Formula E discussion thread

[M.N.D]

Well, I have watched the race, so here is what I personally think about it...

To anyone who didn't watch the race yet and have any intention of watching it later, don't read what I wrote down so the race won't be spoiled for you



So...



I didn't know about the qualifying penalty that Audi and Virgin received for their "technical infringement" as they passed over a bump and activated extra power by mistake, so I was kind of surprised to see Sam Bird being thrown to the back of the grid... what a weird penalty.

I said before that I don't like street circuits due to the difficulty in identifying the corners and the chicanes, in addition to the walls and the fences that make them a bit character-less (a personal opinion), but to have features that could jeopardize the driver's results is something that I didn't keep in mind. I didn't watch the whole previous season, but I remember that I didn't like the idea of using manhole covers as a reference point...

I liked the race overall. It was good, an improvement to the couple of races of the previous season that I watched. I cringed a little at the beginning of the race when Da Costa didn't align his car correctly in the grid box, but things were okay.

The start of the race was good. As usual, there has to be a car that ends up into the wall in someway or another, which happened to be Mortara although it wasn't his fault. Hard luck I guess. Vandoorne can be excused for a couple of things as he is new to the game as well as his team HWA. He had the highest fanboost voting and started in fourth position yet he finished up 17th as almost every driver overtook him.

I liked Techeetah guys. Both Lotterer and Vergne were challenging each other, and I liked their battle with Da Costa until they got penalized for the same infringement that took out the Audis, and at this point, allow me to say that this is stupid!

Massa was on and off, as he was doing fine but got penalized as well. Then again, I believe it is a bit early to judge his performance. I didn't notice when he used his fanboost power to see if it did him any good.

At the front, and after the safety car, things got good and I felt the tense when Vergne was so close to overtaking the BMW and how Da Costa was defending. It wasn't until the checkered flag that I knew it was Da Costa's win.

Well done to BMW for their first win Da Costa has a good experience in Formula E by now, and this first win will hopefully give the team a good start especially when they were the fastest during the pre-season testing. DS Techeetah was very impressive, so they could be the team to watch with a champion and a very good driver as well even though it is just the first race in the season.

If I ignore the cartoonish directing (video games sound effects? really?!) and the street circuits thing (I'm complaining a lot, I know!!) I liked the race. Close racing, plenty of overtaking and position exchange, and the new car is looking good while being faster.

I would say I'm off to an okay-good-ish start. I'll try to follow the series more closely this time around to see how things will go.

 

[M.N.D]

Watches the race today my first full Race it was interesting but I just can't love it like I instantly love F1.

Formula E needs a different approach if you want to follow it. Comparing it to Formula 1 even though it is natural, doesn't seem logical to me, as you're comparing a prototype series that is in its second stage of maturity to the top of the chain series and the global representative of motorsports which has unlimited resources and logistics.

Catch 22, if they go longer they'll have to go back to car swaps which is something fans and manufacturers wanted to get away from. Tyre deg is minimal so why pitstop? It's often a criticism of Formula 1 that teams will opt to do the overtaking in the pits rather than out on track.

I agree, and I personally don't have a problem if the race is short as long as it is intense. Watching touring car racing really make things easy to watch any other kind of motorsports

As some members won't have watched the race yet I won't say too much about it, but the low-downforce and hard-tired nature of these cars does show off how nice it is to see cars moving around, especially in this close proximity to concrete walls.

I'm not going to say downforce is overrated, but for sure, too much of it ruins a good race for the sake of a faster lap time.

@M.N.D what do you think about the race overall ? I guess there is a huge improvement over Gen 1 cars ?

I have to say I enjoyed the race @Eng.ahad I agree that there is an improvement in my opinion over the previous races that I've watched due to the Gen 2 car, just like you said. Some things that I don't like are still around, but it is a part of the series, so there's that...

That fanboost thing is just so wrong.

I still don't like its concept, and for some reason, this is the third race that I've watched where fanboost didn't change the outcome. I would say it is just there to get more people (especially the new E-generation if you can call them as such) into the sports...

 

[Matski]

I liked Techeetah guys. Both Lotterer and Vergne were challenging each other, and I liked their battle with Da Costa until they got penalized for the same infringement that took out the Audis, and at this point, allow me to say that this is stupid!

I've gotta say, Lotterer and JEV alongside the DS Techeetah look like a great all round package so far - IMHO they are the team to beat. Lotterer is a great all-round driver and JEV has the experience and a title.

 

[M.N.D]

I've gotta say, Lotterer and JEV alongside the DS Techeetah look like a great all round package so far - IMHO they are the team to beat. Lotterer is a great all-round driver and JEV has the experience and a title.

