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If you thought the new Formula One regulations were the only thing that could keep you on the edge in 2014, think again! September will witness the newly formed Formula E Championship get underway with 10 teams fighting it out in the world’s first fully electric motorsport series. The series that has the strong backing of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the ruling body of Formula One, has been conceived as the future of motorsports and is also expected to boost the performance and use of electric vehicles on roads over the petrol and diesel variants.
The venues
The venue for the inaugural event would be Beijing (China), followed by races in Putrajaya (Malaysia), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Los Angeles and Miami (United States of America), Monte Carlo (Monaco), Berlin (Germany) and the final round in London in June 2015. Some of the races would be held on street circuits to add some excitement to the whole championship.
But the big question is: will the series generate the kind of interest and fan following that Formula One has generated? The comparison at this point, in all sincerity, doesn’t hold good.
Comparison with F1
Formula One owes its popularity to many years of existence and it would be difficult for any new event to take on the popular and widely followed Championship. But some years down the line it may be possible that Formula E would emerge as a serious threat to Formula One.
Formula E puts a strong case for its cause. First and foremost, the concept of a series with green credentials of an electrically-powered form of motorsport is futuristic. With car manufacturers spending a lot of resources on developing clean (and green) vehicles, Formula E could emerge as a platform to test and explore ideas in the same way that Formula One has seen changes in technology for combustion engine vehicles.
Then there is the support of the ruling body that obviously enhances the concept even more. The idea is to reach out to a larger audience with a series that is based on clean energy and in a way more sustainable. Some of the new venues such as Rio de Janeiro, Punta del Este and Buenos Aires are aimed at reaching out to a larger audience, much like what Formula One has done in the last few years by trying newer venues such as India and Abu Dhabi. Also, some of the venues are easily accessible street circuits unlike some of the normal Formula One circuits which are far away from the city and hence require a lot of travelling.
The rules
The rules for the series too have been designed to create a lot of interest, even though a final confirmation is still awaited as per the official series website. For the first season, the 10 participating teams will use SRT-01Es built by Spark Racing Technologies in collaboration with Dallara, Renault, McLaren, Michelin and Williams. Dallara will have the ownership of the chassis, McLaren would be providing the powertrain, the car batteries would be provided by Williams, Renault would oversee the integration and the complete package and Michelin would act as a tyre supplier for at least the first three years. Teams might be allowed to develop their own vehicles and power systems in subsequent years.
There will be two drivers representing a team and each of them will have two cars which makes it four cars per team. The two cars would be split into two types – one having higher endurance and the other greater acceleration (known as the sprint version).
Practice, qualifying and race are expected to be held in a single day unlike the Formula One weekend (for 3 days).
The speeds, times and sounds
The SRT-01Es would be clocking a top speed of 225 kph (and 0-100 kph in approximately 3 seconds) as compared to a Formula One car that goes above 300 kph on most tracks. Each driver would be allowed to make two pit-stops, allowing a switch to the new car after about 30 minutes of the race with a 100 metre sprint proposed to be done by drivers for the change-over. The whole race is expected to last an hour.
The sound of the cars would not be like their Formula One counterparts but is expected to be higher than a normal road car. A special noise system would be used to help alert mechanics as soon as the car enters the pit lane.
The “push-to-pass” boost button, expected to give a bit of extra speed for overtaking much like KERS and DRS used in Formula One, remains a point of contention. As an attraction there is a social media interaction with the fans through an online voting system during races to directly speed up the cars (I wonder how that will work).
The bottomline
While the series has got backing from DHL, Qualcomm and Tag Heuer, future sponsorships will depend on the success of the Championship and its ability to attract a large audience across venues.
On the flip side, there is a lot of scepticism with respect to a new series among fans and how it will emerge as competition for Formula One. But Formula One has its own problems of rising costs, sponsorships, pay-drivers concept and tyres that need attention. The new rules and regulations in Formula One for 2014 are a step towards maintaining the interest of fans.
Going forward we are bound to see a lot more comparisons between Formule One and Formula E but a lot will depend on how well the new series is received by motosport enthusiasts.
