In 2014, a new motorsport racing series, Formula E, made its debut on the world stage. This was different from the norm. Something unique. There were no V8s or turbos here, no high-grade racing fuels, no replacement engines stored at the back of the pit lane garages. Here, the cars that tore around the Beijing street circuit were powered by electricity and a revolution in motorsport had begun.

Five years on, Formula E is still charging along and in May the series landed in Berlin for the 10th round of the 2018-19 season. Bill Key, former editor of Motor Trader, was there to experience this special motorsport event. 

Built in the 1930s, Tempelhof Airport is, at first thought, an unlikely venue for an all-electric motor racing championship. But that is exactly where I found myself at the end of May, as futuristic Batmobile-looking Formula E race cars reached speeds of up to 280km/h on the tarmac of the now closed Berlin airport.

Tempelhof Airport was once one of the largest buildings on earth and with its grandiose architecture and checkered history it provided a dramatic backdrop for Round 10 of the worldwide ABB FIA Formula E Championship.

So, what is Formula E?

Before I was invited to Germany by Michelin Australia, I had little knowledge of this new-kid-on-the-block racing event. I Googled it, I watched YouTube videos, and I discovered the high-profile names that piloted these amazing cars . . . my curiosity was piqued.

After experiencing it first hand, plug me in and charge me up, I’m a convert to this all-electric, highly competitive form of ‘motor’ racing!

It was in 2011 that the idea for an all-electric street racing series had its genesis.

In a restaurant in Paris, FIA President Jean Todt and Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag scribbled on a napkin the original idea for the world’s first all-electric international single-seater championship.

After that fateful meeting, the two businessmen further developed the idea into a championship series as a means to demonstrate the potential of sustainable mobility to help create a better, cleaner world and provide competitive and entertaining racing.

Three years later, in 2014, Formula E had its debut in in the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing.

With 11 teams and 22 drivers on the grid for its fifth season, the Championship has grown into a global event with some of the world’s best motorsport teams and talent.

Nissan, Jaguar, DS, Mahindra, Audi and BMW are just some of the big names already competing, and with Mercedes and Porsche both entering next year with factory teams, it will be one of the few series to have the big four German manufacturers competing against each other.

All-electric-powered cars are not the only point of difference in Formula E.

In fact, there are few similarities between it and traditional motorsport series.

Three-time Le Mans winner, former F1 driver and current Formula E Team Principal for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, Allan McNish explains:

“It doesn’t compare, it is a complete mind switch, as a driver, as a team principal, as an engineer . . . everything.

“Formula E and the reason we are in it, is because it is different.

“It’s all electric, it’s in city centres and it’s on roads that you can’t predict.

“It is also a formula where they adapt the rules to ensure that teams don’t run away with the championship, to make sure that it is entertainment. I would say that where normally, historically, we are sport first, entertainment second, we are now entertainment and sport on the same level.”

As part of that entertainment angle, Formula E is the only event in the world that lets fans play an active role in influencing the outcome of the race.

A feature called Fanboost gives fans the opportunity to vote for their favourite driver and award them an extra boost of power during the race.

The five drivers who receive the Fanboost are awarded a significant burst of power, which they can deploy in a five-second window during the second half of the race. Fans can vote for their favourite driver in the six days prior to, and leading up to 15 minutes into, each race.

In addition to this ‘gamification’ of the sport is Attack Mode.

To engage this mode, drivers need to arm their car by driving off the racing line and through the Activation Zone. Here they can collect an extra 25kW of power. Drivers that secure the extra speed, can use it for a few laps when they want to race harder, giving them the edge to keep ahead of the competition.

The finer details of Attack Mode for each race are decided by the FIA one hour before the race, meaning the teams and drivers only have 60 minutes to decide the race strategy.

I told you it was different, and it appeals to a different sort of fan.

