Formula E

[truefan72]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115446

wow look at this lineup of drivers
that's a pretty strong group of drivers. 15 out of the 20 are former F1 drivers, including trulli and heidfeld, and a few others who have accomplished themselves in indycar

so this is the "other " F1 series
I'll watch it simply for the drivers

and the cars look pretty as well

[AndyL]

It is certainly a decent line-up. Even DTM doesn't have that many washed-up F1 drivers these days ;)
Formula E looks like it could have been a good series. But they decided that drivers would have to swap cars half way through each race, presumably just to emphasise the main drawback of electric cars. And then this (http://fanboost.fiaformulae.com/) :crazy:

[inimitablestoo]

I don't understand the car swap either, but I'll certainly be watching. I do like street circuits anyway, so the fact that all the tracks will be temporary ones is a big draw. The sound will take some getting used to though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqMKOa0Gbcw

[airshifter]

The is a surprising lineup of drivers. Hopefully it will be worth watching.

On a related note, I do think Formula E has already reached some of the intended target audience. I know of a couple friends/acquaintances that know I am an avid F1 fan, but they have never showed much interest. At least a couple of them are now waiting to watch Formula E, as they are the "green" type. My neighbor also knew more about he schedule than I did, though he also likes Formula 1.

[MrJan]

Not read up a huge amount on the series but certainly interested by it. Are all the cars to the same spec? Certainly looks that way from the timings with 10 drivers covered by 1 second

[henners88]

I will certainly be watching. If the racing is close, exciting and the races are shown on FTA, it might well replace F1 on my weekend race viewing. F1 has screwed up royally with shunning the fans so lets hope Formula E gets a bit more exposure. I'm not so bothered about the drivers being ex-F1, as it needs experience to get off the ground.

[journeyman racer]

I don't expect much to come from this series. Especially as a threat to F1.

[AndyL]

Based on all the positive comments I guess the link in my post wasn't very obvious.

http://fanboost.fiaformulae.com/

I can't believe anyone here thinks that's a good idea.

"Fans can give their favourite driver an extra speed boost by voting for them prior to the race."

[Doc Austin]

I don't understand the car swap either, but I'll certainly be watching.

I don't think the batteries will go the full race and they can't recharge them fast enough yet. Eventually they will get there. I fly electric RC planes and our charge rates on some batteries have gone from over an hour down to eight minutes, so there is lots of progress.

Personally I find the car change to be fake, phony and pretentious. I'de rather see them run two short heats with enough time between to recharge the original car, or swap out the battery. Changing the whole car in the middle of the race is just plain weird.

Having said that, we'de better get used to these cars because they are probably the future. I don't really object to the sound or anything. Flying electric RC I have come to appreciate the sound. That, and none of us complained about how our slot cars sounded when we were growing up.

[henners88]

Based on all the positive comments I guess the link in my post wasn't very obvious.

http://fanboost.fiaformulae.com/

I can't believe anyone here thinks that's a good idea.

"Fans can give their favourite driver an extra speed boost by voting for them prior to the race."

It's a strange concept but we must not compare it to Formula 1 really. It's trying something completely new and is attempting to give something to the fans, something F1 hasn't got the slightest interest in. I say take it for what it is and enjoy something different.

[truefan72]

It is certainly a decent line-up. Even DTM doesn't have that many washed-up F1 drivers these days ;)
Formula E looks like it could have been a good series. But they decided that drivers would have to swap cars half way through each race, presumably just to emphasise the main drawback of electric cars. And then this (http://fanboost.fiaformulae.com/) :crazy:

lol, yes that vote thing is certainly a ridiculous stunt.
and if it becomes the difference in a race win then that result should have an asterix

but I suppose they want to get the fans involved. It is the wrong way to go about it. \Probably better paddock access, perhaps social media Q&A sessions and an awesome live stream package would have been enough. As a fan, i have no desire to be involved in the outcome of the race

so, thanks for pointing that foolishness out. I hope they reconsider it.

[truefan72]

I don't think the batteries will go the full race and they can't recharge them fast enough yet. Eventually they will get there. I fly electric RC planes and our charge rates on some batteries have gone from over an hour down to eight minutes, so there is lots of progress.

Personally I find the car change to be fake, phony and pretentious. I'de rather see them run two short heats with enough time between to recharge the original car, or swap out the battery. Changing the whole car in the middle of the race is just plain weird.

Having said that, we'de better get used to these cars because they are probably the future. I don't really object to the sound or anything. Flying electric RC I have come to appreciate the sound. That, and none of us complained about how our slot cars sounded when we were growing up.

well said,

But i think the car swap is needed. Also considering that they say it should take about 90 seconds to swap and go, seems ok. Especially since all teams will do it and LMS cars take that long anyway when swapping drivers etc. Yeah the sound will get a bit of getting used to, but I think the technology will come when they integrate conventional sound in there. If F! games and sims can do it, then it might not be to far in the future to get some kind of program up and running that simulates more of a growl with the cars

[AndyL]

It's a strange concept but we must not compare it to Formula 1 really. It's trying something completely new and is attempting to give something to the fans, something F1 hasn't got the slightest interest in. I say take it for what it is and enjoy something different.

What it is, with this fanboost idea, is a "reality TV" gameshow. Generally I don't enjoy those at all. But they are usually based on things I don't particularly care about, like singing cover versions, dancing, or being a hysterical idiot in some sort of Orwellian nightmare. Who knows, maybe I'd like a "reality TV" show based on motorsport. But it doesn't sit right with me, and I certainly don't think it should be confused with actual motorsport.

[truefan72]

Not read up a huge amount on the series but certainly interested by it. Are all the cars to the same spec? Certainly looks that way from the timings with 10 drivers covered by 1 second

it is an open series so teams are free to design their own cars and chassis, within the spec parameters. much like F1. And last I heard, there were a few different power units being offered. Also several F1 teams have contributed some standard components to the cars like mclaren, williams etc. So there is a good tie in there with some of those F1 teams

[AndyL]

it is an open series so teams are free to design their own cars and chassis, within the spec parameters. much like F1. And last I heard, there were a few different power units being offered. Also several F1 teams have contributed some standard components to the cars like mclaren, williams etc. So there is a good tie in there with some of those F1 teams

Right now there is only one homologated car though, so everyone has the same equipment.

[steveaki13]

http://gas2.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/formula_e_fanboost-750x400-620x350.png

=

http://www.blogcdn.com/massively.joystiq.com/media/2011/10/facepalm.jpg

[Doc Austin]

Yeah the sound will get a bit of getting used to, but I think the technology will come when they integrate conventional sound in there. If F! games and sims can do it, then it might not be to far in the future to get some kind of program up and running that simulates more of a growl with the cars

Yeah, but that would be fake too. I don't like anything in racing to be faked. I hate the whole DRS thing. I hated the idea of the F1 megaphones and bringing back titanium skid blocks to improve "the show." I don't want to watch a "show." I want to see racing.

Racing is spectacular enough without having to artificially make it better. The best way to have real racing is to keep the racing real.

[Doc Austin]

By the way, if some of you are curious about electric RC planes, they are bad ass.

Give this a look:


https://vimeo.com/103651655

[GravettFan99]

Maybe after the first race, this fan voting concept will be revoked.

