Hartley revved up for Formula E debut
New Zealand motorsport star Brendon Hartley is excited about his next venture into the unknown with his Formula E debut set for this weekend in Saudi Arabia.
Hartley (Geox Dragon Racing) joins fellow Kiwi Mitch Evans (Jaguar) on the rapidly developing circuit which enters its sixth season with 14 races in five continents.
Hartley, who lost his Formula 1 drive last year and has spent 2019 back in the endurance racing scene, sees Formula E as an obvious future for the sport given that manufacturers around the globe are placing increasing emphasis on electric cars. Glamour manufacturers Mercedes and Porsche join the Formula E championship this season in an expanded 12-team entry list.
The experienced Hartley says this is a whole new challenge for him.
‘‘[It’s] very different from anything I have driven before,’’ Hartley told
‘‘You have much more power than grip and it’s a real challenge to get everything out of it.
‘‘I also enjoy the development side of it. There are not many championships in the world that there is still the opportunity to help develop software, vehicle dynamics and a power train.’’
The circuit has increasing allure for established drivers such as Hartley. Former Formula 1 championship contender Felipe Massa will drive for Venturi this season, while reigning two-time champion Jean-Eric Vergne has committed to racing once more.
Formula E’s deputy CEO Alberto Longo sees the current group of drivers in Formula E as a key selling point.
‘‘Drivers like Brendon and Felipe are key to drawing more interest to the series—but as they know, it’s not easy to enter Formula E and be quick out of the blocks.’’
Hartley, 30, acknowledges that and his early goals are realistic. ‘‘I don’t have any expectations but I would like to do my best together with GEOX Dragon Racing to fight for the bigger points.’’
■ Round 1 & 2: Saudi Arabia, Nov 22-23
■ Round 3: Chile, Jan 18
■ Round 4: Mexico, Feb 15
■ Round 5: Morocco, Feb 29
■ Round 6: China, Mar 21
■ Round 7: Italy, April 4
■ Round 8: France, April 18
■ Round 9: Korea, May 3
■ Round 10: Indonesia, June 6
■ Round 11: Germany, June 21
■ Round 12: USA , July 11
■ Round 13 & 14: England, June 25-26
2019-20 Formula E season:
There are much higher expectations from Evans who starts his fourth season with Jaguar and has shown steady improvement, finishing 14th, 7th and 5th in a pleasing upward graph. Evans has won one race and had three other podiums, and his strong finish to the last season has given him huge encouragement.
‘‘To be honest, the clear goal is to win the drivers’ and constructors’ championship like every other team in Formula E,’’ Evans told the where interest in Jaguar is intense.
‘‘In the first two seasons, our approach was just to do as well as we can. We knew that realistically, we weren’t really in the fight. Last year was a bit of a different story where were in the fight but also had some dips in performance. There were some great moments, but this season I’m hoping to start off well and find a bit more consistency.’’