Formula E - One Electrifying Race Series!

The ABB FIA Formula E Championship fifth season opener last weekend in Saudi Arabia did not disappoint. It was close racing all the way to the chequered flag. The first-ever electric open wheel racing series in the world was conceived way back in 2011 and executed in 2014.

I’ve been following this series since the beginning and after the series opener, I am now more than convinced that this is real and legit racing. Why? Well, in order to have one, the cars have to be wellbuilt, quick and reliable. This year, a better car was introduced, a new set of rules were implemented and better racetracks were chosen around the world. We also see many iconic brands join the series, the likes of German manufacturer Mercedes, BMW andAudi. And what about the drivers lineup? The roster is full of multi-awarded and highly competitive individuals from the different disciplines of motorsports. The arrival of Stoffel Vandoorne and Felipe Massa from Formula One has beefed up the line-up. It is incredible to note that the championship in the past few seasons has been awarded to an entirely different driver each year.

Formula E changed the whole race weekend format – or should I say “race day.” All the event activities were done on a Saturday, with practices done in the morning. Qualifying is done in a few hours leading to the race, which is usually late in the afternoon. Why? This has to boil down to making the event more efficient, as all the races are on street courses in busy city centers.

Practice sessions are pretty straightforward and challenging. Sessions only last for 45 and then 30 minutes on relatively new street courses. The qualifying session is already one hour but, this is where it gets interesting. All 22 drivers in the grid are divided into four groups, all sharing 60 minutes of quali time. That means that each group has only six minutes to set their best lap! The fastest driver of each group then goes on to a final session, known as the Super Pole shootout. Those drivers all compete for pole position and, subsequently, for the top grid positions.

The races duration lasts around 45 minutes + 1 lap, which is relatively short compared to other racing series. In the last few seasons of Formula E, you would that the pit stops were odd and controversial. Halfway through the race, drivers had to pit in and change their cars for newer, newly charged ones. See, battery technology hadn’t progressed to the point where drivers could make it through the race with a single car. This year, cars will run the whole race with 200kW of power, which makes for far better “flat-out” racing.

Championship points are awarded with the standard FIA system, with a bonus three points to the driver who secures pole position and one point for the driver who secures the fastest lap during the race.

This year, Formula E introduced the Attack Mode. This gave drivers extra power via a button on their steering wheels every time they passed an area on the track that was off-racing line. Energy would be stored and drivers could activate its temporary power boost from 200 to 225 kilowatts, the equivalent of 268 to 302 horsepower in a needed scenario.

Attack Mode was used by almost all the drivers last weekend, notably, Felipe Massa, who climbed up the grid from 14th to 8th. They’ve done a great job of integrating the Attack Mode system into the race for everyone to see, specifically via a digital rendering over the track that will appear on our screens.

There was one thing I didn’t like though. The incorporation of a Fanboost System, which gives extra power to the top three drivers with the highest fan base via net votation, is absurd. Call me oldschool but as close as racing is in Formula E, this is something that they can do away. Besides, it’s really not how racing rolls, right?

I have to admit, I was hugely skeptical about Formula Cars with Electric Motors. But Formula E has finally reached a point where it’s graduated from some of its growing pains and is establishing itself as a real racing series, be it, a very competitive one.