Although it's too early to judge, but I would say that for Andretti & BMW to be competitive on a full scale they need a complete package: a car with a strong pace and a good set of drivers.

The car seems to be quick, although the DS cars had a stronger momentum which was evident when both Vergne and Lotterer passed Da Costa before the penalty, and after the safety car Vergne was that close to pass Da Costa once again if it wasn't for Da Costa's start advantage and tge extra boost left for him.

Alex Sims is a very good GT driver, but I don't know how much experience does he have in a single seater. Is he the right choice for the mission? I don't like team orders for a driver to play the defender for the other one, but having two fast and competitive drivers is neccessary for the team and the drivers themselves to stay in the lead of the championship.

 

[Matski]

I haven't really formed an opinion on Sims yet. He's okay, but at this stage I'd probably have kept him in GT's and made a play for a more experienced FE driver... or, if they really wanted to do something 'out there'... maybe someone like Ricky Collard. FE requires quite a unique skill set IMHO, I think taking on a youngster for them to grow into the sport could be a good idea for a second driver... failing that, I'd have gotten Quick Nick from Mahindra.

 

[M.N.D]

I haven't really formed an opinion on Sims yet. He's okay, but at this stage I'd probably have kept him in GT's and made a play for a more experienced FE driver... or, if they really wanted to do something 'out there'... maybe someone like Ricky Collard

This is what I think that BMW is kind of struggling with... not many songle seater factory drivers.

I agree that Sims is better for the GT program, and while Collard is a good driver, I don't know if he has any experience in Formula cars. I know he's a good GT and Touring driver, and he seems a good bloke...

FE requires quite a unique skill set IMHO, I think taking on a youngster for them to grow into the sport could be a good idea for a second driver... failing that, I'd have gotten Quick Nick from Mahindra.

Maybe if BMW support a number of drivers in one of the several Formula 3 series to develop them and let them drive for either FE or DTM, that would help BMW to secure a good number of young talents that will be experienced enough...

Speaking of Nick, I've noticed that his name isn't on the grid this year. Is he a reserve driver for Mahindra?

 

[Matski]

Is he a reserve driver for Mahindra

Actually not sure, but he was in the Mahindra garage this weekend.

 

[Matski]

Spoiler

 

[M.N.D]

Spoiler

Couldn't agree more

There's nothing yet on the Youtube channel, so I'll wait until there's something to share and then talk about it!

 

[Matski]

Couldn't agree more

There's nothing yet on the Youtube channel, so I'll wait until there's something to share and then talk about it!

Happy for the winners...


... but still ...

 

[M.N.D]

Happy for the winners...


... but still ...

Thank you for sharing, but the video isn't working that's really stupid and might put me off from following the series if they'll geo block their uploads.

What's even more annoying is that Motorsport website ruined the event for me (it was my fault, though!) so I can't even enjoy the race now that I know the result even if the race will be uploaded, if I can see it anyway.

EDIT: I FOUND A WAY TO WATCH THE RACE So never mind for now. I'll watch the race when I'll have time and then comeback to talk about it, if anyone is interested.

Regarding BMW's crash, I'm yet to see it, but that was a big f**k up. Da Costa said he takes full blame for the accident, which is respectable and shows a good and mature attitude, but it is a very annoying thing that costs the whole race, especially when considering that they were at the front of the race and likely to score a very good result, if not winning the race itself. But accidents happen, so...

 

[Matski]

Thank you for sharing, but the video isn't working that's really stupid and might put me off from following the series if they'll geo block their uploads.

What's even more annoying is that Motorsport website ruined the event for me (it was my fault, though!) so I can't even enjoy the race now that I know the result even if the race will be uploade...

The "incident" was just idiotic.. the positive is that the bimmers built a 4 second lead.. terrible race.. but good signs...

I won't say any more if other haven't watched the race...

 

[M.N.D]

The "incident" was just idiotic.. the positive is that the bimmers built a 4 second lead.. terrible race.. but good signs...

i won't say any more if other haven't watched the race...

I'm yet to watch the race, maybe tomorrow hopefully, but I can imagine how it was (this is really stupid to geo block even the highlights videos in the US). However, I agree that at least BMW Andretti is looking good so far. Hoping for a good and strong season.

 

[kingjr9000]

 

[LaArtist]

I hope and believe Porsche will reign supreme here as-well

 

[CrunchSlaughtered]

It's time for BMW to withdraw from the Formula E. They lead the column only when there is a BMW safety car. And now Porsche.

