Lewis Hamilton has praised the ambition and work done by Formula E but admits he has little interest in becoming an "electric-head".

Next month will see the series begin its fifth season with big changes in design and also powertrain as for the first time, a driver will be able to complete a full race without a mid-race car swap.

For the Formula 1 world champion, the goal of Formula E also focuses on a topic that he has become passionate about.

"It’s a difficult one because I’m conflicted," he said over the weekend in Brazil. "The gasses that we emit with our cars are not particularly helpful for the climate and for the world, so on one side that’s a concern for me.

"But on the other side, as a racing fan, I’m a petrolhead and I will always be a petrolhead. There will never be a time when I’m an electric-head.

"I hope, at least, in my period of time, it’s always going to be a fuelled car with at least some sort of V-shaped engine, with some sort of sound."

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Plenty of former F1 drivers and manufacturers have made the move to Formula E with Hamilton's ex-teammate Nico Rosberg a stakeholder and his own employers Mercedes creating a team for Season 6.

"I think it’s great what Formula E are doing and it’s a great start," Lewis continued. "It’s great to see all the top brands - Audi, BMW, Mercedes – are all getting heavily invested because, particularly on the roads.

"You see the traffic every single day, there are thousands and thousands of cars on the road. There’s the same in every country you go to so the sooner we can get rid of the majority of those cars and then turn them into hybrids.

"I think that would be a massive difference, but there are a lot of other things we can do around the world with businesses to help with those emissions."

Despite the attraction of the series also causing many to wonder if one day Formula E will challenge F1 for the 'pinnacle of motorsport' status, Hamilton doubts that will ever happen.

"I don’t think you are ever going to compare Formula 1 and Formula E," he claimed.

"Maybe in five, 10 years maybe, but the technology that we have, it’s quite far advanced compared to what they would be having.

"They’re slower than Formula Ford at the moment so they’ve got a long way to catch the speed of an F1 car. I don’t know if that’s their target."

The 33-year-old admits he will have one eye on what's going on, however...

"I think it’s really impressive. I’ve been watching their cars on social media and they look pretty cool, so I wish them all the best and looking forward to seeing it progress," he concluded.

Pascal Wehrlein has ended speculation surrounding his future for 2019 after being announced as a Mahindra Racing driver for Season 5 in Formula E.

The young German had been targeting a return to F1 next season after cutting ties with Mercedes last month and reportedly declining the chance to join the HWA squad in the all-electric series.

But now, the former DTM champion and Sauber driver becomes the latest high profile driver to make the jump to a rapidly growing Formula E category which already features names like Jean-Eric Vergne, Sebastien Buemi, Lucas di Grassi with Felipe Massa and Stoffel Vandoorne also set to join.

“I’m very happy to be joining Mahindra Racing, said Wehrlein. "It’s a small team but with really high ambitions and I have the same high ambitions.

"I want to achieve the best possible results and I have a feeling the team is the right environment for me. I’m looking forward to the season and I will give my best."

What this move also does is takes Wehrlein out of the running for the seat alongside Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso for 2019, a drive he was considered one of the favourites for.

The possibility of him combining the two series is also unlikely as a number of dates at the start of next year's F1 calendar clash with Formula E races.

Round 1 of the Season 5, which features an all-new car which will be the first to complete a full race distance without a mid-race swap, takes place in Riyadh on December 15th.

Felipe Massa believes there is a strong chance his former Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso could switch to Formula E as soon as the upcoming Season 5.

The Brazilian will be among several past F1 drivers to take on the all-electric series with Stoffel Vandoorne and Pascal Wehrlein also set to make their debuts in Riyadh in December.

After Alonso revealed in Austin he won't be switching full-time to IndyCar in 2019 and with only four more rounds over eight months in WEC, where the double world champion in racing with Toyota, Massa does think Formula E should be a consideration.

“He was thinking about Indycar, but now I think Formula E may have a better chance of getting him,” he told Spanish newspaper AS.

“The Indy 500 is one thing, but for the championship I think Fernando may look at Formula E.

“It may be in a year, but I would not be surprised if it was earlier.”

Series CEO Alejandro Agag is also reportedly trying to attract Alonso with a reported $10m incentive to compete in Season 5.

“He wants to win Le Mans and Indy but then he will be missing Formula E,” he said. “It would be a privilege to have him.”

Massa, meanwhile, has defended his decision to team up with Venturi for the upcoming championship, admitting he wouldn't have lasted long if he stayed at Williams.

“It was the right time for me [to retire from F1 at the end of 2017],” Felipe said.

“Not because I was not competitive, but if I had stayed this year, finishing last as Williams is, I may have said ‘hasta luego’ (see you later) after four races.”

Ousted McLaren driver Stoffel Vandoorne will make an immediate jump from Formula 1 to Formula E with the HWA team for Season 5, starting in December.

The Belgian endured a torrid two years alongside Fernando Alonso, having finally got the call-up to the British team at the start of 2017, and will be replaced by Lando Norris for next season.

His move to the all-electric series was widely expected with Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff hinting that a deal had been done to see the 26-year-old compete with the HWA outfit with whom the German manufacturer is linked.

"I am honoured that HWA has signed me for their Formula E programme,” Vandoorne said.

“HWA are such a great team with a long and successful history in motorsport. All the people I’ve met so far are really passionate about racing.

"Also, it's great to work alongside such an experienced driver as Gary Paffett. I am pretty sure that we will benefit from each other during the season.”

Team boss Ulrich Fritz welcomed Stoffel onboard before talking up their ambitions for the next season despite the lack of experience on all sides.

“In Stoffel and Gary, we have two Formula E rookies on our team, which in any case is making its own debut in the electric series. We all have a lot to learn together.

“However, Gary and are Stoffel outstanding racing drivers who have a wealth of experience gained in F1 and in the DTM. Both know how to work in collaboration with the engineers to develop and fine-tune a new racing car.

“These are precisely the sort of strengths that will count for a lot in our first Formula E campaign. It gives me confidence that we and our two drivers are well prepared for the challenges ahead.”

Vandoorne will join a plethora of former F1 talent including defending champion Jean-Eric Vergne as well as Felipe Massa making his debut with the Venturi team.