Category: Feature

Feature, Formula E, Interviews

Hero to Zero: the reality of battery management in Formula E

by katyfairmanLeave a Comment on Hero to Zero: the reality of battery management in Formula E
Hero to Zero: the reality of battery management in Formula E

Managing your source of power in motorsport is vital. It can make or break a driver’s race weekend. Guaranteed, the actual act of running out of fuel during a race is something that has not happened in Formula 1 for many years, but in a sport like battery-centred Formula E, managing the power source until the end of the race is still a learning curve for some of the championship’s brightest talents.

With a new generation of Formula E just months away, pre-season testing for season five getting underway in October, the innovative second gen car will incorporate a battery that will last the entire race distance. For the first four seasons of the all-electric championship the cars had a capacity to last half of the race distance, resulting in a tense and often highly-strategic mid-race car swap. The new battery, developed by McLaren Applied Technology, will see the top power output increase to 250 Kw/h (335bhp) and an additional 50 Kw/h available to drivers during qualifying sessions.

Continue reading “Hero to Zero: the reality of battery management in Formula E” →

Feature, Formula E, Interviews, Q&A

Why Sam Bird is Formula E’s finest talent

by katyfairmanLeave a Comment on Why Sam Bird is Formula E’s finest talent
Why Sam Bird is Formula E’s finest talent

Sam Bird has proved himself to be one of the fastest, highly competitive and most consistent drivers in the four season history of the Formula E Championship. Until Audi’s Lucas di Grassi won his first race of season four in Zurich, Bird had been the only driver to win a race in every single season of the all-electric championship. This consistency is what has lead Bird to be in with a mathematical chance of winning the drivers’ title at every single Formula E finale*: a pretty impressive statistic.

His seven Formula E wins places him joint-second with di Grassi in the ranking of most successful Formula E drivers, with 34% of his races in Formula E resulting in a win or podium finish for the British driver.

Continue reading “Why Sam Bird is Formula E’s finest talent” →

Feature, Formula E, news

5 Things We Learnt From The Zurich ePrix

by katyfairmanLeave a Comment on 5 Things We Learnt From The Zurich ePrix
5 Things We Learnt From The Zurich ePrix

It is well documented that this weekend FIA Formula E were to make motorsport history, hosting the first motor racing event in Switzerland in six decades. The all-electric racing series has taken to the bumpy streets of Zurich to break this ban that was imposed after a horrific accident at Le Mans in 1955.

The 2.465m track offered a series of long straights, 90 degree corners and a top speed of 215km/h. It brought us drama, unexpected penalties and a seriously dominating drive from Lucas di Grassi – handing him his first victory of the 2017/18 season.

Continue reading “5 Things We Learnt From The Zurich ePrix” →

Feature, Formula E

Everything we know about the Gen2 Car

by katyfairmanLeave a Comment on Everything we know about the Gen2 Car
Everything we know about the Gen2 Car

As soon as the FIA ABB Formula E Championship was given the green light, the series knew it would have to be at the forefront of technology both in general and in their race cars. It was ‘driving the future’ as the series tagline stated and although the current race cars look fun, fast and futuristic, they are still very much a generic single-seater with a battery added in at a later date. However a new generation of Formula E car is on its way and it is here to change the game.

The slick, innovative and modern design of the second generation Formula E car, known as the ‘Gen2’, was finally revealed to the world at the end of January this year through a series of digital images and a video. The launch was a huge success with many praising the slick and Batmobile-esque design, however it was confirmed the official launch of the car would be held on Tuesday 6th March at the Geneva International Motor Show.

Despite having to wait on more key statistical information about the new Gen2 car, there is plenty that can be learnt from these digital images and previous news stories about the car that will come into effect from next season.

Continue reading “Everything we know about the Gen2 Car” →

Feature, Formula E

Madness in Mexico: why the 2017 ePrix will forever be one of the best Formula E races

by katyfairmanLeave a Comment on Madness in Mexico: why the 2017 ePrix will forever be one of the best Formula E races
Madness in Mexico: why the 2017 ePrix will forever be one of the best Formula E races

Whether you are a fan of the all-electric Formula E Championship or not, there can be no denying that the 2017 Mexico ePrix was one of the craziest races of the past year, or even this side of the decade. The race had almost everything – as much as I despise the cliché: mechanical failure snatching any chances of a win from the pole sitter, spectacular spins and saves, team mates taking one another out just laps before the chequered flag and even an appearance from Paris Hilton.

However the strategy and energy-management from Lucas di Grassi and his then team, Abt Schaeffler Audi Sport, meant the Brazilian optimised the totally bonkers race and finished with victory – having started near the back of the grid and being forced to pit for a rear wing change just a few laps in.

As we prepare for Formula E’s third consecutive return to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, I take a look back at the 2016/17 Mexico ePrix and why it could be Formula E’s best ever race.

Continue reading “Madness in Mexico: why the 2017 ePrix will forever be one of the best Formula E races” →

Feature, Formula E, Interviews

Piquet on Jaguar move: “the timing was right”

by katyfairmanLeave a Comment on Piquet on Jaguar move: “the timing was right”
Piquet on Jaguar move: “the timing was right”

Nelson Piquet Jr became the inaugural FIA Formula E champion back in 2015, securing the drivers’ title by just one point over Sebastien Buemi during a nail-biting season finale at Battersea Park, London. That season he clinched two race wins and started his Formula E career on a high, with expectations becoming bigger race by race.

Continue reading “Piquet on Jaguar move: “the timing was right”” →

Feature, Formula E, Interviews

A day in the life of a Formula E driver

by katyfairmanLeave a Comment on A day in the life of a Formula E driver
A day in the life of a Formula E driver

When Formula E returns for its fourth season next week, racing around the streets of Hong Kong in a spectacular double-header season opener, many racing drivers old and new to the championship will be embracing a new routine on race day.

Unlike most championships, Formula E squeezes the entirety of on-track action into one day, often a Saturday: everything from practice sessions, qualifying and of course the ePrix itself.  It is a non-stop day of racing and media duties, as well as time spent in the fan-focused eVillage.

With such an unusual schedule for a racing driver over a weekend, I caught up with Panasonic Jaguar’s Mitch Evans during Valencia Pre-Season Testing to discuss what the Kiwi racing driver gets up to on a standard Formula E race day.

Continue reading “A day in the life of a Formula E driver” →