5 issues to be careful for within the new Formulation E season

The Christmas decorations is perhaps going up and the broader motorsport world is making ready for its winter hiatus, however Formulation E is about to begin its new season in Sao Paolo this weekend.

After the rejigged pre-season take a look at at Jarama, following the devastating floods in Valencia which induced a relocation and a logistical contortion, the all-electric sequence has accomplished its preparations for the brand new marketing campaign and a quick breather to digest the information earlier than heading to Brazil for its opener. Right here is what to anticipate from the brand new marketing campaign.

Jaguar the most important risk regardless of points

After coming inside a whisker of the drivers’ title with each Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy final season, Jaguar enters the brand new Gen3 Evo period because the reigning groups’ champion and seem like Porsche’s largest rival as soon as once more. Evans completed pre-season testing at Jarama quickest on the ultimate day, with Porsche’s Antonio Felix da Costa suggesting that the Massive Cats had been sandbagging throughout the earlier a part of the operating.

However the take a look at wasn’t with out its points. Jaguar, in addition to Nissan, had been pressured to overlook the opening three-hour session in Spain after each groups had been present in breach of the associated fee cap restrict for the 2022-23 season. Cassidy additionally got here to a halt on observe with a technical drawback throughout one session, and hints that the group had been on the again foot throughout the low season having not “rolled out of the field as we needed to with a brand new automotive”.

Evans provides: “Everybody has improved their powertrain. Hopefully the pecking order is identical, however I believe the subsequent two years are going to be even tighter than what we’ve seen up to now.”

The choice to not implement group orders and favour early championship chief Cassidy over Evans final time period arguably price Jaguar the drivers’ title, with group principal James Barclay admitting that issues will likely be dealt with in a different way this season if in the identical place. “Going ahead, we in all probability will not fairly strategy it in the identical means,” he says. “That does not imply it was incorrect final yr. We gave everybody an equal alternative, it did not work out and now as a bunch we are saying, ‘OK, subsequent yr let’s not put ourselves in that place.’”

The midfield runners trying to break from the pack

Rowland, joined by new team-mate Nato this yr, was unfortunate to overlook out on the title battle final yr

Photograph by: Andreas Beil

Oliver Rowland and Nissan had been the darkish horses final season, taking two wins and mounting a problem for the drivers’ title earlier than an sickness dominated the Briton out of the Portland double-header late within the season and scuppered his possibilities. With Rowland alongside the returning Norman Nato, who replaces Sacha Fenestraz, the Japanese producer has probably the most skilled pairings on the grid and appeared sturdy throughout pre-season testing.

“I believe naturally you at all times must intention to enhance what you’ve beforehand carried out,” reckons Rowland. “But in addition, I believe what was good for us final yr was there was virtually no strain and it was type of a studying yr, it means that you can be a bit extra relaxed in your strategy. I believe it’s necessary we hold that relaxed strategy.”

Trying to rebound this season will likely be 2023 champion Jake Dennis, who with Andretti has the title-winning Porsche powertrain to launch an assault on one other crown. Nato’s spot within the group has been taken by Nico Muller, who impressed final time period with Abt and has additionally been made a Porsche works driver along with his transfer. “The shortage of testing we had all year long was clearly hindering us in comparison with a few of the producers – we misplaced in opposition to 4 producers mainly,” says Dennis. “We had been the perfect buyer group, however it wasn’t adequate, so hopefully we are able to do higher this yr.”

After scoring factors in all 16 races final season, FE’s solely two-time champion Jean-Eric Vergne will possible characteristic within the combine once more, with the DS Penske group pushed ahead by group principal Phil Charles in addition to new recruit and a number of race winner Maximilian Guenther, who switches from Maserati.

New technology able to make their mark

New drivers and new-look groups be a part of the grid this yr

Photograph by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Pictures

Three new full-time drivers will take to the grid this season: Taylor Barnard at McLaren, David Beckmann at Kiro and Zane Maloney at Lola-Yamaha Abt.

After a formidable three races final season, which included a last-minute debut in Monaco and a double factors end subsequent trip in Berlin, ex-Formulation 2 driver Barnard will associate fellow Briton Sam Chicken, who he changed throughout his part-time outings.

“Formulation E will not be the normal route {that a} younger driver would maybe take, however I really feel prefer it’s positively a superb alternative for me to have the ability to hold progressing in my profession and in addition nonetheless compete at a really excessive degree in a world championship in opposition to good drivers,” says the 20-year-old Barnard, who grew to become the youngest driver to begin and rating factors in Formulation E.