[GravettFan99]

Time to give Michela Cerruti a boost. :p

[MrJan]

Based on all the positive comments I guess the link in my post wasn't very obvious.

http://fanboost.fiaformulae.com/

I can't believe anyone here thinks that's a good idea.

"Fans can give their favourite driver an extra speed boost by voting for them prior to the race."

It's a stupid concept, but I'm not going to shun the whole series on the basis of 3 drivers getting 5 seconds of boost in a race that's an hour (216,000 seconds) long. If I disliked sports based on one thing that was wrong then I wouldn't like rallying (power stage/superally), F1 (DRS), football (diving/refs with a lack of power), ice hockey (TV timeouts) or pretty much anything else that springs to mind.

Hopefully what will happen is that no one will bother with voting and the organisers will realise it's a dead duck after the first season...of course that will be no good unless the racing is interesting.

[inimitablestoo]

it is an open series so teams are free to design their own cars and chassis, within the spec parameters. much like F1. And last I heard, there were a few different power units being offered
As I understand it they're specifying the Spark (Dallara) chassis and Renault electric motor for the first season at least, but a certain Bluebird have expressed an interest. That's the land speed record chasing Bluebird, not the 1980s Nissan (have two more different cars ever shared the same name?...)

Incidentally, I like the Fan Boost concept. Not on merit - it's a hopeless idea - but because of sheer wilful perversity that it seems to be annoying so many people to such a ludicrous degree :D.

An electric motor racing series had to come sooner or later (let's ignore such oddities as the FIA Electro-Solar Challenge - oh wait, we already had); this looks like it has potential. And live coverage on ITV4 for UK viewers.

[philipbain]

Has anyone on here actually seen and heard the cars in action? I am fortunate that Donington Park is my local national circuit and it just happens to be where the championship is based, so I took the opportunity to go to see the cars in testing back in July, the sound is certainly different but not unpleasant and the cars look great on the track.

As for the fan vote for an extra boost, its an interesting idea which is an attempt to get fans engaged with the series. It may seem artificial or "fake" as so many of you like to insinuate but getting fans engaged with a brand new series is very important and it's good to see the organisers are making an effort to engage fans before the series has even started.

As for the driver lineup, you won't get any active F1 drivers driving anything else due to contracts, so an FIA backed world championship for single seaters should attract the finest non-F1 drivers with top level single seater experience, so to criticise the series for attracting a strong grid of drivers, the majority of which have F1 experience (whether racing or testing) is hardly something to criticise, but I suppose haters are gonna hate and morons will be moronic!

Looking forward to the series starting later this month, unlike some I am more than willing to give the series a fair shot rather than writing it off before a single race has happened!

[journeyman racer]

As for the fan vote for an extra boost, its an interesting idea which is an attempt to get fans engaged with the series. It may seem artificial or "fake" as so many of you like to insinuate but getting fans engaged with a brand new series is very important and it's good to see the organisers are making an effort to engage fans before the series has even started.
Fans will get fully engaged in a series when they sense that there is a high level, fair dinkum contest. In the absence of such series existing anywhere in the world atm, fans will stick with what they know.

[truefan72]

As for the driver lineup, you won't get any active F1 drivers driving anything else due to contracts, so an FIA backed world championship for single seaters should attract the finest non-F1 drivers with top level single seater experience, so to criticise the series for attracting a strong grid of drivers, the majority of which have F1 experience (whether racing or testing) is hardly something to criticise, but I suppose haters are gonna hate and morons will be moronic!

Looking forward to the series starting later this month, unlike some I am more than willing to give the series a fair shot rather than writing it off before a single race has happened!

It is quite the contrary, most here, myself included are very happy to see the strong driver line up and in fact, my initial post that started the thread did so, along with me saying i am looking forward to seeing the races. I looked back at all the posts and most are quite happy with the drivers participating. A strong reason to watch the races. The only gripe folks had was with the "fan boost" situation and some railed against the switching cars. I for one, have no problem with the car switching, but hope that fan boost gimmick gets abandoned after the first race. Fans should play no part in the outcome of a race IMO

[Koz]

but hope that fan boost gimmick gets abandoned after the first race. Fans should play no part in the outcome of a race IMO

I hope Bernie doesn't get an idea to include it in F1.

[Tazio]

I boosted Trulli,:D which is really just a way of getting you to register.
I'm really looking forward to this series, mainly because of the quality of drivers, and will be attending the Long Beach race. :)

[steveaki13]

I boosted Trulli,:D which is really just a way of getting you to register.
I'm really looking forward to this series, mainly because of the quality of drivers, and will be attending the Long Beach race. :)

I imagine Pino will as well. So that must mean Jarno will do a Monaco 2004? :p

[Rollo]

I've just found out that the official broadcast "partner" in Australia is Fox Sports.
Because this was never listed in the siphoning legislation, it means that people without cable TV in Australia will see zero races.

I'm not looking forward to something that I won't be seeing. Thanks Mr Murdoch.

[Tazio]

I imagine Pino will as well. So that must mean Jarno will do a Monaco 2004?
Judging by preseason test times it is less likely he will get the win in Beijing 2014 ;)
Only 9 days to go :dork:


I'm not looking forward to something that I won't be seeing. Thanks Mr Murdoch.

It looks like Rupert has a worldwide stranglehold on TV.

"This global broadcasting deal will bring our Championship to nearly 90 countries and a potential 180 million households worldwide, giving our partners, our teams, and our team's partners a platform to visualize the association to the values of this competition," explained Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag. "We are particularly happy to join FOX at the time when FOX Sports 1 is being launched. America is a key market for electric cars and to show our races live in the US will be central to promoting this type of mobility."

http://en.espnf1.com/blogs/motorsport/story/120141.html
I'll be watching on the internet with one eye, along with all the other scurvy scallywags, and be wearing an eye patch on the other, arrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! :sailor: :angel:

[Whyzars]

I've grudgingly mellowed on E everything but if they are already pandering to those among us who can't lift their heads from a phone screen then they might be struggling.


"Like" button becomes
.
.
"Not Like" button becomes
.
.
"Pay per Like" button becomes
.
.
Crash button


If its F1 with the sound even more muted then I'll watch but the first time I hear a commentator say "... fans are liking that car to 190mph" I'm outta there.

[inimitablestoo]

I'm waiting for the official announcement of sponsorship from Wrigleys. The series will then be rebranded as Formula E by Gum.

(This joke may get less funny the further you live away from the North of England)

[Tazio]

Are any of ya' awl boys going to be watching this weekends race?

[Doc Austin]

Are any of ya' awl boys going to be watching this weekends race?

It's on NBC sports, right? I'm planning on seeing it if I can find it.

[steveaki13]

Are any of ya' awl boys going to be watching this weekends race?

I will give it a go.

Where do we go for our race day banter though?

[schmenke]

It's on NBC sports, right? I'm planning on seeing it if I can find it.

I believe Speed TV (or whatever the Fox channel is called nowadays :dozey: ) is airing it live.

[555-04Q2]

Been watching the development of the cars, teams, racetracks with interest. To be honest, think this will turn into another A1GP without the engines.

