FIA Formula E Championship 2014-15

[bella]

i think you're not seeing the bigger picture or the long term situation. it's one of those series that has implications on the rest of the single seater market if nothing else. it isn't an a1gp or superleague nice idea, it's a genuine potential direction for motorsport both in terms of events (street circuits in cities? i can't wait for berlin), and technology.

i'm not drinking from the fountain of corporate bullpoop there, that's my genuine opinion of where it fits in in the big picture. imo it's a bit of a marketing experiment too - see if companies will get involved with something with almost total green credentials (at least to current standards of "green" production). you have audi and renault involved at a branding level through e.dams (still funny) and abt, which is interesting imo.

[Deleted]

I used A1GP and SF as simlar examples of trying to be different non-F1-ladder series with larger worldwide ambitions than single seater series normally do. But yes you are right in a sense that what we have new could open some new doors and break ground. However I wouldn't associate word technology with a -for now- full spec series with fake gimmicks and not-quite-ready concepts (change of car mid-race?) quite yet, but rather 'idea of technology'. The real technology is seen on hybrid LMP1s and (on smaller scale) F1 and GT500, which have also been gearing towards the idea of 'green racing' in the last few years.

We'll see how it develops

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Imo they need a driver like Frijns for it not to become a retirement home for ex-F1 drivers, although saying that I'd like to see how Leimer performs amongst all others.

However, I personally cannot wait to see the action at Beijing. The tech and the package as a whole could have a major influence on the future presentation of major motorsports series.

[p-matt]

Leimer's not in it though!

Looking forward to it, but the noise of these cars really grate on me. And this is from someone that loves the sound of the new F1 engines

[kotkot]

Leimer replaces Da Costa for the first round because it clashes with DTM. Speaking of Da Costa, he can be a perfect star for the series.

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by Chiana

So... the championship is kicking off this weekend and I don't see particularly high hype here or in other forums or respected media. Even teams like Andretti Autosport have nothing recent to say about in on their official page or FB account, it's like 'whatever'. In fact I too had already forgotten it and found out it was starting now by pure coincidence. Smells like Formula 2.

Like you I'd largely forgotten about it - then last night on TV I saw a trail for the race, in the UK it's going to be shown live on free to air tv (itv4) and they'll also run a highlights show. So I'll take a look. That's the same channel that shows the BTCC coverage (and support) plus the wrc - so they're building up a nice amount of motorsport coverage.

Originally Posted by Biscuits In A Red Bull

Imo they need a driver like Frijns for it not to become a retirement home for ex-F1 drivers, although saying that I'd like to see how Leimer performs amongst all others.

I think that to get the series up and running the ex-F1 drivers are a good idea - people will have heard the names before so are more likely to pay attention. If you have some decent young drivers too then they'll become known and over time you can reduce your F1 retirement home quota (assuming the young drivers don't all move on to something else). Finding a balance is the key here I think.

[bella]

Originally Posted by Chiana

However I wouldn't associate word technology with a -for now- full spec series with fake gimmicks and not-quite-ready concepts (change of car mid-race?) quite yet, but rather 'idea of technology'. The real technology is seen on hybrid LMP1s and (on smaller scale) F1 and GT500, which have also been gearing towards the idea of 'green racing' in the last few years.

ehhhh, i don't think it's a valid comparison with existing series. they've had to adapt the new technologies to fit their existing concept to retain goodwill of manufacturers already involved and supporters. formula e has the luxury of a totally clean sheet and they're exploiting some seriously interesting stuff with their technology partners in the forseeable that will have an impact on how we use electric cars in the future, i'm thinking in particular of the wireless charging idea.

but you're right, the hybrid technology is being seen in those series. the point is that this isn't hybrid technology - it's full spec battery powered racing cars. you can't compare a tesla to a prius, so you shouldn't really be comparing formula e to lmp1.

i respect your cynicism, particularly towards the fan boost stuff (seriously bored of the begging already), but yeah... i think it deserves a couple of seasons and a bit of a watch

[NaBUru38]

In Latin America the championship will air on Fox Sports, same channel as F1, WRC, NASCAR and IMSA.

[Hawkwood]

Originally Posted by kotkot

Leimer replaces Da Costa for the first round because it clashes with DTM. Speaking of Da Costa, he can be a perfect star for the series.

Takuma Sato replaces Felix da Costa for Beijing, Leimer is only a reserve.
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115802

[chillibowl]

In Canada it will air on Speed channel. Speed is available on Shaw but I think other cable providers may have dropped that channel.

[Bandicoot17]

Originally Posted by Chiana

So... the championship is kicking off this weekend and I don't see particularly high hype here or in other forums or respected media. Even teams like Andretti Autosport have nothing recent to say about in on their official page or FB account, it's like 'whatever'. In fact I too had already forgotten it and found out it was starting now by pure coincidence. Smells like Formula 2.

