NYC Disappeared After 2022
The short version is simple: the Brooklyn venue was hard to run, hard to scale, and hard to keep happy.
Even before the 2022 event, there were public signals that Formula E wanted to stay in New York but was also exploring alternatives in the U.S. because of constraints at the venue.
Those constraints are not mysterious if you’ve ever been to Red Hook and tried to get anywhere quickly. It is beautiful in a stubborn, maritime way. It is also not built for massive crowds arriving smoothly by subway.
A street race is not like renting a stadium. You’re closing roads. You’re building temporary infrastructure. You’re coordinating with city agencies, port authorities, local businesses, and residents who would like to continue existing.
That is already tough. Then add a modern, growing world championship that wants bigger hospitality, bigger fan zones, more transport capacity, more everything.
At some point, “iconic location” starts to look like “physical limitation.”
And that’s before we even get to the cars.
Gen3 Cars and the “Room to Grow” Problem
Formula E’s technology moves fast. The series shifted from Gen1 to Gen2, and then to Gen3, with changes in performance and race dynamics.
A circuit that worked well for one generation may become awkward for the next if it cannot safely or practically adapt. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History: The Friendly Map That Makes Art Make Sense. Tight street circuits can become even tighter when speeds rise and braking zones shift.
In other words, the Brooklyn layout was always a bit boxed in by geography. Red Hook is not a blank canvas. It is a real neighborhood on real land with real water right there.
You can’t just “extend the track” like you’re dragging a shape in a design app.
So the track that once felt perfectly edgy can start to feel like it’s holding the event back.
The Hidden Reality: Temporary Tracks Are a Giant Construction Project
When we talk about street races, we often talk about vibe. But the real story is logistics.
A street circuit is a temporary city inside the city. Barriers, fencing, bridges, paddock buildouts, electrical infrastructure, broadcast setups, grandstands, safety systems—all of it has to appear, function flawlessly, and then disappear.
The NYC E-Prix required a serious buildout effort at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal site. Projects tied to the venue highlight how much coordination goes into making a temporary racetrack work in that space.
This is the part where a lot of great ideas die.
Not because they aren’t exciting, but because every year the event has to renegotiate the same reality: cost, disruption, approvals, timing, and the city’s tolerance for having a large chunk of the waterfront turned into a race facility.
If the venue also has port operations, cruise activity, and other priorities, the calendar becomes a puzzle where every piece argues back.
Why Fans Still Want It Back Anyway
Because it looked like New York. Not “New York-ish.” New York.
The skyline. The water. The odd feeling of a global racing series temporarily occupying a place most tourists never see. That was special.
And Formula E, more than most motorsport, benefits from recognizable city identity. A great track in the middle of nowhere can still be a great track. But Formula E’s brand is built on the idea that we can watch elite racing in places we actually know.
New York is not just a location. It is shorthand.
So when the NYC E-Prix disappears from the calendar, it feels like a missing flagship—even if the racing continues to grow elsewhere.
What a Return Could Look Like (Without Pretending It’s Easy)
If NYC ever comes back, it probably does not look exactly like it used to.
A realistic return would likely involve one of these paths:
1) A redesigned Brooklyn circuit
Alabama Hunters Education: The Key to a Safe and Rewarding Hunting Experience. The simplest fan fantasy is “same place, better layout.” But redesign would still have to respect the same physical limits—space, access, and build time.
It might mean a shorter setup footprint, better flow, or safer high-speed sections. But any redesign still has to fit inside Red Hook’s practical boundaries.
2) A different NYC-area venue with better access
If Formula E wants the New York market without the Red Hook constraints, a new location becomes attractive. That aligns with the idea that the series has weighed alternative U.S. options when the Brooklyn venue becomes too constrained.
This could mean something still “New York” in branding terms, but technically outside the old footprint.
3) A “festival” approach that reduces disruption
Street races can soften local frustration if the event brings visible benefit: local vendors, community engagement, better transport planning, and a footprint that doesn’t feel like a barricade dropped from the sky.
Formula E already leans into the idea of an event village and city-center experience. The trick is doing it in a way that doesn’t make locals feel like they’ve been rented out.
The Real Test: Can Formula E Make NYC Worth the Trouble?
New York doesn’t lack events. It lacks patience.
For a race to return, it has to justify itself in the language that cities speak: economic impact, operational feasibility, public safety, transportation plans, and political will.
And yes, it also has to work for the series:
- It must meet safety and competition needs.
- It must support the championship’s growing infrastructure demands.
- It must align with the season calendar that Formula E publishes and sells to teams, partners, and broadcasters.
So far, the official schedule says NYC is still out.
That does not mean “never.” But it does mean “not yet.”
What We Can Take From the NYC Era
The NYC E-Prix proved three things at once:
- Formula E can look spectacular in a major city.
The visuals alone made the case. - A great race track is not the same as a sustainable event venue.
Red Hook delivered drama on track. It also demanded a lot off track. - Fans don’t just miss the race. They miss the feeling of it.
Because NYC wasn’t only about lap times. It was about seeing the future of motorsport framed by the most familiar skyline in the world.
That’s why it still lingers.
We remember the tight corners, the energy saving, the late-race tension. We remember the sense that the city itself was part of the show.
A Walk Along the River Slea: Nature Ducks & Discovery. And yes, we remember that it ended right when it felt like it was becoming tradition.
Harbor Lights, High Hopes, and a Very Complicated Map
If Formula E returns to New York, it will be because someone solved a long list of unglamorous problems in a very glamorous place.
Until then, we’re left with the memory of a waterfront circuit that made electric racing feel right at home in a city that rarely makes anything easy.
Which is, honestly, the most New York ending possible.