[jens]

My long-time favourite Trulli makes a comeback to racing, and this time not only as a driver, but also as a team boss.:D So re-inventing the tradition of the Brabhams, McLarens, Amons, Surtees, and others from the days of past.

The only former F1 race winner to start there.:D However, having been away from racing for some time at the age of 40 now I suspect he may struggle to keep up with some of the younger guys, so I think if he can make it into, say, top 10, it would be pretty fine.

Sadly I won't be able to watch the inaugural race though.


I boosted Trulli,:D which is really just a way of getting you to register.


I gave Trulli a boost as well.:) However, I suspect he may not be popular enough to be among the top3 "chosen ones", who are most popular. But thankfully the boost effect is not very strong, thus not playing a significant role in the outcome. With perhaps coming into play only when two drivers are very-very evenly matched and one overtaking move decides all.

[Tazio]

I will give it a go.

Where do we go for our race day banter though? This is as good a place as any Steve. It's a 2:00am start for me, but hopefully I'll see some quali and other activities if the "free" stream I pull in is ITV. Anyway I'll check in here. Secretly I'm pulling for Jarno's Macbabe driver, Michela Cerruti :love:
but I think Renault have the car.

[Doc Austin]

I believe Speed TV (or whatever the Fox channel is called nowadays :dozey: ) is airing it live.

Thanks. I would have probably missed it.

[steveaki13]

The presenter here, just asked a driver what he tought of fan boost.......

He struggled for about 20 seconds before stuttering ..... yer....... its getting fans more involved in motorsport.

So funny. He just wanted to say "Its S***"

[Tazio]

Ok dawgz, watching it on ITV4. If you want the link give ne a holla'

[steveaki13]

Me too, but on my TV Taz. :p

No chance of a Trulli train, with Jarno starting way back there.

Also look out for Nelsinho crashing to help the home favourite win ;)

If these things occur it truly will be Ex F1 :stareup:

[steveaki13]

Pretty ordinary circuit layout by the looks of it.

[Tazio]

Yeah, not very excited about the circuit.

[steveaki13]

The question is.... Do we think Formula E is going to become a true motorsport fixture? It takes a lot for a new category to become a permanent long term fixture that we watch for years to come.

Can this become one of those?

[steveaki13]

Well its race time Dawg................... :andrea:

[Tazio]

I think Chandok is good for bringing out a safety car :p:

[Tazio]

Go Nick!! :dork: :angel:

[Tazio]

Jarno starts dead last, how many places Can he make up?

[steveaki13]

Chandok slow away and the back row not starting at all.

This could be a any car finishes gets points race.

[Tazio]

Hey I can't hear the cars :confused: :angel:

[Tazio]

Go Michela! :love:

[steveaki13]

Slowest formation lap ever

[steveaki13]

awwwwwwww...... Trulli didn't get away. The Chinese guy failed as well and someone lost a wheel.

[Tazio]

Safety car!

[steveaki13]

fuel saving mode..... sorry battery saving mode.

[steveaki13]

Hating the background music :mad:

I wonder if ITV are going to have ads. Maybe not otherwise they would have had one in the SC as in F1 back in the day

[steveaki13]

Buemi losing his rear wing :eek:

[Tazio]

Nice little battle between Sato, and Pique

[steveaki13]

and Pique

The Barcelona football player is driving :eek:
http://www.insidespanishfootball.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Gerard-Pique.jpg

Or maybe you mean't Piquet ;)

[Tazio]

Maybe? :stareup: ;)

[steveaki13]

Seriously Taz, what you making of this stuff so far?

[Tazio]

Better than a visit to the dentist :p:

[Tazio]

Come on Nick!!! :eek:

[steveaki13]

The two girls both have had penalties. Oh dear

[Tazio]

Wow!! :eek:

[steveaki13]

Heidfeld and Prost Donkeys :p

[TMorel]

Well, at least that gives something to show on the news.

To be honest, I'll watch the next race, it grabbed me enough to start to follow the series.

[steveaki13]

Prost the Donkey from onboard.

Heidfeld launches to the inside and Prost just turns in on him.

What a stupid move after a great drive. I am not being stupid am I? Prost yanks the wheel as Heidfeld passes him, probably so angry he was about to lose the race after leading it all.

di Grassi gets a win. Well done to him

[Tazio]

Nick got ripped off. That was a dirty move by Prost. Nick DotR IMO! :mad:

[steveaki13]

Well

Donkey= Prost

Driver = Heidfeld - Gained 3 places through the race and was about to win. Bad Luck

Rating= Not a great race but OK, 6/10

[truefan72]

Prost the Donkey from onboard.

Heidfeld launches to the inside and Prost just turns in on him.

What a stupid move after a great drive. I am not being stupid am I? Prost yanks the wheel as Heidfeld passes him, probably so angry he was about to lose the race after leading it all.

di Grassi gets a win. Well done to him

not at all

prost is an idiot, pure and simple
heidfeld set that pass up very well, and was about to take the lead, and prost simply turned in on him
madness/ just take p2 and be done with it. but he chooses to ruin both their races

It is hard to congratulate digrassi, because he had no pace to keep up with the 2 leaders. despite the fan boost
yeah, he won the race, but it was much like how massa won spa 2008 imo lol

most impressed by heidfeld, montagny, and chandhok

[truefan72]

at least digrassi is classy enough to say that the race win was not really the way to do it and that his strategy wasn't ideal.
very fair comments by him

[Tazio]

Not great racing but the strategy is very interesting. I'll give it a 6.3/10
Prost big donkey
Nick drove a brilliant race. I'll keep up with this series!

[Tazio]

See you guys, I'm going to sleep :wave:

[truefan72]

Well

Donkey= Prost

Driver = Heidfeld - Gained 3 places through the race and was about to win. Bad Luck

Rating= Not a great race but OK, 6/10

yeah, it was about a 6/10 for me too.
but the relative quietness of the cars fools folks about the actual speed of the cars. which became evident with that last corner clash.
these cars are still moving at enough pace for such incidents to be dangerous. Heidfeld was a very lucky guy and prost pretty much blew it and seriously put another driver's life in jeopardy with a bonehead move.

The camera work needs a bit of improvement, as well as the live stats, which should show the battery % constantly and ranking on a left side vertical banner so we can know what is going on.
but these are birthing issues of a new series and it can only improve
Also a better car change timing info and views would be interesting

honorable donkey to trulli :(

[truefan72]

See you guys, I'm going to sleep :wave:

me too. i struggled to stay up for this inaugural race.

[Tazio]

Prost deserves a race ban for that idiotic move on Nick!!

[steveaki13]

Night Guys

Fun chatting

[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! :hmph:

[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! :hmph:
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.

[Tazio]

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 strangeI'm going to have to disagree with you mate. The pit change is actually very fair. With a pit lane speed limit, and a mandatory 50 second wait as a safety precaution to make sure you are properly strapped into your second car. The only variable is how fast you can get out of the first one and run about 2 meters to the second.

[Doc Austin]

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

I would much rather see them run two separate heat races.

[Doc Austin]

Doc, a ten place grid penalty isn't nothing.

Want to bet on whether or not Prost drives dirty again before the year is out? I say he does. 10 grid spots isn't going to deter him the next time a win or podium is on the line.

