Category: Open Wheel Racing

The rookies shone

One of the most obvious takeaways from the Hong Kong ePrix was the remarkable job done by Formula E’s five rookie drivers in establishing themselves amongst an already impressive grid. José María López in particular showed his potential pace in qualifying third, as did Felix Rosenqvist by starting sixth and setting the fastest lap of the race; and not to mention Maro Engel, who was not only the highest rookie finisher in ninth but also consistently outperformed his more experienced teammate Sarrazin through qualifying and the race.

The series’ two rookie teams also made strong impressions on their respective debuts. Although Techeetah’s day ended with a double DNF brought on by technical issues and a first lap collision, the Chinese team displayed considerable speed all weekend, suggesting even that Jean-Éric Vergne might have been a contender for pole had qualifying run uninterrupted. Jaguar also ran well despite lacking the pace to challenge the front, and it was a shame that their strategic dare of a long first stint could only net them twelfth.

Track layouts are still an issue

Formula E’s logistical side once again came under scrutiny in Hong Kong, after the profile of the Turn 3-4 chicane was controversially altered prior to qualifying. With the change contributing to heavy crashes from di Grassi, Frijns and Lopez across the day, it was no wonder the decision came under heavy fire from the teams and drivers, who reportedly were only notified of it a few minutes before qualifying.

Last-minute alterations such as this have unfortunately become a by-product of the “pop-up” nature of Formula E’s street tracks. But although these problems may always present themselves, the disorganised way in which they are solved does not likewise need to remain a fixture – if Formula E is to truly become a top-line series, it must remove these clumsy incidents from its DNA.

Reliability will be key

Managing reliability emerged as one of the critical tasks for teams in Hong Kong, with mechanical or technical trouble contributing to at least three of the five retirements, and afflicting many more drivers besides.

With several teams incorporating new powertrain designs this season, a few technical gremlins are only to be expected, especially from the two new teams. But as Formula E is now reaching a level where it is attracting big name marques like Audi and Mercedes, it can’t be good to see its existing outfits still suffering from niggling technological troubles after three seasons of development.

The field is as close as ever

Although on paper another Buemi/ di Grassi podium looked to be all too predictable, the Hong Kong ePrix proved that Formula E’s third season will be every bit as varied as its predecessors.

Sam Bird looks set to be a true contender for the title this season, if his qualifying and early race pace are anything to go by. The improvements made by stalwart midfielders Andretti and Mahindra showed enough give the top three teams something to think about, whilst Dragon and Techeetah should also have the ability to mix it at the front if they can overcome their various reliability issues. According to Hong Kong, there is not a single team on the 2016-17 grid that could not be considered a regular challenger for points – and at least six of them should be targeting the podium from here on out, if not the occasional race win too.

James Matthews, Formula E editor

Reigning Formula E champions Sébastien Buemi and Renault e.Dams got their respective title defences off to a perfect start, by taking the victory in Hong Kong as misfortunes carried their rivals out of contention.

In typical Formula E style, the 2016 Hong Kong ePrix began with a vastly mixed grid. Pole position was claimed by Nelson Piquet Jr in one half of a surprising NextEV front row lockout, and was decided without the usual Super Pole session as a heavy crash by Robin Frijns meant the track needed to be closed down for lengthy barrier repairs.

Frijns was joined at the back of the grid by title contender Lucas di Grassi, who crashed himself in an earlier group session after being caught out by a late change to the layout of the Turn 3-4 chicane.

But whilst Formula E’s more experienced drivers struggled on their first weekend back, its rookies shone in qualifying, with DS Virgin’s José María López and Mahindra’s Felix Rosenqvist particularly impressive in third and sixth respectively.

But if qualifying was frenzied, the race was even more so.

Piquet made a good getaway from pole, and managed to make the most of the clean air to avoid getting swallowed by the quicker DS Virgins on row two of the grid. But as he and teammate Oliver Turvey settled cleanly into formation at the front, it was anything but behind as the rest of the field barrelled into the opening corners.

