The FIA Formula E series will burst, rather quietly, onto the motorsport scene next year, but can it ever be a rival for Formula 1?
Like The Green Insurance Company, the main aim of the series is to help the environment. It is a vision for the future of the motoring industry, but how will it be received both with drivers and fans?
For those of you unfamiliar with the series, here is a quick overview. Formula E is a new FIA series featuring cars that will be powered exclusively by electric energy. Its inaugural season will take place between September 2014 and June 2015 and will feature 10 races, all held on street circuits.
The series will visit the likes of Beijing, Rio de Janeiro, Miami and London,to name just a few locations. 10 teams and 20 drivers will take part. All team slots have now been filled and include DTM team Audi Sport Abt, former F1 team Super Aguri and a joint venture between electric car maker Venturi Automobiles and Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
The hope is that constructors will be able to make their own electric racing cars to compete in the series; obviously complying with the regulations set out by motorsport’s governing body. This will help to research and drive innovation for the future and will help boost the performance of electric cars. However, for the first year all 10 teams will use the Spark Renault STR_01E.
The STR_01E is the first car to be homologated by the FIA and has been built by new French company Spark Racing Technology. Dallara have produced the chassis, which has passed all mandatory crash tests and is incredibly light, Renault – the championship’s technical partner – will oversee all the system integration and Michelin will provide the all-important tyres.
McLaren Electronics have provided the electric powertrain and electronics. Williams Advanced Engineering – yes, you guessed it, part of the Williams group that also includes the famous F1 team – will supply the 200kw batteries, the equivalent of 270bhp, which will propel the car from 0 to 62mph in an estimated three seconds, with a top speed of 140mph.
Interestingly, drivers will only be able to use full power during practice and qualifying. In the race, cars will be limited to 133kw – 180bhp – in a power-saving mode. However, a ‘Push-to-Pass’ system will temporarily allow full power for a limited time.
So that is a brief overview of the series. The STR_01E has already completed its first test, with former F1 driver Lucas di Grassi at the wheel, ahead of the inaugural round in Beijing next September.
But there is plenty of room for debate surrounding the series. Firstly, could it be a place for former F1 drivers to seek refuge? I personally think so, it looks like a very exciting series and I’m intrigued to see how it goes.
I think it will be a great place for those who have lost out on a drive in F1 or want to move on to a new challenge to remain in a competitive series and race exciting, challenging and fast machinery. It would be great to see the likes of Takuma Sato, who was recently announced as a test driver for the series, Paul di Resta and other talented racers left without seat at the sport’s pinnacle racing in the revolutionary new series.
This, in turn, would help to increase the popularity and exposure of Formula E. Big names have already entered the sport in other ways – Richard Branson has entered a team, as has the previously mentioned DiCaprio and the well-know IndyCar team Andretti Autosport – and this can only be a good thing in my view.
Hopefully the series can attract more famous faces and well-known drivers from the world of motorsport, as this would be a big help. I believe this is crucial in raising the awareness of the new championship and if they can’t attract established racers, it could suffer as a result.
One other big question to ask is can it ever topple F1? I don’t think so, but they are completely different.
I think for the casual motorsport fan, Formula E may be a bit confusing and it could be seen as less exciting due to the lack of a roaring, fuel-guzzling engine and real household names on the grid.
With time, the new fully-electric series will become more and more popular, but 2014 will be the 65th F1 season and it has already established itself as one of the most popular motorsport series’ in the world.
F1 has a really loyal fan base that has taken time to build up. Formula E is a brand new championship with plenty of hype surrounding it, but it will take a good few years for it to really capture the attention of the masses, as it is quite a niche motorsport.
However, in the long term, Formula E will become more important and I think F1 could take some of the technology from the series to make the sport more sustainable. Fossil fuels are diminishing and Formula 1 will surely be looking to the research and development from the series to implement similar systems to their machinery.
Could it replace F1 in the future? I don’t really want to think about that right now, being such a devoted fan of the sport, but I think that looking a long way ahead, a merger between the two could be a possibility. But that will be in the very distant future, if it does happen.
But you never know, there are so many possibilities. I’m really excited to see not only how it is run but also how it is received. It is such a change from the current motorsport series; it will be quieter, more technical and will travel to plenty of exotic locations that F1 doesn’t visit.
I think racing on street circuit’s is a great idea, as it will bring so many people closer to the action and will make for some thrilling scenes. I love nothing more than watching drivers thread high-speed machinery through tight streets, exiting a corner just millimetres from the barrier. It will be a really great spectacle.
It will, of course, be hugely important for the road car industry, developing new systems and completing research which will hopefully trickle down to the cars of the future.
Hopefully there will be plenty of graphics and information coming through for the viewers during the race, as it could be quite complicated with the technology being used, such as the ‘Push to Pass’ system. Obviously some will understand how the series works, but to appeal to a mass audience some simplifying may be needed.
