The City of Light will be electrified this weekend as Formula E makes its maiden visit to Paris for round seven of season two.

A challenging circuit has been constructed around Les Invalides in the military district of the city, home to the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte, as Formula E checks off another major global capital.

This weekend will act as a landmark moment for not only Formula E but also for motorsport in France, with the country having not hosted a world championship single seater event since the last French Grand Prix at Magny-Cours in 2008.

With such a significant French presence in the series and Paris being the home of the FIA, the forthcoming weekend promises to be an exciting one and teams have been issuing press statements left, right and centre.

Renault e.dams arrives at its home event clinging to an ever-shrinking lead at the top of the teams’ championship following a difficult weekend last time out in Long Beach.

“It’s a big event for us in Paris, we’re a French team and we’re Renault so there is expectation,” senior team manager Alain Prost said in a release. “We also have more pressure because of our poor results last time out. We know our goal, which is to bounce back with a strong performance. The pressure and expectation is not always easy to manage and you have to channel this into being a positive pressure to perform at the very best level. We realise that the competition is getting closer and closer and in this case we need to do things right and to be honest we just didn’t do that in Long Beach.”

Sebastien Buemi lost the lead of the drivers’ championship in Long Beach after an incident-filled race, but has taken a step back heading to Paris.

“After Long Beach, stop and reset was my plan,” he said in a statement. “I did make some mistakes and I lost the lead of the drivers’ championship. Clearly I want to regain that lead for myself and help Renault e.dams to extend their lead in the teams’ championship. The team have spent a lot of time working on the cars and I’ve been working with my engineers to have a strong approach to Paris. We want a strong result. It’s going to be an amazing feeling to race in Paris and there’s going to be pressure. It’s our home race, so we’re looking forward to being there and enjoying it with the fans. It’ll be the biggest race of our season. It’ll be a tough track, there’s a lot of corners and it’s tight and slow. It’s tough to know until we drive it but I’m very motivated.”

Looking to spoil the homecoming party for Renault is championship leader Lucas di Grassi. After his disqualification in Mexico, the Brazilian bounced back emphatically in Long Beach by delivering a crushing victory that gives him a one point lead over Buemi heading to Paris.

“Paris is a new highlight in the calendar – congratulations to Formula E for being able to organize this race in the city centre,” di Grassi said in his team’s press release. “The track and the environment complement the series perfectly. It may well be the home race for our friends and competitors from France, but it’s of no interest to me. We’ll also try to win there.”

Formula E’s points-leading Frenchman is Stephane Sarrazin, who scored his first podium of the year in Long Beach before following it up with an impressive charge to second alongside Venturi team mate Mike Conway in the FIA World Endurance Championship opener at Silverstone last weekend.

Also flying the Tricolore on home soil this weekend will be Loic Duval and Jean-Eric Vergne, both of whom are still chasing their first top three finishes of the season. Duval came close in Mexico, finishing fourth for the third time this season. However, he is struggling to match the form of team mate Jerome d’Ambrosio who has two poles, a podium and a win to his name already this season.

For Vergne, improving on his paltry haul of six points in the first six races will be the target. The DS Virgin Racing driver took a whistlestop tour of the city in his Formula E car on Thursday ahead of the event, delighting those who had come out to see him. Home support will be in plentiful supply this weekend, while a French flag has been added to the rear cover on his car.

“I started racing in Paris as a child so competing here with DS Virgin Racing will be an important moment for me,” Vergne said. “It doesn’t surprise me that the event has sold out and knowing the city and its people, I’m sure it will be a fantastic show. Achieving a podium here is my goal, it’s ambitious but the team as a whole have been working so hard to get us to where we are now, I’m aware it’s time for me to give something back.”

Fellow DS Virgin Racing racer Sam Bird arrives in Paris boosted by his pole in Long Beach and maiden victory for Ferrari’s works team in the FIA WEC series last weekend. However, Formula E remains his sole focus this weekend. “The championship is reaching a crucial phase,” Bird said. “This is our opportunity now to push our team into a podium position. I’m feeling confident after gaining pole position in Long Beach. Paris will be a tough track but I’ll be aiming for a good result.”

The “grand fromage” in Paris this weekend will undoubtedly be Nico Prost though. French race, French driver, French team, famous French father: it’s a match made in heaven.

“I’m obviously looking forward to Paris as it’s a massive honour to drive in your home country, I’m sure it will be a fantastic experience,” Prost said. “The event is important for motorsport in France. I hope it’ll be a great experience for everyone who sees it and for us lucky drivers who get to compete in it. It’s good to be showcasing this style of racing and it’s very important for Formula E to race in cities as that’s where they can be used. France is doing a very good job of pushing for electric cars, Renault is pushing hard for it too. It’s an event that makes sense politically and commercially to show the importance of electric cars with such a fabulous backdrop.”

NextEV TCR will be hoping for a surprise or two to offer an upturn in its fortunes following a somewhat miserable season so far and Oliver Turvey is relishing the challenge of learning a new circuit.

“The Formula E race in Paris is one of the races I have been looking forward to the most, as it is a new circuit and venue for this season in one of the most iconic city’s in the world,” Turvey said. “The biggest challenge will be learning the track quicker than the competition, not only the layout but how the tarmac affects the car and tyres as well the bumps and kerbs that are always a factor on street circuits.”

Getting a race in the centre of such a historic and prominent city as Paris is a key part of Formula E’s success, with defending champion Nelson Piquet believing that this weekend’s ePrix will embody everything that is great about the series.

“I think it’s incredible that we will be racing in the centre of Paris by the Eiffel Tower,” Piquet said. “Formula E has achieved some really incredible race locations already and this new race in Paris is going to be really special I’m sure. This event will do exactly what Formula E is all about; bringing exciting racing to one of the most famous cities in the world, and bringing the action to the people. The fact that tickets sold out really quickly shows that the city has the appetite for great race action and I can’t wait to see all the fans there.”

In the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, Formula E is poised to scale to new heights this weekend with what is shaping up to be its biggest and best event to date.

Luke Smith