Beckmann joins the renamed Kiro group, previously ERT, which is able to use Porsche powertrains this season. Crew principal Alex Hui insists that “there’s zero strain from Porsche, it is utterly our resolution” to place the 24-year-old Porsche reserve within the group. It was on this capability that ex-F2 driver Beckmann was loaned out to buyer group Andretti throughout 2023, when he competed within the Jakarta double-header. Extra lately, he topped one session throughout pre-season testing for his new group.

Maloney joins Lola’s and Yamaha’s new enterprise into FE with Abt, and within the course of forfeited an opportunity of going for this yr’s F2 title to make the bounce. “It’s probably not about efficiency for us proper now – it’s about understanding the place we have to enhance and the place are the most important jumps that we are able to make from the very starting,” says the 21-year-old Barbadian who, though he has by no means raced in FE, was Andretti’s take a look at and reserve driver. “It’s a brand new producer coming in, so it’s tough to say how good or how dangerous it’s going.”

Tyres a serious speaking level

Hankook’s new tyre and the Gen3 Evo automotive are the tech focus of the brand new season

Photograph by: DPPI

The brand new Gen3 Evo automotive sparked a lot consideration throughout the low season, specifically the all-wheel-drive (AWD) facet that will likely be activated in 350kW mode, which incorporates qualifying duels, race begins and Assault Mode. Whereas the peloton fashion of pack racing is more likely to stay, regardless of minor bodywork modifications to the newer mannequin of automotive, the AWD is about to drastically change the strategic component of races because of the efficiency benefit it’s going to supply.

“Overtaking will happen out of the nook – it will make a distinction for the drivers tips on how to place the automotive, tips on how to defend, which line you are taking for overtaking,” predicts Porsche group principal Florian Modlinger. “This implies the racing will look utterly totally different.”

However whereas a lot of the focus was on the brand new expertise previous to pre-season testing, one other space that got here beneath the highlight final month in Spain was the brand new, softer compound of tyre from Hankook. The South Korean producer’s earlier mannequin of rubber had are available in for stark criticism from drivers as a result of its onerous nature, which supplied little efficiency.

Whereas the much less sturdy tyre initially affords a considerable efficiency benefit over its predecessor, it loses grip progressively throughout a stint, and it will affect race technique and weekend operating.

“The tyres are form of turning into an enormous issue now, which hasn’t been a factor up to now,” observes Kiro’s Dan Ticktum. “It is form of behaving like a slick tyre – there is a huge peak when it is new after which it drops off quite a bit after which type of stabilises for a bit. It is onerous to essentially gauge the place everyone seems to be when it comes to tempo as a result of we solely acquired six units for the entire three days [of testing], and other people had been placing them on at totally different occasions.”

‘Pit Enhance’ lastly will get inexperienced mild

‘Pit Enhance’ will debut in February’s Saudi spherical

Photograph by: Andreas Beil

After greater than two years of testing and growth, the ‘Pit Enhance’ idea is because of be launched throughout the 2024-25 season. The initiative was initially supposed for the beginning of the Gen3 period in 2023, however issues with reliability meant the expertise has solely now been sufficiently developed for use in a race scenario.

Pit Enhance would require all drivers to make a compulsory pitstop throughout a race the place their vehicles will obtain a recharge of energy, equating to roughly 10% of the battery’s capability at a fee of 600kW, with the entire process lasting roughly 30 seconds.

The idea was trialled throughout the 24-lap simulation race in pre-season testing, and the information analysed by each the FIA and Formulation E. It would characteristic throughout solely one of many races throughout double-header weekends, with a purpose to fluctuate methods between every race on the identical location, with its first look set to come back in Jeddah in February on a truncated model of the format utilized by Formulation 1.

Additional rounds to characteristic Pit Enhance embody Monaco, Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin and London, however some drivers are cautious of how the idea will affect races, with a single particular lap more likely to be the best time to take it, whereas any security automotive or full course yellow will affect half the sector in a unfavourable method.

“We’re not allowed to field everybody on the identical time – it is at all times one automotive per group,” warns reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein. “Half of the sector, so 11 vehicles, are boxing on lap 15 and the opposite half is possibly boxing on lap 18, however between these laps there is a security automotive. It is an enormous benefit for the second group.

“It isn’t like there’s possibly one man who would profit or two guys, it might effectively be that you possibly can find yourself from being in P1 utterly out of the factors, simply because there was an unfair scenario with a security automotive.”

May ‘Pit Enhance’ additionally shake up the racing?

Photograph by: Malcolm Griffiths / Motorsport Pictures