Formula E

[N4D13]

I don't quite enjoy the concept of having qualifying and the race in the same day. Personally, I got up (kinda) early to watch the race, but I don't think I could be bothered to get up four hours before to watch qualifying. I prefer F1's timetables, where you get both qualifying and the race at the same time - and that's usually a very reasonable hour.

[Tazio]

I don't quite enjoy the concept of having qualifying and the race in the same day. Personally, I got up (kinda) early to watch the race, but I don't think I could be bothered to get up four hours before to watch qualifying. I prefer F1's timetables, where you get both qualifying and the race at the same time - and that's usually a very reasonable hour.

For you maybe!

[Bagwan]

OK , guys , I actually got up to watch the race , and saw the start , but in the end , couldn't deal with 4:00am , and went to bed .

I' seen the dopey Prost move at the end of the race , but I've heard nothing of the car switch .
So , how did that all go ?
Or , did they switch at all ?

[Doc Austin]

Sat down to watch the race and passed out before it even came on!!

I have not seen any of the race except the crash, but that was enough for me to make Prost the donkey of the year, if not the decade. Unlike the Mercedes clash, there is not even any room for doubt about what happened.

That was the dirtiest piece of driving I have ever seen. He was not even turning into the corner because they were not there year. Prost just violently swerved over and collided with Hiedfield on the straight. This was far worst than anything I have even seen even Schumacher do.

I'm sure Prost will contend that he is entitled to his "one move" to defend his position. Today was the ultimate demonstration of the fallacy of that kind of rule. One move, if it is bad enough, is also bad enough to potentially kill someone.

[Bagwan]

You're right , Doc .
That was a pretty gnarly move .

He says he didn't see him .
In his defense , you can see him look to the right at least a couple of times down the straight . So , he must have been expecting a car outside .
And , it was a move that was logical to keep the position , moving to stay on the inside .

BUT , it should have been dead obvious that Heidfeld was there .

If he couldn't see him , there is something wrong with his eyes , as he was right there .
If he wasn't looking , there is something wrong in his head , as he was right there .

It could've been a "deliberate , but instinctual" move , as he's said that that was no place to make a move inside , when there was a ton of room .


And , it could be that the car suffers the same extreme lack of peripheral sighting as an F1 car , making these incidents far more likely to occur when the cars are close to each other .

He certainly deserves some serious sanction , though , all that said .

[N4D13]

For you maybe!

Fair enough. Let's call it a very reasonable hour for Europeans!

[Tazio]

Is prost a total douchebag or what? I thought it was lame of him trying to blame Nick for the accident right after the race , but now, after having a chance to view a replay, he still holds the same contention.

Two things; I never knew Nick was such an even-tempered/nice guy, and even though a 10 place gid penalty is a lot on street courses, I think Prost needs to be hit in the wallet or some other added sanction, what an ass-clown.

Heidfeld told AUTOSPORT: "It doesn't help me. It would have been amazing to come away from the first Formula E race with a victory, but instead we are leaving with nothing except a damaged car.
"I had been saving power and got a really good run out of the second to last corner; I was better on braking for the last corner and he braked early anyway.
"I was next to him and he moved over on me. That is clear, but he is a friend of mine [and team-mate at the Rebellion Racing World Endurance Championship squad], so I know he didn't do it on purpose."
Prost, meanwhile, accused Heidfeld of "totally overcooking it".
"The speed of the impact [with the wall] shows that he was going too fast," he continued.
"I was just starting to turn in at that point and he tried to dive-bomb me.

[Doc Austin]

That was a pretty gnarly move. He says he didn't see him .

If he didn't see him, why else would he swerve over like that? I don't see anyone beside me so I am going to violently swerve just for the hell of it? His explanation makes no sense.

And , it was a move that was logical to keep the position , moving to stay on the inside .

Certainly, but you can't make the move when there is already a car there. If you take the inside and hold the inside, that's fair, but swerving over to block the other guy is, uhhhh, blocking.

It could've been a "deliberate , but instinctual" move.......

That one looked more like "deliberate but premeditated."

Drivers know they can get away with this sort of thing and they will keep doing it until someone gets killed. Heidfield was extremely lucky.

He certainly deserves some serious sanction , though , all that said .

The FIA will do nothing. They want this kind of driving. They don't understand that making the drivers race clean produces good racing. The FIA seems to think chopping, blocking, swerving and putting your opponents into the fence is what racing is all about.

Instead, they want dirty driving and "Fan boost" to spice up the show, when all they really need is clean racing.

Like I said, they will allow this sort of thing until someone gets killed, except someone already has.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pnba5zRNskU

[steveaki13]

I felt the car change ruined it a bit to be honest. It seems to have so much of an effect on the race, people losing 4 or 5 positions or gaining the same, which seems a bit unfair.

Ultimately it gave us the race we had at the end, but it still is a bit strange

[Tazio]

The FIA will do nothing. They want this kind of driving. They don't understand that making the drivers race clean produces good racing. The FIA seems to think chopping, blocking, swerving and putting your opponents into the fence is what racing is all about.

Doc, a ten place grid penalty isn't nothing. It isn't enough in my opinion, but only because Prost is continuing to try and blame Nick for the crash, and refusing to take responsibility, as I stated earlier.
Whether or not the FIA want this type of racing doesn't really seem to figure into the severity of the penalty that Prost has to serve for the next race AFAIC.