The two Virgins of López and Sam Bird were the first to come together at the Turn 1 hairpin, and though the pair escaped without any visible damage, the contact appeared to leave López with some internal damage, and sent the Argentine plummeting straight down the order.

Then at Turn 2, Ma Qing Hua was caught out under braking and hit the back of Nico Prost, and was in turn hit from behind by a trapped di Grassi, who managed to continue albeit after taking on a new nose in the pits.

As the order changed rapidly on the opening lap, several drivers who qualified outside the top ten benefited from the attrition to get into the points, with Nick Heidfeld making the biggest jump from eleventh to fifth ahead of his rookie teammate Rosenqvist.

But Mahindra’s shot at a solid double points finish was was soured when Rosenqvist lost the rear through Turn 5 and dropped it into the wall. The Swede managed to limp back to the pits and return briefly in his second car, and scored a single consolatory point by setting the fastest lap before retiring.

At the front, Bird and Buemi brought themselves up onto the podium after passing first the stricken López and then Oliver Turvey, and set about cutting down Piquet’s two-second lead.

For a while the Brazilian looked comfortably ahead, but disaster struck on lap 17 when he came up to lap López and found the DS Virgin beached in the chicane wall – taking avoiding action, Piquet moved to the escape road and was forced to watch as Bird and Buemi both went past.

Bird appeared to have the race in hand from then on, opening a gap to Buemi and pitting later to conserve energy for the final stint; but his own stint as race leader was even shorter than Piquet’s, with a gearbox issue on his second car leaving him stranded in the garage during his stop.

Buemi then inherited the lead, and found himself heading off a surprise challenge from Lucas di Grassi. The ABT driver’s race looked to be run after the energy demands of his climb from the back row of the grid forced an early stop, but the safety car brought out by López’s crash allowed di Grassi to conserve power without losing touch with the pack.

The two season two rivals then continued to trade lap times throughout the closing stages of the race, although Buemi was ultimately able to hold off di Grassi and cross the line with over two seconds to spare.

Heidfeld completed the podium, having just enough useable power on the final lap to see off Nico Prost.

Andretti also had a remarkable race after managing a best of just thirteenth in qualifying. Both da Costa and Frijns conserved energy in the first stint ahead of a late charge, and brought home fifth and sixth place respectively to tie Andretti with ABT for second in the standings.

Jérôme d’Ambrosio ended a disappointing day for Dragon Racing in seventh ahead of front row starter Oliver Turvey, whilst the points were rounded out by Venturi, with rookie Maro Engel edging out his experienced teammate to score his first Formula E points.

Jaguar Racing had a respectable debut with Adam Carroll finishing twelfth and fighting for points early on, though their result was soured by Mitch Evans suffering a technical DNF.

The British marque’s fellow debutants Techeetah endured a torrid first ePrix, failing to capitalise on their testing pace as Ma’s first lap crash and technical troubles for Jean-Éric Vergne ended in a double non-finish.

https://youtu.be/zPaggopePqA

James Matthews, Formula E editor

It’s finally here – after a three-month off season, the start of the 2016-17 FIA Formula E Championship is just a few days away.

With an all-new calendar for season three, the championship will begin in Hong Kong instead of the traditional Beijing, and will also be the first single-header Formula E race to take place on a Sunday, as the e-Touring Car Challenge takes centre stage on Saturday. Formula E’s track action begins with practice at 10:30 local time and qualifying at midday, with the race following at 16:00 or 09:00 UK time.

As well as a new circuit and schedule, the opening round of season three will also feature two new teams and five new drivers, all of whom will no doubt be the focus of much attention this weekend.

Jaguar will be especially in the limelight as the latest marque to join the Formula E paddock, although the team is expecting to have a fairly low-key debut whilst its two rookie drivers Adam Carroll and Mitch Evans find their feet in the series.

