Formula E News and General Discussion Thread

[RasputinLives]

Formula E will have World Championship status from 2020 onwards:

Formula E to be given world championship status for 2020-21

All-electric racing series Formula E will be given world championship status for the 2020-21 season.

www.bbc.co.uk

Only other Motorsport catogry that has this status is F1. It's a sign of how far the series has come.

 

[cider_and_toast]

Good news.

Yes, electric cars are in vogue at the moment hence the support for the series is getting stronger however, without doubt, the wheel to wheel racing is key.

Another dent in F1's armour. As each season passes and F1 still fails to challenge its core issues, it becomes less and less relevant.

 

[RasputinLives]

Formula E is also doing a very good job of hoovering up the driving talent that does not have the budget or has been overlooked by the F1 teams.

Example - F2 champion Nick De Vreis is now in Formula E whilst the only graduate to F1 is Nicholas Lateffi.

Alex Albon, who is now being hailed an F1 rising star, was all signed and ready to go in Formula E this time last year as well - but for the FIA not bowing to pressure on Dan Ticktum he would be there now.

 

[cider_and_toast]

The thing is, if you are a talented young driver, the performance differential in FE is small enough for that talent to make a difference on the track. They have to race hard, elbows out and find the right lines.

Sadly, as we all know in F1, the performance differential is so wide a talented young driver, George Russell for example, can do nothing in a whale of a shit car.

 

[RasputinLives]

Yet he'd be getting wins in Formula E

 

[cider_and_toast]

Yet he'd be getting wins in Formula E

Indeed and until the glamour of winning in FE becomes as big or bigger than F1, drivers will be content to trundle round in hopelessly uncompetitive cars rather than win races in other Formula.

 

[RasputinLives]

Indeed. I'll be honest I don't ever see Formula E overtaking Formula 1. I just think one day the two series will merge and be called Formula 1 with the Formula E rules so they can keep the 'history'.

 

[cider_and_toast]

I think you're spot on.

 

[RasputinLives]

By the way I missed this

New Formula E qualifying point adds extra dynamic - BMW Andretti boss

The new point to be given to Formula E drivers topping group running in qualifying sessions will add an extra dynamic in 2019-20, says BMW Andretti team boss Roger Griffiths

www.autosport.com

Basically the 4 drivers that each top their qualifying group get a point as well as the pole driver getting 3.

I'm not sure I like it but see why it's been done. Makes figuring out title stuff hard!

You can now get 31 points in a weekend.

 

[RasputinLives]

Not for the first time Gerhard Berger has to eat his own words some what

The FE cynic who had to accept change in his series

DTM boss Gerhard Berger was an ardent detractor of Formula E and was reluctant for his series to embrace greener engine technologies. But this cynic's tune has had to change to ensure the DTM's existence in the future of motorsport

www.autosport.com

Eat that Boomer.

 

[cider_and_toast]

I think FE's success has surprised a lot of people.

 

[Legs]

My bro and I have got tickets for the Saturday race in London. Hopefully the championship will still be alive and the race as exciting as the corresponding penultimate round in New York last year!

 

[RasputinLives]

I didn't know they were on sale yet! I need to get myself some.

 

[Legs]

You may have your work cut out there, Ras. There were barely any tickets left when I booked at the start of December...

 

[RasputinLives]

Bugger

 

[cider_and_toast]

Looking at the FE website RasputinLives there are a tiny number of individual £99 seats for both days in the start line grandstand and a good number of seats left in the E Village for £15. The trouble with the E village seats is that they are not trackside and you watch the race on big screens.

 

[Bill Boddy]

You could watch it for free on TV cider_and_toast

 

[FB]

I looked at the price to go to London and it's cheaper to go to the e-Prix in Monaco! Just think about that, attending an event in the East End is costs more than the same event in the most expensive place in the world to live.

 

[FB]

It's Santiago this weekend - 2020 Antofagasta Minerals Santiago E-Prix | FIA Formula E

And here's the TV schedule - Ways to watch | FIA Formula E

 

[RasputinLives]

Santiago never fails to deliver a good Formula E race. Great stuff as usual.

Hats off to BMW. When they ditched Da Costa for Gunther I thought it was a daft move but Max showed his metal in this one. The much maligned Attack Mode really made the race here with Evans thinking it was a good idea to get them 'out the way' and get track position getting caught out when Gunther used it in 'over cut' fashion. I thought they were both going to get by the Teechetahs but they self destructed. Big kudos to Gunther though for fighting back on Da Costa though.

Say what you like about the quali format where the top guys get disadvantaged but it creates great racing and means you really have to prove yourself to be successful over a season.

Worth a watch if you've not seen it. Jag shot themselves in the foot again too!