Formula E: Lots of news at the start of the season 🎥
GENERATION CHANGE The 2018/19 Formula E season begins on Saturday. Numerous changes are set to make electric racing even more exciting with new Gen2 racing cars. The majority of the field consists of works teams with professional drivers. In the fifth multi-year season, eleven instead of just ten teams with 22 vehicles are now fighting for the championship title. Nissan is the first Japanese manufacturer to join the field. The entry team like [...]
In the fifth multi-year season, eleven instead of just ten teams with 22 vehicles will now be fighting for the championship title. Nissan is the first Japanese manufacturer to take part. As before with Renault, e.dams from France will be the team entered. Sébastien Buemi will be joined by British driver Oliver Rowland as his new team-mate.
In the video interview, the record holder in most Formula E statistics is cautiously optimistic - in principle, no team really knows where it stands before the start of the season.
Sounding names
Previously active as a technical partner of Andretti Motorsport and the safety car, BMW is now making a factory appearance. The two BMW iFE.18 cars are driven by Antonio Felix da Costa (P) and Alexander Sims (GB).
The only real newcomer is HWA, a team familiar from the DTM. It is still backed by Mercedes and its drivers are DTM champion Gary Paffett (GB) and Belgian driver Stoffel Vandoorne, who has retired from Formula 1.
Other interesting new drivers include former world championship runner-up Felipe Massa as Geneva-based Edoardo Mortara's new team-mate at Venturi and ex-Sauber driver Pascal Wehrlein replacing Swiss driver Nick Heidfeld at Mahindra. Heidfeld remains reserve driver.
The two championship-winning teams Audi (team classification) with Lucas di Grassi and Daniel Abt and DS Techeetah with defending champion Jean-Eric Vergne and André Lotterer will line up unchanged. Jaguar Racing and NIO will be fielding additional Gen2 works cars with their own powertrains.
Stronger, faster and more enduring
The new standardized Spark SRT_05e electric racing car is also impressive. Its distinguishing features include the Halo cockpit protection familiar from Formula 1 and Formula 2. In contrast to last year's car, the Gen2 version almost completely dispenses with conventional wings.
The following video shows how the Gen2 racing car is put together:
Its electric motor now sends up to 250 kW (340 hp) to the rear wheels in qualifying mode, 50 kW more than before. This enables the Gen2 car to sprint to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 280 km/h.
New rules for more overtaking maneuvers
One of the most important innovations is the standard battery from McLaren Applied Technologies, which has a capacity of 52 kWh - twice as much as before. The energy supply is now sufficient for a full race distance, eliminating the need to change cars in between. However, all races now last 45 minutes plus one lap.
Instead of flattening the rear wing as in Formula 1 (keyword DRS), the drivers can now activate an attack mode in an activation zone and thus call up to 25 kW several times per race. The already familiar FanBoost for three drivers (online voting by spectators) is retained.
Swiss race in Bern, TV broadcasts on two channels
For the first time, a race will take place in the Middle East on Saturday, on a 2.5 km course just outside the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. After that, Marrakesh (January 12, 2019), Santiago (January 26), Mexico City (February 16) and Hong Kong (March 10) are on the program.
After a stopover in Sanya, China (March 23), the European tour begins in Rome on April 13 and continues via Paris (April 27), Monaco (May 11) and Berlin (May 25) to Bern (June 22). The finals will take place in New York on July 13 and 14, as in 2018.
Television viewers can continue to follow the race on MySports with Swiss commentary or on Eurosport 1 (German). Qualifying will be broadcast on Mysports One on Saturday, December 15, from 8.40 am to 10 am and the race from 12.40 pm to 2.15 pm.