Today's drivers can't help themselves because they grew up watching Prost, Senna and Schumacher do it. Not only did Schumacher master the chop, block and swerve, but he was almost universally revered for his "hard but fair" driving. It's no wonder today's drivers think ramming another car is ok because their heroes made entire careers out of dirty driving.



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.

Schumacher came right out and admitted that he tried to crash Villeneuve and they threw him out of the championship for that year. I think it's only fair they throw Prost out of the 2014 championship before he kills someone.



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.

I don't really think that they want it. They just don't want to do anything to stop it. The Nico/Lewis accident has brought more attention to F1 than almost anything I can remember since Rubens had to give the Austrian GP to Schumacher. This sort of thing gets press and viewers, and the FIA doesn't want to interfere with that.

[Tazio]

I would much rather see them run two separate heat races.I would too mate, but a 12 or 13 lap race on tight street circuits, doesn't give the guys in back much hope of scoring points for final finishing position. Of course you could reverse the order for the second heat. Tough call Doc!

[Tazio]

Want to bet on whether or not Prost drives dirty again before the year is out? I say he does. 10 grid spots isn't going to deter him the next time a win or podium is on the line.

Massage Doc! ;) N. Prost already has a rep. for dirty driving, but this was the first race of the season. Although, as I stated, I don't think the penalty is severe enough, I have faith the next time will have serious consequences. As for Mike, and JV. that was not the first time Mike had been reprimanded by the FIA in F1, he already had a history. From here on out I have every confidence that Prost will be kept on a short leash.

[Doc Austin]

I would too mate, but a 12 or 13 lap race on tight street circuits, doesn't give the guys in back much hope of scoring points for final finishing position.

I think eventually they will figure out how to recharge the things quickly and then they can just race them. The whole changing cars thing is, well, phoney.

I'm not going to judge the series by one race, or even the first season or so, because the technology is evolving. I think it is a minor miracle they have gotten this far. I look forward to this being a great series, but they have to ditch the gimmicks like fan boost and car changes. I can't think of another race in history where they allowed mid race car changes, and certainly not planned changes.

If they want this to be relevant to road technology, they need to be able to "refuel" the cars the same way the rest of us refuel our road cars, or recharge our hybrids.


Of course you could reverse the order for the second heat.

That would be a lot of fun.


N. Prost already has a rep. for dirty driving, but this was the first race of the season.

I'm not surprised. He grew up watching his dad crash Senna on purpose and then Senna crash his dad on purpose. I'm sure he thinks that just how you go racing.



Although, as I stated, I don't think the penalty is severe enough, I have faith the next time will have serious consequences.

Getting someone killed would be a serious consequence.

Prost gets a 10 place grid penalty and Heidfield's team loses an entire car, or at least has a big repair bill. Certainly doesn't seem very fair, but fair is not what I expect from the FIA anyway.


As for Mike, and JV. that was not the first time Mike had been reprimanded by the FIA in F1, he already had a history.

And they still did essentially nothing considering he kept his wins and poles and points. He just lost second place in the championship, as if he even cared about second place. They should have let him keep his second place and make him sit out the next season, or at least the first three races. Why not? They banned Verstappen a couple of races in 94 for an accident that was not even his own fault!


From here on out I have every confidence that Prost will be kept on a short leash.

I hope you are right. Today's incident could have very easily been deadly.

[Tazio]

I think eventually they will figure out how to recharge the things quickly and then they can just race them. The whole changing cars thing is, well, phoney.

I'm not going to judge the series by one race, or even the first season or so, because the technology is evolving. I think it is a minor miracle they have gotten this far. I look forward to this being a great series, but they have to ditch the gimmicks like fan boost and car changes. I can't think of another race in history where they allowed mid race car changes, and certainly not planned changes.

If they want this to be relevant to road technology, they need to be able to "refuel" the cars the same way the rest of us refuel our road cars, or recharge our hybrids.



I agree with you here whole-heartedly, and F-E is in its teething stages. It's too bad that simply changing batteries isn't practical. Maybe they will add KERS in the not too distant future. As for recharging that is fine, but just like adding KERS it will be expensive. They will need a supplier to provide uniform charging systems that are powerful, fast, and safe, that will have to be monitored by race control. All the improvements we want to see have to be cost effective, which means the series has to succeed. I really hope it does, because unlike a lot of my associates that are in their 60's I love change, I'm not afraid of it, in fact I embrace it. Looking forward too riding my scooter up to LA for the US race. :cool:

[Tazio]

prost is an idiot, pure and simple


https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/s526x395/10649803_835065493190960_3041012294164648181_n.png ?oh=8a9b639fd6e6e1d9d87aebdf44451b66&oe=549C7191&__gda__=1418461047_8cc0fa2ef849c03b84094818e709238 3

...................:sailor: :angel:

[RS]

I agree with you here whole-heartedly, and F-E is in its teething stages. It's too bad that simply changing batteries isn't practical. Maybe they will add KERS in the not too distant future. As for recharging that is fine, but just like adding KERS it will be expensive.:

They already have regenerative braking.

[RS]

Watched it this morning, I thought the racing was pretty good!

Interesting how Heidfeld saved his juice to attack until the last lap, I think he could have had the win there...

Also interesting that the cars were able to follow each other closely without losing performance, unlike in F1.

Not keen on the sound trackside, but onboard where you can hear some revs from the motor and gear changes it's not so bad.

Still not keen on that car change mid race, surely they can get the things to last one race distance with time?

Maybe it would be better long term to have all the teams share the chassis but develop their own powertrains? I appreciate this would escalate costs but it would also force on the development of electric vehicles and give the engineers a real chance to flex their brain power.

[Tazio]

They already have regenerative braking. Of course what was I thinking :crazy:

Watched it this morning, I thought the racing was pretty good!

Interesting how Heidfeld saved his juice to attack until the last lap, I think he could have had the win there...

Also interesting that the cars were able to follow each other closely without losing performance, unlike in F1.

Not keen on the sound trackside, but onboard where you can hear some revs from the motor and gear changes it's not so bad.

Still not keen on that car change mid race, surely they can get the things to last one race distance with time?

Maybe it would be better long term to have all the teams share the chassis but develop their own powertrains? I appreciate this would escalate costs but it would also force on the development of electric vehicles and give the engineers a real chance to flex their brain power. I don't think anybody is keen on the car changes, including the organizers. Hopefully they will have a solution to that dilemma "with time". I did point out earlier in the thread that I thought the way they handle it was fair and equitable, and am actually curious how Heidfeld jumped 2 cars that pitted on the same lap he did.

[steveaki13]

and am actually curious how Heidfeld jumped 2 cars that pitted on the same lap he did.

He is quick Nick, so I guess he leapt out and ran to the other car quicker than the rest

[Tazio]

He is quick Nick, so I guess he leapt out and ran to the other car quicker than the rest

Yep 2 steps across the garage ;) He may have got himself out of the first car much faster than the others, because he sure climbed out of the car after the crash pretty damn fast. But I am sincerely curious if maybe someone in front of him was pulling some kind of shenanigans trying to slow the car directly in front of Nick down. I don't have a recording so that is only an uneducated guess! Were the three line-a-stern when they came in?