 

[M.N.D]

I couldn't warm up to the terrible street circuits of Formula E even with the introduction of the new generation car at the previous season. I watched the first three races, then the Formula E youtube channel blocked the racing videos, and that was enough for me to lose interest in the whole season.

Looking at the results, it seems that DS is most likely to keep its strong attitude judging by their drivers, especially Vergne, and the team being the strongest in the last 2 seasons.


As for the rest, it's a bit difficult to predict as I stopped following the sport during the middle of both last seasons, but I would say that Audi is the best candidate at the current moment to challenge DS for the title. Porsche and Mercedes will need to learn and adapt before being able to score good results.

It's time for BMW to withdraw from the Formula E. They lead the column only when there is a BMW safety car.

I kinda tell you're being sarcastic On a bit more serious note, BMW made some mistakes, the one that I can think of is choosing Alex Sims, as he's a GT racing driver who doesn't have much experience in single seaters. I don't know what happened to them, but at the beginning of the season they were strong and among the candidates to compete for the title, then things went downhill around the middle of the season. Last year was their first official season, so they need to get their head down and focus on what's important, which is delivering consistent results to be able to catch up with the front row of the competition.

However, all of this means nothing to me if I can't watch anything...

 

[Matski]

So, 19/20 season Race #1 & Race #2 at Diriyah..

Firstly, christ, those i-Pace's racing... all you can hear is tyres being tortured!

Unfortunate result for Sims in Race 1, I agree with Franchitti, he needs to be more aggressive when wheel to wheel - both Mercs basically muscled him out of the way! Anyway, good result for both Mercedes and Porsche in their first race out. I think Lotterer could be a genuine threat for the season to be honest, or at least to mix it with Buemi, Di Grassi, Da Costa and JEV... shame to see JEV go out, thought the DS's would do well but da Costa didn't have a great race either.

Race 2 was a bit more fighty, I thought... Glad Sims got another pole and managed to hang on to the position, I think the stewards messed up not sorting out Günthers penalty in race - seemed like an obvious call. Another lousy race for some of the established names though.

I'm not sure if I enjoyed it or not. It's a bit like watching a go-kart race with how frenetic the action is.. so it is fun... But the circuit is just so narrow, with lots of pinch points, it's difficult to make a clean pass and I think that's why there's so much contact. Diriyah itself still looks a bit like a building site, I'm not sure it's the best circuit to race on, though it looks like it would be pretty fun to drive. The dust there means the cars move around a lot which I like to see, but between the narrow walls it makes contact even more likely.

Next race is in January, so plenty of time for the teams to refocus.

 

[martinbo]

Now bring Formula E to Kyalami. Highveld thundershower deluges aside, I think the revamped circuit acquitted itself impressively over yesterday's 9 hour and it can clearly challenge faster machines too.
It needs a bit more sophistication in terms of camera placement and tech but otherwise I was pleased with coverage and visuals. I'm just not a fan of street circuits for top end motorsport.

 

[Matski]

So, Santiago and Mexico are in the books...

I'm still persevering with Formula E, but the track layouts really do leave a lot to be desired. Santiago especially had a double tight 180 degree hairpin that saw all sorts of contact... you might expect such a circuit to offer some door-bangin' action if it was a touring car venue, but these are open-wheelers, the amount of contact between cars is pretty crazy.

Mexico sees the series use a chopped down version of the F1 circuit, much more sensible, if a little lacklustre, but a big crowd... certainly seemed like a popular event.

I've been thinking about going to the London event in July, so I looked into it tonight... and in terms of circuits... it's... errrmmm.... unique...

This is the track map...

Doesn't look that bad until you realise that the grey bit is the ExCeL building itself! In the real world, this is the venue....

... so the race is literally through the exhibition centre, round the service road, onto the entrance road, and back indoors.

I don't recall such a layout where half the race is indoors!

Anyhow, £65-£115 for a day ticket, that gets you a Grandstand seat for Formula E qually, the race and the i-Pace support race... I'm not impressed. That's a weekend ticket at most races - with camping - with grandstand - with paddock access - with food and drink, that offer roaming viewing, and a full two days of on track action... it's like a 4 day ticket at the 'Ring. Formula E is f'ing terrible value for money as a spectator event it would seem, plus, being situated in London means getting there is going to cost an arm and a leg (well about £50 on the train).

.. I mean, I might still do it, so I can say I've been to an FE race, and I'll probably have a night out in London too... but still, it's pretty appalling as an offer.




Anyhow, rant over. I won't give too much away, but I'm glad BMW aren't sucking so hard this year