Jaden Smith says Formula E will one day be more popular than Formula One

Fri, 29 Jul, 2022 - 06:42

By Mike Bedigan, PA Los Angeles Correspondent

Jaden Smith says he believes Formula E racing will one day be more popular than Formula One, but that people will continue to drive petrol-based cars “for fun”.

The US rapper and influencer is a firm advocate for sustainability, and said gaining support from high-profile members of the racing industry such as Lewis Hamilton would be “awesome”.

Smith, 24, recently visited the New York City E-Prix and took the all-electric single-seater race car for a test drive.

Smith, 24, recently visited the New York City E-Prix and drove the all-electric single-seater race car for a test drive (Dave Benett/PA)

Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of the British E-Prix, he said: “I feel like everybody on the cruise ship of Earth is all crew, we’re not passengers, you know what I mean?

“We all need to give back to the earth and make a difference with the choices that we make, you know, and I felt like I had a responsibility to make a difference in that way.

“I’m glad that I was able to, because, you know, getting invited to the Formula E was like, the coolest thing ever.”

Asked whether Formula E may one day replace its non-electric counterpart, he added: “I don’t know about replace, but I definitely see a world where this is the more popular sport.

Smith was supported by other famous faces at the New York race, including driver Jenson Button (pictured) (Dave Benett/PA)

“I think people are always going to want to race gasoline cars for fun.

“I just hope that this changes the industry in the sense where when people are driving around in their own life they’re using electric cars because of Formula E.”

Smith was supported by other famous faces at the New York race, including US actor Aidan Gallagher, footballer Patrice Evra and driver Jenson Button.

Asked about bringing more high-profile people on board with Formula E, he told PA: “Yeah, I think whatever people decide to do… whoever wants to come over and hang out on this side, that’s awesome.

Jaden Smith says Formula E will one day be more popular than Formula One (Dave Benett/PA)

“And whoever doesn’t, you know, it’s totally awesome too.

“I think the future holds a lot of interesting opportunities and I’m just excited to see all of them.

“I’m so excited to see how the electric industry continues to progress, and how people continue to use their platform to shine a light on these amazing technologies.”