I feel it is also a great idea to have it all on one day, minimising disruption to the cities hosting the event and helping to cut costs as well – which will be important for the teams and the series itself. A one hour practice session will determine the order that the cars run in qualifying, where they get two timed laps and will take to the track in stages to help reduce traffic. The races will be one hour long and drivers will be forced to make two mandatory pit stops, which is a shame as it loses the aspect of strategy.
Overall, I’m very enthusiastic about the series as a whole and I’m intrigued to see how it all works out. Now we have to wait until September 2014, where by then the grid will be full, for the questions to really be answered.
 |
| (c) FIA Formula E |
For those of you unfamiliar with the series, here is a quick overview. Formula E is a new FIA series featuring cars that will be powered exclusively by electric energy. Its inaugural season will take place between September 2014 and June 2015 and will feature 10 races, all held on street circuits.
 |
| (c) FIA Formula E |
The hope is that constructors will be able to make their own electric racing cars to compete in the series; obviously complying with the regulations set out by motorsport’s governing body. This will help to research and drive innovation for the future and will help boost the performance of electric cars. However, for the first year all 10 teams will use the Spark Renault STR_01E.
The STR_01E is the first car to be homologated by the FIA and has been built by new French company Spark Racing Technology. Dallara have produced the chassis, which has passed all mandatory crash tests and is incredibly light, Renault – the championship’s technical partner – will oversee all the system integration and Michelin will provide the all-important tyres.
McLaren Electronics have provided the electric powertrain and electronics. Williams Advanced Engineering – yes, you guessed it, part of the Williams group that also includes the famous F1 team – will supply the 200kw batteries, the equivalent of 270bhp, which will propel the car from 0 to 62mph in an estimated three seconds, with a top speed of 140mph.
 |
| (c) FIA Formula E |
So that is a brief overview of the series. The STR_01E has already completed its first test, with former F1 driver Lucas di Grassi at the wheel, ahead of the inaugural round in Beijing next September.
But there is plenty of room for debate surrounding the series. Firstly, could it be a place for former F1 drivers to seek refuge? I personally think so, it looks like a very exciting series and I’m intrigued to see how it goes.
I think it will be a great place for those who have lost out on a drive in F1 or want to move on to a new challenge to remain in a competitive series and race exciting, challenging and fast machinery. It would be great to see the likes of Takuma Sato, who was recently announced as a test driver for the series, Paul di Resta and other talented racers left without seat at the sport’s pinnacle racing in the revolutionary new series.
This, in turn, would help to increase the popularity and exposure of Formula E. Big names have already entered the sport in other ways – Richard Branson has entered a team, as has the previously mentioned DiCaprio and the well-know IndyCar team Andretti Autosport – and this can only be a good thing in my view.
Hopefully the series can attract more famous faces and well-known drivers from the world of motorsport, as this would be a big help. I believe this is crucial in raising the awareness of the new championship and if they can’t attract established racers, it could suffer as a result.
 |
| (c) FIA Formula E |
With time, the new fully-electric series will become more and more popular, but 2014 will be the 65th F1 season and it has already established itself as one of the most popular motorsport series’ in the world.
F1 has a really loyal fan base that has taken time to build up. Formula E is a brand new championship with plenty of hype surrounding it, but it will take a good few years for it to really capture the attention of the masses, as it is quite a niche motorsport.
However, in the long term, Formula E will become more important and I think F1 could take some of the technology from the series to make the sport more sustainable. Fossil fuels are diminishing and Formula 1 will surely be looking to the research and development from the series to implement similar systems to their machinery.
Could it replace F1 in the future? I don’t really want to think about that right now, being such a devoted fan of the sport, but I think that looking a long way ahead, a merger between the two could be a possibility. But that will be in the very distant future, if it does happen.
But you never know, there are so many possibilities. I’m really excited to see not only how it is run but also how it is received. It is such a change from the current motorsport series; it will be quieter, more technical and will travel to plenty of exotic locations that F1 doesn’t visit.
 |
| (c) FIA Formula E |
It will, of course, be hugely important for the road car industry, developing new systems and completing research which will hopefully trickle down to the cars of the future.
Hopefully there will be plenty of graphics and information coming through for the viewers during the race, as it could be quite complicated with the technology being used, such as the ‘Push to Pass’ system. Obviously some will understand how the series works, but to appeal to a mass audience some simplifying may be needed.
I feel it is also a great idea to have it all on one day, minimising disruption to the cities hosting the event and helping to cut costs as well – which will be important for the teams and the series itself. A one hour practice session will determine the order that the cars run in qualifying, where they get two timed laps and will take to the track in stages to help reduce traffic. The races will be one hour long and drivers will be forced to make two mandatory pit stops, which is a shame as it loses the aspect of strategy.
Overall, I’m very enthusiastic about the series as a whole and I’m intrigued to see how it all works out. Now we have to wait until September 2014, where by then the grid will be full, for the questions to really be answered.
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