Organisers of the new Formula E series expect to make some quick money and then see the concept collapse.
That is the view of F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, who despite the involvement of several well-known figures, teams and drivers, thinks the FIA category involving near-silent electric-powered single seaters racing in cities including Los Angeles, Berlin and London is ultimately doomed to fail.
"For them (the organisers) it’s a commercial thing," Ecclestone told Zone One Radio.
"One or two of them are going to make a few quid and that will be the end of it," the 83-year-old Briton told interviewer Matthew Layton at the recent Zoom photographic charity auction.
"I can’t see it ever working. I know how much it costs to put a street race together," Ecclestone said.