Formula Racing
Want to impress a motorsport-obsessed friend with your knowledge of Formula E? We've got you covered. This is everything you need to know about the environmentally-friendly single-seater series.
Formula One continues to dominate the motorsport headlines but what about its lesser-known young relative, Formula E? With its focus on sustainability and the technological revolution in electric cars, the single seater series might just be the future of motorsport. But what do you know about it? Read our bluffers’ guide and you'll be primed with valuable knowledge ahead of the seventh race of the 2017-18 season in Rome on April 14.
What exactly is Formula E?
Let’s start with the basics. Formula E, or the ABB Formula E Championships, to give it its official title, is the only type of race in the world that uses electric-powered single seater cars. The idea came about in 2011 and the inaugural Formula E championship was held in 2014 in Beijing, China.
Formula E consists of 10 teams with two drivers in each team. Races are held on temporary race tracks on city streets all over the world during a seven-month season. Paris, Rome and New York have all hosted races.
It’s not just about racing
A large part of Formula E is about sustainability, with car manufacturers developing and testing new technology at a competitive level while also helping to tackle climate change. Formula E says its concept of sustainability “is to reduce our (carbon) footprint as much as possible and have a positive impact on both people and the planet”.
It does this by using 100 percent renewable fuel, and tyres that last an entire race and can then be recycled; by encouraging the use of public transport (there is no parking at its events); and by allowing spectators to watch races live and in 360 degrees, online, from the comfort of their own home.
How did it start?
The president of Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), Jean Todt, joined forces with Formula E founder and CEO Alejandro Agag to create an environmentally friendly global brand for motor racing. Formula E is now in its fourth season and going from strength to strength, attracting top drivers.
Fans are also more than just spectators. They can influence the outcome of a race by voting for their favourite driver. The three drivers with the most votes receive a turbo boost of power, which they can use during the second half of the race.
What are the rules?
Like in F1, there are two titles to be won in a Formula E Championship: best driver and best team. You know how it works already. The former is based on the end-of-season total, which is made up of the driver’s best results over the entire season. The latter is calculated by totting up both the drivers’ scores throughout the season.
The day before the race, drivers use a shakedown session to check their car is in good working order, and the track is checked by the FIA. The qualifying session, which lasts for one hour, determines the starting grid for the race. There are rules and regulations aplenty in Formula E but that is what makes it the race it is today.
Who are the teams and drivers?
There are 10 teams in Formula E and each has two drivers. They include regular front-runner and inaugural race winners Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler and Andretti, which has taken more drivers to the podium than any other team. The Panasonic Jaguar Racing team joined Formula E last season to present its future range of electric cars.
The Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team boasts Brazilian former F1 driver Lucas Di Grassi as one of its drivers. He won of the first-ever Formula E race at the 2014 Beijing ePrix and was Formula E champion in 2016-17. Fellow former F1 driver Jean-Éric Vergne drives for the TECHEETAH team and currently leads the standings after six races in the 2017-18 season. The British-born son of Swedish World Rally Champion Stig Blomqvist and former F3 driver, Tom Blomqvist, drives for Andretti.
At just 16 years old, Panasonic Jaguar Racing driver Mitch Evans became the youngest person ever to win the New Zealand Grand Prix, and has many more wins under his belt.
Past Formula E champions are Nelson Piquet Jr. (2014-15), Sébastien Buemi (2015-16).
What else should I know?
Formula E is always developing and finding ways to become more sustainable – as well as pushing the boundaries when it comes to electronic cars. In May 2017, Formula E introduced its first driverless car into the competition. The Roborace autonomous car made history when it navigated a lap of the 1.9km course at the Paris ePrix. Engineers are still working on the car's speed.
In the meantime, the event continues to draw big manufacturing names to the sport. This season BMW joined Formula E as an official manufacturer, and Mercedes Benz and Porsche will join next year.
Red Bull promotes sustainability and protects the environment with every can it produces. Check out Red Bull´s sustainability measures!
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