[tommy2k8]

Hating the background music :mad:

I wonder if ITV are going to have ads. Maybe not otherwise they would have had one in the SC as in F1 back in the day

I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't!

[tommy2k8]

To the guy in this forum who talked about the TV pictures, they do need to improve it, but that's the worldwide stream, not ITV4's

[Mark]

I had to switch it off. The background music was awful. Why just why?

[tommy2k8]

I had to switch it off. The background music was awful. Why just why?

I'm surprised about the music too - but don't blame ITV4 because they don't have any control over that!

[RS]

I had to switch it off. The background music was awful. Why just why?

The reason is clearly because the cars don't make enough noise.

I don't like it either, but I didn't find it too intrusive tbh.

[schmenke]

Slowest formation lap ever

Yep, I hope the necessity for a formation lap is reconsidered for future events.

[Mark]

Isn't the idea of the formation lap to warm the brakes and tyres? That's just as important for electric cars.

[steveaki13]

Isn't the idea of the formation lap to warm the brakes and tyres? That's just as important for electric cars.

I agree Mark, but when the cars take about 4 minutes to do the lap. They can't be warming much up :p

[schmenke]

That's right. They are merely puttering around conserving battery!

[jens]

Oooh what a pleasure. Unlike F1, FE has got full qualifying and race coverages updates to YouTube pretty much immediately after the event. Great stuff! Then don't have to worry about missing action.:D

Watching the stuff felt like the start of some kind of a new era. Background music is indeed weird. Cars look slooow... Then I saw from data that the top speed at the end of the straight didn't even exceed 200 km p/h. They have really a lot of development to do to match up to some of the other open-wheel-series...

But at least a start has been given. Nice to see Heidfeld fighting right at the sharp end of the field - an opportunity he missed in F1.:D Though in F1 context none of those guys reached particularly high... Hoping to see more of Trulli in the future. And then there are some other guys we didn't get much information about - like the arguable pre-season favourite Buemi.

[Mark]

Indeed some work to do. Most of the racing looked like it was at speeds of F1 cars behind a pace car.

[Doc Austin]

I finally got to watch the whole race and thought it was pretty impressive. I definitely plan to follow the series. I'de like to see Formula E get it's own section here so all the information is in one place and easier to access.

[jens]

I forgot to mention the car sound... The sound is so... squealy... or I don't know which word to use. That it is pretty hard to listen it for long before wanting to turn off because ears want to have a rest...:)

[Mark]

I finally got to watch the whole race and thought it was pretty impressive. I definitely plan to follow the series. I'de like to see Formula E get it's own section here so all the information is in one place and easier to access.

Well since you asked, here you are ;)

[A FONDO]

Great. Electric engines are the future.

[steveaki13]

Nice to see it get its own section.

[Zeakiwi]

Robert Llewellyn has been doing a few background vids.
http://youtu.be/SKuFIrEKVwg

[Whyzars]

Watched it on YouTube and fast forwarded through quite a bit. The camera production made it difficult to watch at times. This is screaming out to be included in the F1 calendar.

Firstly, this is not the future.

Secondly, the cars didn't seem to be equal even though they obviously must be. Driver performance maybe?

I'm still trying to work out why Heidfeld closed the gap on that last straight when he wasn't seeming to make any headway previously. Nice move by Prost jnr on a narrow and dicey track. I'm surprised Heidfeld didn't punch and kick him...

My thoughts:

Lose the safety car and just stop them on the grid.

Lose the parade lap. They don't use tyre warmers and go straight out cold from the pits after the car change so why bother with that first lap crawl?

Lose the car change. Its just silly. A battery swap I could understand but I guess they'd spill too much steaming hot coolant so pass on that idea. A car swap with minimum times and stop watches is just trying too hard in my view. They'd be better served having the second car actually starting on the grid.

It all looks good but I fear the enthusiasm won't last.

2 x 5 lap races incorporated into the Saturday and Sunday Formula 1 race weekends would be quite a novelty and allow Formula E to grow its profile and establish some form of race cred. That driver stable would actually have F1 fans asking for their autographs so it makes sense to have them participate in the F1 weekends.

If they continue to go it alone I think it will have a loyal fan base of friends and family. The cars will always sound like a failing bearing and, realistically, who would pay to listen to that more than once?

[jens]

Secondly, the cars didn't seem to be equal even though they obviously must be. Driver performance maybe?

As always the case, team performance is very important, even in spec series. In IndyCar there is a spec chassis, but Penske, Ganassi and Andretti are the best teams and win most of the time. In the Formula E season opener Abt and E.Dams seemed to be the best teams.

On the flipside I heard Trulli's interview that as the entrance of his team into FE was announced later than others, they still have a bit of catch up to do - and yes this is related to team operations specifically (setup work, ability to maximize the potential of chassis).

[Doc Austin]

Well since you asked, here you are ;)

Thank you. Now we just need more races to talk about.

[steveaki13]

Yes. Its an extraordinarily long gap between Rounds 1 & 2

[MrJan]

Formation lap is about more than warming the tyres, it's about letting the drivers do a lap of the track in current conditions. It also happens in pretty much all levels of the sport.

[steveaki13]

Also in all seriousness it is about checking systems and operations before the race too

[anfield5]

Wow, I didn't realise the milk-float championship had started. There has been no TV or other media coverage of any sort down here at all.

[steveaki13]

Wow, I didn't realise the milk-float championship had started. There has been no TV or other media coverage of any sort down here at all.

Look out for Round 2, which is in Malaysia on 22nd November.

Ridiculous gap between the races

[inimitablestoo]

Apparently they had to move the second race because the Prime Minister of Malaysia is out that weekend and nobody else has the keys. Or something like that.

[RS]

Another big name for Formula E: http://m.gpupdate.net/en/autosport-news/320030/vergne-to-make-formula-e-debut-in-uruguay/

[Shift]

That's great!

[RS]

Also looking likely the race in Battersea will go ahead: http://m.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117087/battersea-race-gets-council-approval

[Tazio]

:stareup: I'm all over it dad-dad-dad-daddy-o!

[jens]

The race just finished. Wow, what a race.:D So much drama, mistakes/spins by drivers, technical problems, random penalties.

My man Trulli was lucky to get that fourth, his race pace wasn't really up there sadly.

[Shift]

Just brilliant racing yet again, this serie has really caught me up!

[Tazio]

I love this freakin' series, plus I get the impression that racing on these tight slippery street circuits is really fun in one of those rigs. I could probably be competitive in this series. :dozey: :p:
I'd be all like :bounce::wave:

[Maverick248]

:D

It was a nice race, I'm very disappointed for JEV he did a good job for its first appearance in this series.

I think also there was too much time behind safety car.

[inimitablestoo]

There were a lot of cautions, but somehow they didn't interrupt the flow of the race as much as I was expecting (possibly because they seemed to last only about a lap or two).

What did seem interesting was that, off the start and after the car swap, the field quickly strung out but things got more interesting as the stints went on - the reverse of what you'd expect.

Punta del Este looks fabulous by the way - I'd expect a busy time if I was working for the Uruguyan tourist board!

[RS]

Best track they've raced so far in my opinion.