Carrera Cup Australia driver Jordan Love was with me in Berlin. He and his mates fall into the age demographic that Formula E are targeting and he was impressed with what he saw.

“The whole event, with music, DJs and bands playing, the food trucks and all the different activities make it so easy to get into it, not only with what’s happening on the track but at the whole event. There are simulators everywhere, so the gaming aspect really appeals to people,” he said.

“I think the fact that they can hold these races in the middle of cities really opens it up to new fans. It’s easy for people to get to, so you don’t have to just be a diehard fan to travel a long way to experience live racing. You can come along for a day, see the race and enjoy all the festival atmosphere. It would be great fit for Australian sport fans.”

The series is truly global, with 13 races in 12 cities covering five continents.

And again, the locations have very little in common with traditional racing. Apart from the glamour of Monaco and the colour of Mexico, the other cities hosting the street racing series are new to this form of entertainment. Ad Diriyah in Saudi Arabia, Marrakesh, Santiago, Hong Kong, Sanya in China, Rome, Paris, Berlin, Bern and New York make up the race calendar.
It has to be asked – what about Australia?

McNish was adamant with his reply.

“Absolutely. Eventually we have to go to every corner of the globe. Australia is motorsport friendly and we know you can put on a fantastic show. At the moment it is not on the calendar but I’m very sure at some point in the close future it is going to be. And when it is, it will be fantastic.”

THE CARS

They look amazing and have the performance and power that many combustion engines would love, but let’s face it, where is the noise?

The thunderous V8 roar or turbo scream synonymous with traditional motor racing is not there. And, you know something . . . it doesn’t matter.

Instead, fans experience a futuristic whine – for Star Wars fans, it’s a cross between a X-Wing star fighter in full flight and a lightsaber duel.

If you happen to be standing on the bridge that spans the main straight as 22 of these high-voltage cars speed beneath you, let me tell you, there is a noise and it is impressive.

Impressive too are the stats for the Gen2 car. 0-100kmh in 2.8 seconds, top speed of 280kmh, and 250kW, or 335bhp. These figures are big improvements from Gen1 and proves how fast the technology is advancing in the series.

The most notable change is the battery which, interestingly, is supplied by McLaren. The Gen2 car now has double the energy storage capacity of the Gen1, which stops the necessity for drivers to make mid-race car swaps. The power is also increased by 50kW.

All teams must use the same chassis, tyres and battery. Each team can develop and design their own powertrains. This includes the inverter, the motor and the transmission, and the secrecy surrounding these elements are closely guarded by teams to try and gain that bit of extra performance over their rivals.

All teams use the Michelin Pilot Sport all weather tyre, specifically designed for the demands of electric street racing. There are no tyre changes due to weather, so drivers need to adjust their driving style to suit the conditions.

It is perhaps the tyre technology used in the series that has one of the biggest benefits to the everyday street driving car.

“For Michelin, this Championship is a really important commitment. It is important to us to be involved in competitions that make sense in terms of messages and rules, and how the competition is helpful to us to develop better tyres for the future and better mobility for the future. Formula E is perfect for that,” says Serge Grisin, the manager of Michelin Motorsport’s Formula E program.

“We want to be involved in programs where we can test and promote our technology – technology that looks at more sustainable mobility, and technology that we can transfer directly to street tyres.

“Since our initial commitment to Formula E, we have worked non-stop to improve the tyre and technology.”

With only two sets of tyres available to each car for the entire weekend, the financial, sustainability and logistical savings are enormous compared to some other race series.

“For each race weekend, Michelin needs to supply 176 tyres for the 22 cars. If you took only 176 tyres to an F1 race, perhaps you would be able to supply two cars,” says Grisin.

Tyres account for between 20 and 25 percent of the energy consumed by road-going vehicles. They consequently have a direct impact on the distance electric cars can travel.

In the world of electric vehicles, low rolling resistance tyres allow longer distances to be covered between battery charging stops.