Also joining the paddock for the first time will be Techeetah, the Chinese-funded outfit taking over the defunct Team Aguri entry. While the Techeetah name may not carry the same weight as Jaguar’s, the team is on course for a strong race in Hong Kong after new signing Jean-Éric Vergne took his new Renault-powered car to the top of the testing times on three of the six days.

But if either team is to score points on its debut, they will undoubtably have their work cut out for them as Formula E looks set for its closest field yet.

Renault e.Dams certainly left testing as the team to beat once again, both on qualifying and long run pace, but the battle at the front looks to be much tighter as DS Virgin and Dragon Racing both have made great improvements on their season two machinery.

Dragon in particular emerged as a challenger for race wins this season, with a new partnership with Faraday Future boosting their prospects, whilst DS Virgin’s hopes will be bolstered by their acquisition of three-time WTCC champion José María López.

Behind them, MS Amlin Andretti look on course for their strongest season to date as they pair the highly-rated Robin Frijns with season one race winner and BMW protege António Félix da Costa. Mahindra’s new M3Electro also appeared in testing to have the pace for podium contention, particularly in the hands of rookie Felix Rosenqvist.

All in all, the 2016 Hong Kong ePrix is set to give a fascinating first glimpse at the shape of the 2016-17 championship, with absolutely no guarantee we’ll see the usual suspects filling out the podium again on Sunday.

James Matthews, Formula E editor

Reigning Formula One world champion Mercedes-Benz GP has taken up an option on an entry to the 2018-19 Formula E season.

The news comes after fellow German marques Audi and BMW both announced future Formula E programmes of their own, in conjunction with ABT Schaeffler and Andretti respectively, as part of their growing commitment to hybrid electric vehicles.

Mercedes’ own foray into electric cars is set to begin in December, with the unveiling of their first ever electric SUV at the Paris Motor Show.

Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, said: “We have been watching the growth of Formula E with great interest…and we are very pleased with an agreement that secures us an opportunity to enter the series in season five.

“Electrification will play a major role in the future of the automotive industry – racing has always been a technology R&D platform for the motor industry, and this will make Formula E very relevant in the future.”

Alejandro Agag added that Mercedes would be a “major boost” to Formula E’s “exciting mix of consolidated manufacturers like Renault, Citroen-DS, Audi, Mahindra [and] Jaguar.”

The 2018-19 Formula E season was already set to receive a great deal of interest from manufacturers, with the move from two cars per driver to single cars that can last a race distance creating a logistical opening for another two entries on the grid.

James Matthews, Formula E editor

Porsche enters submits tender for season five battery supply

Porsche has emerged as the latest name in the running to become Formula E’s sole battery supplier in season five. Although the German marque’s application is as yet unconfirmed, it is believed Porsche is looking to add Formula E to a growing programme of electric and hybrid vehicles that already includes the Mission E concept car – slated for 2020 production – and the WEC LMP1 title-winning 919 Hybrid.

The FIA’s choice for the season five battery supply is expected to be formally announced at the forthcoming Hong Kong ePrix, with names such as McLaren, Williams Advanced Engineering, SAFT, DS and Mahindra also understood to be in the running.

New York ePrix track layout revealed

In the build-up to the new season, Formula E has revealed the track layout for the inaugural New York ePrix. The thirteen-turn track (pictured below) will be located in Brooklyn along the waterfront of Upper Bay, and features as its backdrop the Statue of Liberty and Lower Manhattan.

New York is one of four new host cities on the 2016-17 calendar, alongside Marrakesh, Brussels and Montreal, and has already been hailed by reigning champion Sébastien Buemi as a “spectacular” addition to “the most exciting calendar ever seen in motorsport”.

Formula E seeking new host cities for season four

Although the Formula E calendar has already swelled from nine cities in season two to twelve cities across five continents in season three, the series has announced this week that it is actively looking for yet more race hosts for the 2017-18 season.