[philipbain]

I keep on missing the live races, it's the whole Saturday thing that is messing with my melon, become far too used to watching the serious end of the business on a Sunday, whether it be the pinacle of the sport in F1 down through the heirarchy to through to national level club races and hillclimbing, it is nearly always on a Sunday! I have to say that I watched the extended highlights of the Uraguay round (you guessed it, on Sunday!!) and I was really impressed by the quality of the venue, the Chinese could learn a thing or two from it, a street track doesnt have to be all 90 degree bends and long long long straights which less face it, don't really play to Formula E's strengths (ie. straight line speeds are far from impressive).

[Tazio]

Here is the full race if anyone is looking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJZS0QhPmhs


I was really impressed by the quality of the venue, the Chinese could learn a thing or two from it, a street track doesnt have to be all 90 degree bends and long long long straights which less face it, don't really play to Formula E's strengths (ie. straight line speeds are far from impressive).I'm really looking forward to going to the Long Beach race, but I'm not crazy about the configuration that they have chosen!

http://www.fiaformulae.com/media/48820/long_beach_animation.gif

[Tazio]

Check this out mates:


The inaugural Formula E race in Long Beach next year, featuring 20 electric-powered cars, will have free grandstand and general admission, organizers said Wednesday.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow/la-sp-sn-formula-e-long-beach-20140723-story.html
I wonder if this still holds true? :dork:

[MrJan]

I keep on missing the live races, it's the whole Saturday thing that is messing with my melon, become far too used to watching the serious end of the business on a Sunday, whether it be the pinacle of the sport in F1 down through the heirarchy to through to national level club races and hillclimbing, it is nearly always on a Sunday!

I'm exactly the same, found myself flicking through the channels on Saturday evening and happening upon the podium ceremony....although I would like to point out that hillclimbing is often on a Saturday and still counts the same (nationals are different but us club boys do it no matter what day of the weekend it is).

[Tazio]

Scarbs has a whole series of videos on Formula E. Here are a few.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L-DAdRC1oE&index=3&list=UUF0tHSSLp0WzxMnVLKB-3VA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIskD3VvD54&list=UUF0tHSSLp0WzxMnVLKB-3VA&index=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr8ouxln3CE&list=UUF0tHSSLp0WzxMnVLKB-3VA&index=7

[RS]

News on next year: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/117181

[pob]

Franck Montagny has been suspended for testing positive for a cocaine derivative at the Malaysia race. He was replaced by J-E Vergne at the last race. Saward thinks the FIA are trying to bury the news.

[Tazio]

I saw that and I really would like the horny details, because I would like to think that he was doing a little pnp with a fun gurl, just like George Bush was reported to have done when he went AWOL from the Air National Guard. Of course at the time his father was the head of the CIA and managed to cover it up :laugh:

[Tazio]

Here is the grid for todays race, who is watching live?

1. Sebastien Buemi, e.dams-Renault, 1:09.134s
2. Jaime Alguersuari, Virgin Racing, 1:09.161s
3. Nick Heidfeld, Venturi, 1:09.367s
4. Sam Bird, Virgin Racing, 1:09.388s
5. Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT, 1:09.521s
6. Jean-Eric Vergne, Andretti, 1:09.527s
7. Nicolas Prost, e.dams-Renault, 1:09.636s
8. Antonio Felix da Costa, Amlin Aguri, 1:09.658s
9. Nelson Piquet Jr, China Racing, 1:09.742s
10. Karun Chandhok, Mahindra Racing, 1:09.875s
11. Stephane Sarrazin, Venturi, 1:10.165s
12. Daniel Abt, Audi Sport ABT, 1:10.329s
13. Oriol Servia, Dragon, 1:10.588s
14. Marco Andretti, Andretti, 1:10.713s
15. Ho-Pin Tung, China Racing, 1:11.049s
16. Salvador Duran, Amlin Aguri, 1:11.331s
17. Michela Cerruti, Trulli, 1:11.785s
18. Jerome d’Ambrosio, Dragon Racing, 1:12.239s
19. Bruno Senna, Mahindra Racing, 1:13.209s
20. Jarno Trulli, Trulli, no time set

[jens]

What the hell was this?! LOL! A mess of a race. Including leaders hitting the wall and race control not knowing, what to do with safety car in the middle of the race.

[RS]

I would like it to have been cleaner but plenty of action and overtaking again!

[Tazio]

I'm still trying to figure out what I watched! :confused: I didn't see Vergne's contact, and a few guys got screwed by the safety car, but it was fast and furious. I'll re-watch on you tube, and study it a little more closely!

[A FONDO]

The full race https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M17I2aXZfGA

[tommy2k8]

Is everyone enjoying this season of Formula E?
The time for the March 14 programme start is 8.15pm on ITV4, but what time does the race start?

[jens]

Is everyone enjoying this season of Formula E?
The time for the March 14 programme start is 8.15pm on ITV4, but what time does the race start?

They should certainly do something with the calendar. The breaks are so long I almost forget Formula E season is actually on-going.

[inimitablestoo]

I assume race start will be 9pm, with only 45 minutes of build-up rather than the hour they've had (and struggled to fill a little bit) thus far.

[Tazio]

You can be part of the inaugural Formula E Long Beach ePrix for free! Twenty fully-electric racing cars will be speeding along the seven turns and 1.6 miles of the Long Beach ePrix circuit in the new FIA Formula E Championship.
The free admission will allow everyone to come and enjoy this fantastic new form of motorsport featuring top teams and drivers from around the world.


Free is good. :angel:

[raybak]

Free is good. :angel:

Great news, good way to bring in new fans. Who knows in a couple of years time they may actually pay for a ticket as they have become fans.

[tommy2k8]

I thought all of them were free, as they are street tracks?

[Tazio]

I'm no authority but I do know that for the race in Miami ticket prices range from 22.40 USD, to 95.20 USD, with children getting into GA for 11.20 USD.

[tommy2k8]

I think the Londoin race in June is free!

[anfield5]

Is everyone enjoying this season of Formula E?
The time for the March 14 programme start is 8.15pm on ITV4, but what time does the race start?

Watched a couple of events from last season, prob won't bother with 2015 for two reasons.

1. I object to watching it on u-tube, small, low quality video. If Formula E cant get t.v. time it willl die (I assume some countries have tv coverage?)

2. I couldn't get into watching silent 'car' buzzing around deserted streets. The noise of motorsport is one of the reasons people watch, this is surreal. Plus drivers having to swap cars at half distance is a wee bit of a joke.

[tommy2k8]

Watched a couple of events from last season, prob won't bother with 2015 for two reasons.

1. I object to watching it on u-tube, small, low quality video. If Formula E cant get t.v. time it willl die (I assume some countries have tv coverage?)

2. I couldn't get into watching silent 'car' buzzing around deserted streets. The noise of motorsport is one of the reasons people watch, this is surreal. Plus drivers having to swap cars at half distance is a wee bit of a joke.

Referring to point 1, um, with respect, 'if Formula E can't get TV Time', I did mention that it is on ITV4!

2. I think this could happen to F1 eventually

[anfield5]

Referring to point 1, um, with respect, 'if Formula E can't get TV Time', I did mention that it is on ITV4!

2. I think this could happen to F1 eventually

um, with respect ITV 4 is all well and good if yiu live in ITV land. Seeing as how I (and others) are upto 12000miles away from the UK we can't get ITV4!

