Formula E is searching for a new location for the Brussels ePrix after city officials in the Belgian capital voted against hosting the race at its planned venue in July.
Brussels was listed on Formula E’s season three calendar when it was unveiled last summer, acting as the final European race of the campaign before the two North American rounds in New York and Montreal to close out the season.
The race was initially planned to take place in the Heysel part of the city, only for a revised layout to be released that sat closer to the center of Brussels in Koekelberg.
However, the regional government voted against holding the race in Koekelberg on Thursday, with pressures placed on the city in holiday season being cited as the main reason for the rejection.
Belgium’s minister for mobility Pascal Smet tweeted that there was still an agreement in principle for the race to be held in Brussels this year, but that a new location needed to be found.
“Formula E can be in Brussles but not in Koekelberg,” Smet wrote. “Too complicated. Agreement in principle to organize an ePrix in Brussels but not at Koekelberg.”
Despite this setback, Formula E has stressed that it still has an agreement to race in Brussels this summer, subject to a suitable location being found. The series is continuing to assess its options for the event.
The news comes just days after city officials in Berlin voted against Formula E returning to the city center for season three, forcing another location change for the race.
The Brussels ePrix is scheduled to take place on July 1.
