Formula E is a great cure for F1

Like millions of others, I was mesmerized by Drive to Survive on Netflix that means I’m also new to being obsessed with the world of Formula 1. I’ve been into it all. I have scheduled a reminder. I watch all activities if there is a work permit. It has really become an object, which means that since the season ended, there’s been a huge gap in my sports viewing – save the F2 races archive on ESPN+. But watching a bunch of races is only really enjoyable when you’ve followed the sport and know that Oscar Piastri has run away with the title.

enter E . formulaall-electric racing series started in 2014 and is run by the FIA, the same F1 hybrid organism. The first two rounds took place in late January in Saudi Arabia, offering two full E-Prix races in one weekend. I had never watched Formula E before that weekend, but I was so hungry for racing that I gave it a try. Turns out, I was missing out on a unique racing series full of entertainment.

A bit strange

You would expect the cars to be different on the inside due to their electric power source, but the overall design is also unique. Formula E ditched the traditional rear wing in 2018. choose instead because the a divided building. These cars also have a front-wheel suspension that reduces drag and turbulence from the front tires. The combination of those two factors alone gives Formula E cars a much different aesthetic than F1 cars.

The classification is also quite different in this series. Starting this season, has a Group Stage with two groups of 11 riders, ranked in order of the Driver’s current World Champion position. They try to set the fastest lap time in a 10-minute session. The four fastest riders from each group will move on to the Duel phase. Here, eight riders face off against each other in a knockout format with the winners going on until one rider remains.

The winner is awarded pole position, with the runner-up starting, the semi-finalist in third/fourth place and the quarter-finalist in fifth/sixth place. A higher position will result in faster lap times in those laps. The remaining drivers from the pole group then fill in odd positions on the grid and those from the other group start at even points. It sounds too complicated, but head-to-head matches are fun to watch in Diriyah.

Then there’s something called Attack Mode, which has to be designed by a gamer. During each race, a driver must hit a certain area of ​​the track to activate an additional 25 kW of electricity for a certain amount of time. That length of time, as well as the number of times the car has to hit that point in the E-Prix, is determined at each event. The highlight is that the Attack Mode area is off the main track, so if someone is right next to you, you may have to give up your track position to fulfill your duty. Additionally, there’s a color-changing ring around the halo on each vehicle, letting viewers know who’s active in Attack Mode.

Another interesting element is Fanboost. Here, viewers can directly influence the race by voting for their favorite rider on social media. Voting begins a few days before the E-Prix and ends 15 minutes after it begins. The top five racers get a 5-second power-up that can be used in the second half of the race.

Quick races

A friend of mine has a theory on European sports, and I think he’s right. You can watch an event, but individually they are not so long that one event dominates the day (unless you watch several events, of course). A football match will be over in less than two hours and so will Formula 1 races. Think of that with the typical NFL game or MLB game lasting three hours or more and you quickly see that the people in Europe are into something.

Formula 1 races have a time limit because the cars cannot be refueled during the race. Ditto for Formula E: cars have a finite amount of electricity and when it’s gone you can’t properly charge them while stopped. For that reason, electronic series races, or E-Prix, are limited to 45 minutes. There’s no fixed number of laps, just a countdown timer that helps teams keep up with the time remaining. Once that period is over, there will be one more round to finish. Starting this season, officials can now add up to 10 minutes in the event of a full-lock yellow or safety car in the main race window.

USA! USA!

Unlike the current lineup of F1 drivers, there is an American running in Formula E. New to the Avalanche Andretti team this season, Oliver Askew brings his IndyCar experience to the E-laps. Prix. When it comes to Americans within sniffing distance of an F1 car, Askew and Logan Sargeant, who are currently racing in F2 with Carlin, are the closest.

Who knows if I will continue my new Formula E racing routine after F1 returns in March. There’s only one more E-Prix left before the hiatus extends through April, and that’s this weekend in Mexico City. At the very least, I can see Formula E filling the void of having a week off between Grand Prix, which is exactly what it did to get me through the final stages of the F1 season.