[Tazio]

:stareup: We don't get Itv4 in San Diego, California, USA, and get to enjoy this very exiting series in HD. Sorry your homeland gets totally punked in this regard. No wonder you have nothing good to say about the series. :rolleyes:

@ Tommy2k8; I'm really looking forward to this race dawg, let's chat it up on this thread during the race mate!

[Doc Austin]

They had some trouble finishing the circuit so quilis got curt short, but Sam Bird says the track is "Mega." Let's hope for a good race.

I've missed half the races just because I don't know when they are on (though now I have them programmed into my DVR), but what I have seen has been good fun. I even like the sound of these cars.

[Doc Austin]

2. I couldn't get into watching silent 'car' buzzing around deserted streets. The noise of motorsport is one of the reasons people watch, this is surreal.

I fly super badass RC electric planes so I guess I am used to the sound and it doesn't offend me. I actually like the fact you can hear the commentators much better, and understand what they are saying better. When you get older noises tend to all run together, and an F1 telecast sounds like a lot of mush.


Plus drivers having to swap cars at half distance is a wee bit of a joke.

Totally agree, but maybe once they start developing the cars and power systems next year we will get closer to going full distance on one battery. That, or they need to find a way to change a battery out quickly and safely, or recharge them quickly and safely.

Personally I think now that the technology is being raced, now we will see some real progress. We should have been doing this in the 70s when it became beyond all doubt that petrol supply was going to be a problem. We would have great electric cars, even long distance electric road cars, if we had started back then.

[Tazio]

I fly super badass RC electric planes so I guess I am used to the sound and it doesn't offend me. I actually like the fact you can hear the commentators much better, and understand what they are saying better. When you get older noises tend to all run together, and an F1 telecast sounds like a lot of mush.



Totally agree, but maybe once they start developing the cars and power systems next year we will get closer to going full distance on one battery. That, or they need to find a way to change a battery out quickly and safely, or recharge them quickly and safely.

Personally I think now that the technology is being raced, now we will see some real progress. We should have been doing this in the 70s when it became beyond all doubt that petrol supply was going to be a problem. We would have great electric cars, even long distance electric road cars, if we had started back then.
Nice post Doc!
I think that the problem with ecars as opposed to other forms of locomotion ithat they need a big breakthrough in battery storage/delivery. It is like a guy I know that bought some propeperty in N.Az and re is fully off grid, with solar and wind, with a backup gasoline compressor and generator. He hardly ever has to use the gas compressor, but only because the battery technology is holding these systems up, more so in cars, obviously

[Tazio]

Jev!

[Tazio]

I'm taking Vergne, or Bird

[Tazio]

great freakin' race!

[Tazio]

Scott Speed is in position for a freakin' podium in his first and home race... rude!!

[Tazio]

"Scott Speed, Billy!! :dozey:

[Tazio]

Prtost or Speed will win!! :eek:

[Tazio]

What's up with Scott!
I'll be there in Long Beach :idea: :bounce:

[Tazio]

Come on dawgz, Markabilly liked to write a bout Scott (not) Speed, but he took the second step in Miami. He must have been practicing virtually, right Billy?

[Bagwan]

Maybe it was because I had just watched the F1 race , but man , did those cars look slow at that track to me .
It made me wonder if they get going fast enough to make the snazzy aero package give them any downforce .

But the most annoying thing about the whole affair was the sound .
Announcers were hard to hear , especially when the audio included the sound from the helicopter .

The slooooooooooooooooooooooooow ride to the grid is also still really stupid looking .

The series still has a lot of issues , and i hope they solve a few and gain a fan base .

[Tazio]

:stareup: I guess this means I won't be seeing you in Long Beach. :cool: :wave:

[woreditor]

Doc,
what is the difference between swaping cars or filling in gas like in F1?
None. In fact, it is safer and because of the minimum time just.
As for the drivers, don't forget that some of these guys would deserve an F1 drive anytime. They either sat on the wrong car in F1 or didn't have the money to continue.
Sure, all cars are the same for the moment but that makes it for more open battle.
Right now Formula e is more existing to watch than Formula 1, even if I am not wanting to compare both series. I love both.

[MrJan]

First race that I managed to watch live at the weekend (the Saturday race really throws me) and it was much better than the F1. Sure there are issues with the sport, but it's the first ever season with new technology and a lot less money than F1 (which, let's be honest, has plenty of issues). Of the things that I'd like to see sorted out for future season are:
1 - Road tyres - not sure why
2 - the noise
3 - Playing music over a replay
4 - All the tracks are crazily bumpy and make some corners a bit of a lottery.
5 - Changing cars halfway through
6 - The wait between events

[Tazio]

First race that I managed to watch live at the weekend (the Saturday race really throws me) and it was much better than the F1. Sure there are issues with the sport, but it's the first ever season with new technology and a lot less money than F1 (which, let's be honest, has plenty of issues). Of the things that I'd like to see sorted out for future season are:
1 - Road tyres - not sure why
2 - the noise
3 - Playing music over a replay
4 - All the tracks are crazily bumpy and make some corners a bit of a lottery.
5 - Changing cars halfway through
6 - The wait between events

I'm going solo to Long Beach on my scooter next week and check it out, It's about 115 miles and I plan on leaving by 06:00 maybe get some pics. I think the reason the road courses look really bumpy is because the suspensions aren't beefy enough for the massive battery weight x velocity, and they run the curbs and break sometimes! :dork:

[N4D13]

Franck Montagny has received a two-year suspension for his cocaine positive in a doping test during the Malaysian race.

I have mixed feeling about this. On one hand, and this is coming from someone who doesn't do drugs, I think that these things should be best kept to one's private sphere. If a racing driver takes drugs in his/her free time, it's his problem and I don't think it's the role of any sporting organisation to give him/her a penalty.

That said, I think the key here is whether the substance might have had an effect on his driving, either by artificially improving his response times or by impairing his judgment while behind the wheel and thus endangering others. If the amount of cocaine found was not enough to have had either effect, then I maintain my previous criticism.

[Tazio]

I don't have any inside information, other than having tried cocaine In my younger days. These races are short enough that a good dose of coke would "enhance the experience" (make it seem more fun, especiall if his crew has a well packed crack pipe ready for him when he is changing cars). But unless he was sleep deprived, or hurt physically It will not make you a better racer. From what I read when the incident (his exclusion) occurred he admitted it, and also apologized to, or including to his parents. I think he did what a lot of well paid athletes, and other entertainers (at least in this country) do all the time.
They get hooked up with some "fun" gurlz, and freebase coke, while having chemically enhanced sex-fests. I mean really intense dork-minding. These encounters can go on for over 24 hours, and don't knock it until you've tried it.

[Tazio]

These cars should be Epic around Monaco. I'm really looking forward to this race!

[Mekola]

Buemi is the first Formula E driver who has won twice in the same season.

[Tazio]

I'm disappointed that they did not use the same track layout as F1!

[Mekola]

That's the matter of Formula E - Since all circuits have to be short.

[Tazio]

Monaco is short, that was my point! Does anyone know why they didn't use the traditional circuit!

