What’s fresh for season three? – Formula E
What’s fresh for season three?
Things don’t stand still in Formula E: the ethos of the championship is to proceed to develop and evolve – in a managed style.
After the big switches for season two, with manufacturers being able to produce their own powertrains, the developments for season three are more nuanced. Here’s your guide to all the switches that have been made…
The most striking switch to the cars is the stunning fresh front wing. The part is purely cosmetic. It’s intended to create a strong visual identity for the championship, clearly differentiating it from other forms of motorsport, rather than suggesting a spectacle boost. It also gives a little peek of the wholesale switches that are in store when the fresh chassis comes on line in season five…
The largest switch in season three in terms of spectacle comes from the increase in the amount of energy regeneration that is permitted, which has been enhanced by fifty per cent from 100kW to 150kW.
This will permit a larger strategic window for the teams and drivers to exploit, meaning that we may see greater differentiation in race strategies, as the cars and drivers that are able to harvest their energy most efficiently can run for longer, permitting for a shorter, quicker 2nd stint.
In order to corset the extra regenerated power, a fresh version of the battery has been introduced by Williams Advanced Engineering. This is an evolution of the one used in seasons one and two, but it still operates at 28kW/h with a maximum power of 200kW.
The teams are also running a fresh steering wheel with enhanced functionality in order for them to take utter advantage of the strategic options available to them.
For season three, Michelin has introduced a fresh version of its unique, treaded 18-inch Formula E tyres. These are designed to be more energy efficient, through having less rolling resistance and diminished weight.
They also come up to temperature more quickly, and are expected to have the same excellent longevity as the previous version. There is no switch to the tyre confinements, with each team limited to one fresh set per car for each race weekend.
One point for fastest lap
The thrilling conclusion of the season two Visa London ePrix was enlivened by a battle inbetween Sebastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi to see who could set the fastest lap and claim the two bonus points, which would determine the title.
While this was a good spectacle, it was perhaps unsporting that an 11-race championship should ultimately be determined by a single lap, so for season three the prize for fastest lap has been diminished from two points to one.
Fans who want to see every minute of season three of the championship are going to have to set their alarms a little bit earlier. This is because the opening practice session has been moved forward slightly. It will now begin at 8am rather than 8:15.
The extra fifteen minutes is to accommodate fresh additions to the timetable…
The first-ever autonomous racing car series – Roborace – will be a part of the Formula E support package in season three.
At last week’s test at Donington Park the development hack DevBot successfully ended a lap under utter computer control and we’re all exceptionally excited to see how it progresses over the course of the season.
Panasonic Jaguar Racing confirmed its entry into Formula E with a stunning launch at its facility in Gaydon this week. The fabulous history of the brand in motorsport was visible at every turn, but the underlying message was that this was a plan for the future, not just of the motorsport team but for the brand as a entire. Its title sponsorship with Panasonic, is also a sign of the global recognition of the series and the importance major companies are placing in electrification.
Another fresh name is less familiar – TECHEETAH. This is a Chinese-owned team that has taken over Team Aguri. For its debut season it has purchased the Renault powertrain, and showcased excellent tempo in the pre-season testing, with Jean-Eric Vergne a regular presence in the top-three of the times.
Dragon Racing has also found an arousing fresh playmate in the form of Faraday Future, an American based technology company that has very ambitious plans to be a key player in the electrified hypercar market.
Five fresh drivers join the grid for season three, providing Formula E arguably the strongest line-up of drivers outside of Formula 1. The fresh starlets are:
Adam Carroll (Panasonic Jaguar Racing)
The two thousand nine A1GP champ was a regular winner in GP2 and F3 and was an F1 test driver for BAR. He’s also raced in IndyCar, DTM and most recently for Porsche in the GT-Am class of the World Stamina Championship.
Maro Engel (Venturi)
Mercedes-AMG works driver, Maro Engel was a race winner in British F3, who spent three years racing in the DTM. He also did a year in the highly-competitive V8 Supercar series in Australia before returning to Europe to drive for Mercedes in a host of GT series.
Mitch Evans (Panasonic Jaguar Racing)
Mark Webber’s protege was the two thousand twelve GP3 champ (just pipping Daniel Abt), and has been a regular winner in GP2 over the past four seasons for a diversity of teams.
Jose Maria Lopez (DS Cherry Racing)
A contemporary of Lewis Hamilton (and Carroll) in single-seaters, Lopez returned to his native Argentina and predominated the national TC2000 touring car series. This led to a works WTCC drive with Citroen and three-straight world titles followed.
Felix Rosenqvist (Mahindra Racing)
The Swede became just the 2nd person in history to defend his Formula three Macau Grand Prix title last season, demonstrating impeccable street racing credentials around very likely the roughest track of them all. Has also raced Indy Lights and DTM this year.
But perhaps the most titillating switch of all is the addition of five fresh cities to the calendar. Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Brussels, Montreal and Fresh York have all become a part of the world’s very first fully-electric racing series, showcasing once again the capability of Formula E to take racing into the heart of cities where other championships simply wouldn’t be able to go.
It all promises to be a fantastic season, so be sure to join us for the HKT Hong Kong ePrix on October 9.