So single day event in China it is. You know I was a fan of A1GP and Superleague Formula had some interesting ideas, so weird format like this could work. Maybe. While the cars are... what they are the fanboost is one of the silliest fake gimmicks anywhere, the overall format has some promise in it I think? Street circuits on uncharted territories is probably the most interesting aspect

Guess I need to watch this first event at least

From what I can see most (probably all) of the teams are using twitter to 'promote' their teams/drivers etc. Seeing loads of retweets and discussion on my feed etc. I think there is a lot of hype among the fans and by twitter's retweet system means that they're always reaching new people. I know a load of people went to the thing at donington, and that generated a lot of hype too.

Fanboost is obviously a gimmick but it drives traffic to the website, gets teams involved with fans etc. Even if it has minimal effect, teams will still want to say they have the best fans (etc) so will be pushing it on social media, and if it does have a larger impact then it becomes even more important for the teams to promote their drivers and therefore the series.


On the tech side I think it's unfair to compare to LMP1, the concepts are really different and I'd say e is pushing the boundaries a bit more.

[ivanalesi]

This is exactly what I thought, teams and drivers have a much bigger incentive to become more fan friendly. At first I was against it, but now I like it. From sporting point of view, of course it's stupid, but if it helps the series grow... why not?

[wolfhound]

I see where ExCel in east London could host the UK FE round, it is being proposed as an alternative to Battersea.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115813

It might have less planning issues as it would use private property as opposed to a public park.

[Beetle]

Originally Posted by wolfhound

I see where ExCel in east London could host the UK FE round, it is being proposed as an alternative to Battersea.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115813

It might have less planning issues as it would use private property as opposed to a public park.

Great find!

[karimbo]

Can someone explain me what the heck is this idea of people phoning in to give a particular driver more boost in Formula E????

In other words, the PEOPLE decides who gets the best engine?

[Lanky Turtle]

Originally Posted by karimbo

Can someone explain me what the heck is this idea of people phoning in to give a particular driver more boost in Formula E????

In other words, the PEOPLE decides who gets the best engine?

Sort of, yes. The 3 drivers with the most votes will get a 40HP boost for 5 seconds during the race. A gimmick for sure, whether it will be very useful or not remains to be seen. Like having a push to pass or KERS that you can use once.

[deley]

Originally Posted by Lanky Turtle

Sort of, yes. The 3 drivers with the most votes will get a 40HP boost for 5 seconds during the race. A gimmick for sure, whether it will be very useful or not remains to be seen. Like having a push to pass or KERS that you can use once.

So a bit like a "reality" TV show then .....

At least KERS or push to pass are for all and decided by the driver and not whether the public like any individual or team or colour of car or ..or ...or etc etc.

<sigh>

[karting]

So the first race starts in 25mins and is on ITV4 *sky channel 120* its also on freeview for all you others who refuse to buy sky?

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

With 4 laps to go we have a 4 car battle for the lead between 4 different teams...

[maximus]

Nicolas Prost!? WTF!? Fun race until that.

[J Jay]

If you asked me before the race, the last thing I expected was for one of these cars to get airborne. Would expect Prost to have been a lot smarter in defence than to leave it to until it's too late.

Prost/Heidfeld clash on the last lap, Di Grassi takes the win for Audi Sport Abt. Montangny 2nd, Abt 3rd.

Well Formula E has its injection of publicity ...

[rustyfan]

Nasty crash, Heidfeld was lucky to get out of that one unhurt.

Originally Posted by J Jay

If you asked me before the race, the last thing I expected was for one of these cars to get airborne.

Pretty much any type of race car can go airborne if aided by external factors, such as in this case hitting a kerb at an awkward angle.

[Biscuits In A Red Bull]

Nico Prost and Nick Heidfeld collided when Heidfeld made a genuine attempt to take the win in the final turn, but Prost swerved into him, broke the German's suspension, and Heidfeld flew over the kerbs on the apex into a horrific accident. Lucas di Grassi ended up taking an impressive win, if fortunate.

At least a) the car is strong and b) there's some controversy to attract the media!

[maximus]

Just odd, now I've seen it again it wasn't intentional but it was a stupid move, why didn't he have the inside covered anyway? That's what I'd have done as soon as Nick started to close.

[J Jay]

Well Prost was judiciously checking his mirrors in the previous corner, I reckon he wasn't expecting Heidfeld to make it from that far back. Or maybe he was worried about Heidfeld out-dragging him to the finish if he went defensive unnecessarily. The battery graphic wasn't working for Prost's car, so he could have been that bit closer to running dry than Heidfeld (although it didn't look like it, the two of them had pulled away from di Grassi/Montagny)