Introducing the all-electric motorsport series - Formula E
Motorsport is forever evolving and recently, organisations have looked at taking a turn towards sustainability. Formula E is the all-electric series which has been working towards a cleaner future since its inception.
Running since 2014, this sport has taken to several street circuits in different cities across the world. Described as “the most competitive grid in motorsport”, Formula E has been providing fans with entertaining and competitive racing.
While establishing itself within the world of motorsport, it’s also on a mission to provide opportunities for people to work in the industry and work towards a sustainable environment.
So let’s delve into what Formula E is really all about.
What is Formula E?
In 2024, Formula E is travelling to 10 different cities for 16 rounds of racing. The 11 teams are competing for the Constructors’ Championship and the Drivers’ Championship.
Meanwhile, the six battery providers: Jaguar, Porsche, Nissan, Stellantis and ERT (Electric Racing Technologies) are also battling it out for the newly-introduced Manufacturers’ Trophy. They collect points similarly to how the teams do in their championship. The winner will not only receive a trophy, but it will also receive a Winner’s Badge to display on helmets, cars and team apparel.
Formula E is currently in its Gen3 Era. Since its debut, the series has been developing new versions of the race cars to make the racing faster, more competitive and above all, sustainable. Compared to the Gen1 cars, these vehicles are equipped with a stronger battery giving out more power.
The Gen3 cars are lighter and smaller and are the most efficient challengers in motorsport. It comes as 40% of the energy is regenerated throughout the two powertrains - one in the rear and one at the front. In total, the car can give out 600kW with a top speed of 320km/h. The Gen3 car had also become the first formula car to have no hydraulic brakes.
Meanwhile, in Formula E there isn’t really any room for tyre strategy. Hankook provides the series with one compound which can be used in any weather. In Season 9, this tyre proved to work in extreme hot weather and in heavy rainfall. The lack of tyre compounds means that teams use less rubber and there’s less transportation too.
One aspect which makes Formula E very unique is the energy management. The teams rely on a good energy strategy and impeccable software to be competitive. Knowing when to implement attack mode - which gives the drivers an extra boost at a specific area of the circuit - and when to use more power than usual, can determine whether a driver ends up on the podium or finishes last.
Formula E is also known for its unique race weekend format. The E-Prix format is built over one or two days. The qualifying and race take place on the same day, which means that if it’s a two-day weekend format, there would be two rounds in a single city.
The qualifying format is quite authentic. First, the drivers try to get the fastest lap in the 10-minute group stages. The drivers are split depending on their positions in the Championship. The top four make it to the Quarter Finals. One driver goes up against another and tries to earn the fastest lap in a Dual. The winners make it to the Semi-Finals and compete in yet another Dual. The top two battle it out for pole position, with the fastest getting P1 on the grid for the race.
Who competes in it?
Formula E is gifted with some great talent from across the motorsport world. All together, the grid has valuable experience from Formula One, the World Endurance Championship, rally and more.
As such is Nyck De Vries, who this season made his return to Formula E with Mahindra after a stint in Formula One. The Dutchman drives alongside Edoardo Mortara, who joined the series in Season 4. De Vries added his name to the Formula E Wall of Champions in Season 7, when he won the title with Mercedes. He raced for three seasons with the team, before they pulled out of the championship in 2022 and McLaren took their spot for the following season.
In their last season, Mercedes once again had a driver win the championship, this time with Stoffel Vandoorne. You might remember him from his Formula One days with McLaren. Season 9 was a historical season for Vandoorne, not only because he won the championship. He won it with just one first-place finish in the season, which was in Monaco. Other than that, the Belgian driver enjoyed six podium finishes which gave him enough points to finish the championship on top. He now drives for DS alongside two-time Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne.
Another talent which competed in Formula One is Sebastian Buemi. He’s had a taste of Formula One with Toro Rosso and competed in the World Endurance Championship, winning the 2018 Le Mans 24 Hours. He’s been around in Formula E since it started and won the championship in Season 2. He’s a household name within the sport and is now racing for Envision Racing alongside Robin Frijns.
One more talent coming from the world of Formula One is Pascal Wehrlein, who was a great contestant for the Season 9 championship. In F1, he made his debut with Manor Racing in 2016. He earned the team’s only point that season with a tenth-place finish in Australia. He moved on to Sauber for 2017, before eventually going back to DTM. Now he finds himself at Porsche in Formula E and he’s become one to look out for. His teammate is Antonio Felix Da Costa, one of the most-experienced drivers in the series.
The grid is also made up of a few youngsters. You’re surely aware of Sergio Sette Camara and Dan Ticktum who represent ERT. Both drivers had their fair share of success in Formula 2 before they found themselves competing in Formula E. Another talent coming from F2 is Jake Hughes - who was also a simulator driver for Mercedes in F1. After being a test and reserve driver for the outlet’s Formula E team, the Brit decided to commit himself to McLaren and officially join the all-electric series. For this season, McLaren signed up Sam Bird making up an all-British line-up for the papayas.
There is a whole lot of talent in Formula E. Jaguar have an all-Kiwi line-up with Nick Cassidy and Mitch Evans behind the wheel. Meanwhile, Maserati are taking the single-seater racing by storm with Maximilian Guenther and Jehan Daruvala. Current Formula E Champion Jake Dennis races for Andretti alongside Norman Nato. Then there’s Lucas Di Grassi and Nico Muller representing ABT while the two Nissan drivers - Sacha Fenestraz and Oliver Rowland - make up the rest of the grid.
Female representation in Formula E
There’s been some inspiring women on and off the track in Formula E. Susie Wolff is surely one of the names who made great strides for females in motorsport by her position of CEO at Venturi. She first became team principal and part-owner of Venturi for Season Six. It came after she retired from motorsport in 2015 and looked for yet another competitive challenge.
She was approached about the position while she was still driving for Williams in Formula One and didn’t really think at the time that Formula E was going to work. However, she surely changed her mind and recorded one of the most successful years for Venturi in Season 7, securing 146 points in the Teams’ Championship. That year, Wolff was promoted to CEO of the team, with Jerome D’Ambrosio taking over as Team Principal. Once the team was rebranded to Maserati for Season 9, Wolff left the sport and is now Managing Director of the F1 Academy.
As for drivers, Simona De Silvestro is one of the longest-serving female drivers in Formula E. She made her debut with Andretti at the end of Season 1, racing alongside Jean-Eric Vergne. De Silvestro kept her seat for the following season and became the only woman to score points in the series in Long Beach and Berlin.
Meanwhile, Katherine Legge and Michela Cerruti both started the first-ever Formula E race in Beijing. Legge raced for Amlin Aguri while Cerruti started for Trulli.
Legge is now racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and in IndyCar as a part-time driver. She holds the record for the fastest qualifying effort by a female driver in the Indy 500, which she set in 2023. She’s prepared to enter the iconic race once again this year with Dale Coyne Racing while being sponsored by make-up brand e.l.f. Meanwhile, Cerruti is now racing touring cars in the international series with Mulsanne Racing.
- by Catherine Micallef