[zako85]

After di Grassi's disqualification in Berlin, the points spread among the top three looks really tight. Hopefully, it will be a very interesting end of a fairly successful season.

[jens]

Shame about Trulli going nowhere after his pole position...

[pino]

Why I am not surprised anymore :p:

[Mekola]

I think Nelsinho has the upper hand to the title... Even the PR of his sister helps to his image. It could be a great deal for him if he got the championship.

[jens]

Nelson likely to win the championship? Wow, didn't expect that. Maybe after all he is a better driver than given credit to after his F1 failings in 2008-2009? :p:

[inimitablestoo]

Well, he did run some chap called Lewis Hamilton close to the 2006 GP2 title, and he was British F3 champ before that. It's only F1 where things didn't work - and with hindsight, how much of that was really down to him?...

Anyway, good to see that all this hard work has paid off and this weekend he gets his reward - an Indy Lights debut ;)

[giu canbera]

I dont believe Piquet knows how to race under pressure.
And the next tracks looks to have ZERO overtaking points. Worst than Monaco
And Piquet does not usually do well on qualify sooooo...... Maybe Lucas

[Mekola]

Well, my prediction was done. Nelsinho was crowned the first ever champion of Formula E.

[RS]

That was a pretty good race today!

I'd rather a car went into a low power mode if it reaches 0% energy though.. the way it ended was rather messy.

[Tazio]

Congrats to Piquet! :beer:

[zako85]

I didn't notice that the race 10 and 11 were both going to be in London. After watching the pre-race show, which carefully analyzed the race track features, as well as the race 10 itself, I thought that the race 11 was going to be a procession that the race 10 was. However, race 11 was fairly interesting, specially after I was already prepared for a dull race.

All in all, the whole season was very good. The races were close and race venues looked good on TV. I was surprised with the number of Formula 1 refugees there. Say what you say about them, but there needs to be a good outlet for them, and Formula E finally seems like a good open-wheel series for people who couldn't stick long enough in the cruel world of F1.

[steveaki13]

Sadly I lost track of the season. I will try again next season.

Piquet won the title?

Was there a team crash to help him on his way? :p

[wildboar]

Piquet won the title?
Was there a team crash to help him on his way? :p

Piquet had a very consistent season with 2 wins (Long Beach and Moscow), 5 podiums and 10 top ten places in 11 races.

The championship was actually open until the very last lap of the final race at London's Battersea Park. If Buemi had managed to overtake Senna, he would have been champion. Here is a great video of this last lap and the emotions of Piquet when he hears that he won the championship:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMRlxJz0Iug

[jens]

Congrats to Piquet! :up:

Sadly Trulli is well past it as a driver. Wonder if he continues driving or concentrates on being a team principal, which is clearly the long-term career prospect for him now.:)

[jens]

It's only F1 where things didn't work - and with hindsight, how much of that was really down to him?...


Yep... In retrospect... Piquet didn't really perform much worse compared to Alonso than Massa/Räikkönen did. And Massa and Räikkönen were (if not are) very highly rated drivers, former championship contenders. The difference was that Renault in 08-09 was a worse car than the 10-14 Ferrari, so points were harder to come by, which magnified the points gap. And team principal was Briatore, who is perhaps the most diehard believer in the concept of No.1-No.2 drivers.

I think... in a different situation, and perhaps with more experience, Piquet might just have looked like a competent F1 driver. A bit like Buemi, Alguersuari, etc looked like - competent F1 drivers on F1 level, now Piquet's rivals in Formula E.

[zako85]

Deep inside I always favored Buemi. He did a good job in F1 and also in WEC. Some people thought that firing him from Toro Rosso was unjustified. So I was rooting for him in the last race, but when he lost his car in one of the turns in race 11, that was the incident really cost him the championship. On the other hand, Piquet finished something like fifth after starting from almost the back of grid. That was an incredible drive.

[giu canbera]

Alguersuari to miss FormulaE's season 2 due some healthy problems. He's waiting for some exam results or something

Andretti confirmed new deals with AMLIN (now they have that blue car!) and drivers SImona DeSilvestro and Vergne.
Vergne is allowed to leave the team if he gets an F1 deal with HAAS.

Villeneuve is rumored to join Sarrazin in Venturi Team

Campos Racing will be "running" Mahindra's squad this season. (They are already running other program with NextEV China team too)

Season 3 will have batteries upgrades. Rimac and Williams are the two companies that will be fighthing for that spot. Battery competition is on the table too but its unlikely due Financial support offered from both in case of exclusive contracts

[N4D13]

I am really gutted to see Villeneuve joining Venturi in Heidfeld's place. Do we know whether Quick Nick has been axed or if he has other plans for the next year?

[Bagwan]

I am really gutted to see Villeneuve joining Venturi in Heidfeld's place. Do we know whether Quick Nick has been axed or if he has other plans for the next year?

Stick your guts back in .
JV is at Venturi , and quick Nick is at Mahindra .

[N4D13]

Stick your guts back in .
JV is at Venturi , and quick Nick is at Mahindra .
Yeah, I just saw the entrants for the first day of pre-season testing and I'm happy to see that he will still be racing in the series, although in a different team. :)

[Bagwan]

Yeah, I just saw the entrants for the first day of pre-season testing and I'm happy to see that he will still be racing in the series, although in a different team. :)

I'm happy to see them both racing , but especially JV .

I do have a soft spot for Nick , but JV has always been the go fast , straight-talker I have followed most in his career .

[Red sky bull]

The formula E is not a opponent of the formula 1 with in particular the drivers are not a stars like in formula 1; they are young or retired of formula 1 but for my opinion is a good championship and rather interesting.;)

[Mekola]

Wonder who will be the Aguri drivers.

[Zeakiwi]

6th Feb , 2016 - Formula E is flicking the switch again for another event in BA, Argentina.

[Tazio]

What a great race in Argentina by Buemi, last on the grid to p2 pressuring Sam Bird for the win. That was real edge of your seat stuff.
I didn't see JV out there, Did he quit yet another series :dozey:

[wildboar]

What a great race in Argentina by Buemi, last on the grid to p2 pressuring Sam Bird for the win. That was real edge of your seat stuff.
I didn't see JV out there, Did he quit yet another series :dozey:

Yes, it was a fantastic race with the great fight between Bird and Buemi on the last few laps.

Villeneuve has indeed quit the series. Only vague "differences about the direction of the team" are quoted by him and his team (Venturi).

[ploco]

What I heard about it was that Villeneuve was "asked to leave" the team after the dissapointing results, relation with the team members and expectations.

[RachelCorbs]

If anyone would be interested im currently conducting research for my dissertation on the use of social media in sport, specifically in formula e. Looking for participants to fill in a really short survey and would be so grateful to anyone that does, thanks in advance! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1CWKWi82HTGfH_3wkINyrDI9UseGaQEbZBVo2gqzs86Y/viewform?c=0&w=1&usp=mail_form_link

[steveaki13]

I have not kept up with this series with so much going on lately.

However I have set the next round to record and hope to start catching up again. Anyone else followed this season?

[tommy2k8]

I have not kept up with this series with so much going on lately.

However I have set the next round to record and hope to start catching up again. Anyone else followed this season?

I have, been great!

ITV4 have finally started trailing it again, thats why you probably missed it!