Red Bull boss Christian Horner does not agree with Sir Richard Branson that Formula E will become a competitor for Formula One in the future.
The inaugural Formula E season ended in London last weekend, with ex-F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr clinching the title around the tight street circuit at Battersea Park. At the event, Branson, the owner of the Virgin Racing team, said Formula E had the potential to rival F1 by 2020.
Formula E was a single-make series in its inaugural year, but competitors will be able to develop their own powertrain next season, batteries in season three and the organisers are hoping to eliminate the need for in-race car changes by the fifth season. However, even with development the cars are unlikely to be anywhere near F1 in terms of speed and Horner believes the category will remain a long way off the pinnacle of motor sport.
"I watched the Formula E race on Sunday and it looks more of a competitor to GP3 than Formula One," Horner said. "It's positioned totally differently to Formula One, but it wasn't a focal point of racing. The cars look slow, the fact that you've got to change car half way through the race - I'm not sure it's delivering a great message about sustainable energy if you're saying your car can't get to the end of a grand prix or the end of a race without having to change cars.
"Of course, take nothing away from Formula E, I think they've done well to get where they are, but you can't compare it in the same sentences as Formula One. I don't think that's a direction we [F1] want to be heading down."
Horner said the only positive he saw from Formula E was the novel "fanboost" system, which allows fans to vote for a power boost for their favourite driver.
"That was the one thing I liked about it. The interaction with the fans was great, the fact that the fans can vote for their driver to get a fanboost was something productive."