When the Pilot Sport EV2 was introduced for Formula E’s third campaign in 2016/17, it was calculated that it would have enabled the previous season’s cars to complete an extra lap with the same technology package.

The new Michelin Pilot Sport continues to drive this progress and apart from its coloured sidewalls, the Pilot Sport could almost be mistaken for a mass-production tyre. Because of its 18-inch interior diameter – a first in the world of single-seater racing – and patterned tread, it wouldn’t look remotely out of place on a standard road car.

The size and tread pattern also means that the data Michelin is able to collect at E-Prix meetings is fed directly into the development of the firm’s future road tyres.

There is no doubt the latest Gen2 Formula E cars look the business, and the design team at Spark Racing Technology have been responsible for creating a car that ‘does not look like any other formula racing car.’

“We believe we have succeeded in designing a car that, when you see it, you know immediately is a Formula E car,” said Pierre-Alain Michot from Spark.

Although people make comparisons with the Batmobile, the original inspiration came from a different high-performance vehicle.

“The first inspiration for the design was the F22 fighter plane. If you look, you can see some similarities in the design around the rear wings,” said Michot.

Most of the downforce on these cars comes from the underfloor, with the huge diffuser providing grip even when behind another car.

“We have much lower downforce than F1 cars, which is why there is no big single rear wing. A lot of the bodywork is designed to reduce turbulence to the car behind and provide close racing.”

THE RACE

In keeping with the different nature of Formula E, the race format is also something new to get your head around.

The race, or E-Prix, begins with a standing start and lasts for 45-minutes. At the end, once the 45 minutes are up and the leader has crossed the finish line, there’s still one more lap to go until the race finishes.

For a traditional motorsport fan, it is a system that is weird to understand at first – referring to minutes and seconds of the race as opposed to laps – but with all the little extras like Attack Mode and Fanboost, there is no denying it is an entertaining format to watch.

Formula E follows a standard points system, as used in other FIA-sanctioned series – awarding points to the top-10 finishers.

The driver starting on pole picks-up an extra three points, while the driver who sets the fastest lap during the race receives one additional point. However, the driver must finish in the top 10 places to gain the Fastest Lap extra point. If not, then the driver in the top 10 with the next fastest lap takes the honour.

The majority of races take place over a single day in order to minimise disruption to the host city. However, where possible, some events stretch to two days with double the amount of action.

These are referred to as double-headers.

Before the race itself there is a shakedown session to check electronics and reliability, with the cars’ power reduced to 110kW.

There are then two practice sessions with full power available followed by qualifying and a super pole shootout.

To further add to the entertainment, the qualifying session lasts one hour and sees drivers divided into four groups of up to six cars, defined by their position in the championship. Each driver has six minutes to set their best time, with the top-six drivers proceeding to the Super Pole shoot-out in a bid to secure pole position. During the Super Pole shoot-out, the drivers go out one-by-one, with the sixth fastest driver from the group stages going out first.

THE FUTURE

Many people told me over the weekend that ‘Formula E is a global entertainment brand with motorsport at its heart.’

This is obviously the corporate line, but it actually seems to be true.

As an event person, I was as impressed with the whole set up. The E-village with funky food trucks to cater for the thirsty and hungry, and first-class fan interactions that provided very good off-track activities to keep the punters entertained – DJs, bands, racing simulators all added to the buzz.

The ever-present messaging of sustainability and innovation provides a platform for the big corporate names who want to be associated with clean and clever strategies for the future. And the lack of loud engines screaming past every few minutes is an obvious plus for those corporates discussing deals during the race.

It’s this clever partnering and event management that is obviously helping Formula E stake it’s claim in the motorsport arena, targeting new fans in new cities with a new form of racing.
I personally hope we see an Australian race added to the calendar sooner rather than later, this is the future lining up on the E grid and we don’t want to be left in the pits.

Source: Motor Trader E-Magazine (July 2019)

8 Jul 2019