Dash Racing
Points Scorer
It's one week to go until the start of the Formula E season. With all the drivers finally confirmed, the driver lineup for this year's Beijing ePrix has a few new (and not so young) faces.
However, the driver lineup isn't half as interesting as the introduction of manufacturers to Formula E. With the regulations for everything behind the battery opened up for this season, eight manufacturers stepped forward to engineer new powertrain solutions. Ultimately, Andretti scrapped their drivetrain, joining Aguri in using last year's drivetrain. Venturi is the only manufacturer supplying two teams, the works team, and Dragon. Some teams have opted for direct drive, others for gears, some have two motors, some just one. Which is the best solution? Who knows, but that's the point of Formula E's opening of the regulations, they want to find the best way to make an electric car, and test it under racing conditions.
Testing already shows the cars are quicker than last year, partially due to a boost in maximum power to 170Kw, but the testing at Donington seems to show reliability may be an issue for the new drivetrains, which may give Andretti and Aguri the edge at the start of the season, though they'll likely see that advantage fade as the season progresses.
FanBoost has been open for a week now, and last year's champion, Nelson Piquet Jr is at the top of the board. It's probably safe to say he'll keep that lead, since he was very popular last year too. The winner of the FanBoost won't be revealed until the race is underway, meaning the drivers only get FanBoost in one car. Will they choose to use their FanBoost all in one burst, or will they opt to have slightly increased power over a longer period of time? We won't know until they climb into their second car.
Also new this year is the introduction of the full course yellow. Hopefully we won't see one of those at Beijing, and will have a nice clean race.
The circuit once again runs around the birdcage, but they've removed the chicane between turns two and three. This may create a bit more of an overtaking opportunity into turn 3, but that remains to be seen.
A very serious collision between Heidfeld and Prost at the end of last year's race proves that just because Formula E is slower than Formula 1 right now, that doesn't mean it's any less cut-throat. These drivers mean business. Last year's winner was Lucas di Grassi. Can lightning strike twice in the Thunder in Beijing?
However, the driver lineup isn't half as interesting as the introduction of manufacturers to Formula E. With the regulations for everything behind the battery opened up for this season, eight manufacturers stepped forward to engineer new powertrain solutions. Ultimately, Andretti scrapped their drivetrain, joining Aguri in using last year's drivetrain. Venturi is the only manufacturer supplying two teams, the works team, and Dragon. Some teams have opted for direct drive, others for gears, some have two motors, some just one. Which is the best solution? Who knows, but that's the point of Formula E's opening of the regulations, they want to find the best way to make an electric car, and test it under racing conditions.
Testing already shows the cars are quicker than last year, partially due to a boost in maximum power to 170Kw, but the testing at Donington seems to show reliability may be an issue for the new drivetrains, which may give Andretti and Aguri the edge at the start of the season, though they'll likely see that advantage fade as the season progresses.
FanBoost has been open for a week now, and last year's champion, Nelson Piquet Jr is at the top of the board. It's probably safe to say he'll keep that lead, since he was very popular last year too. The winner of the FanBoost won't be revealed until the race is underway, meaning the drivers only get FanBoost in one car. Will they choose to use their FanBoost all in one burst, or will they opt to have slightly increased power over a longer period of time? We won't know until they climb into their second car.
Also new this year is the introduction of the full course yellow. Hopefully we won't see one of those at Beijing, and will have a nice clean race.
The circuit once again runs around the birdcage, but they've removed the chicane between turns two and three. This may create a bit more of an overtaking opportunity into turn 3, but that remains to be seen.
A very serious collision between Heidfeld and Prost at the end of last year's race proves that just because Formula E is slower than Formula 1 right now, that doesn't mean it's any less cut-throat. These drivers mean business. Last year's winner was Lucas di Grassi. Can lightning strike twice in the Thunder in Beijing?