CEO of Formula E Alejandro Agag said: “We have already enjoyed remarkable growth over two seasons of Formula E and now have partnerships with some of the most iconic cities in the world. There is now a unique opportunity for new cities to join our calendar and share in the continued growth of the championship.”

James Matthews

The Techeetah team has continued its impressive Formula E debut, with lead driver Jean-Éric Vergne topping the timesheets on two of the final three days of pre-season testing.

The Frenchman was already responsible for lowering Donington Park’s Formula E lap record in the first week of testing, but showed the Chinese team’s pace was not a one-off by recording an almost identical time on Monday and then lowering it yet further on Tuesday with a 1:29.196s.

On Wednesday Vergne went faster again by almost a second, but was denied a clean sweep at the top when Sébastien Buemi just edged into the 1:28s in the morning session.

This proved to be Renault e.Dams’ only real display of pace all week – cemented by Nico Prost coming third, three tenths behind Buemi – as the defending champions focused on long runs for most of the test.

But though Renault and customers Techeetah appeared to be stretching their legs in front, the rest of the field was far from left behind – in fact, the top ten was rarely separated by more than a second across the week.

In particular, DS Virgin appear to have made a significant step towards the front – aided in part by José María Lopez’s swift settling into the series – and were the only team bar Renault to see both drivers finish each day within the top ten.

Dragon too continued to show a resurgence of its season one potential, and in the hands of Daniel Abt the ABT Schaeffler FE02 looked to be at least as solid as its predecessor.

Mahindra had a somewhat muted second test with Heidfeld and Rosenqvist only managing a best of sixth and eleventh respectively, whilst Andretti and Venturi – the latter having struggled for reliability across both weeks – failed to set a single top ten time between them.

James Matthews

Channel 5 to broadcast Formula E live in UK

Channel 5 has been announced as Formula E’s live UK broadcasters for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. All races from Hong Kong through to New York will be shown live on Channel 5, with qualifying sessions broadcast on sister channel Spike and practice sessions covered via Channel 5’s social media.

Channel 5’s Mark Shurman called the deal “a fantastic opportunity” to promote Formula E’s technology and racing in the UK.

Jaguar sign Mitch Evans to final race seat

Jaguar Racing has completed its debut lineup by signing Mitch Evans alongside Adam Carroll. The 2012 GP3 champion drove for the team in the first pre-season test as part of a rota with Alex Lynn and Harry Tincknell, but is the only one of the three to be retained for the second test.

Evans and Carroll, along with the team’s final race livery, are expected to be confirmed by Jaguar later this week.

Audi aiming for full works squad in season four

Audi has intensified its relationship with the ABT Schaeffler squad as part of a build towards running a full factory programme in the 2017-18 season. This follows comments last season from Lucas di Grassi that ABT needs greater involvement from Audi if it is to consistently beat Renault in the future, as well a commitment from Audi to make every fourth vehicle in their line electric by 2025.

Audi brand ambassador Allan McNish called it “the next step” for the marque: “We introduced the diesel injection back in 2006 and more latterly the e-tron hybrid. The next step in road car tech is electrification…so therefore there is an obvious synergy in what happens on the circuit to what happens on the road and Formula E is very important for the future.”

DS Virgin converts to single motor powertrain

DS Virgin has begun season three with a major change in design, running a new single motor DSV-02 powertrain in a bid to better compete with the likes of Renault and ABT. The team previously ran a twin motor setup last season but struggled to fully keep touch with its lighter, single motor rivals.

Conquering weight issues has also been marked as a key area in Mahindra’s summer improvements, with Nick Heidfeld calling the packaging of his new M3Electro “like night and day” compared to the team’s season two challenger.

Meanwhile, the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport squad has confirmed it will be continuing with the single motor and three-speed gearbox philosophy established last season.

James Matthews