Formula E: too much efficiency, overtaking drops | FormulaPassion

By Carlo Platella
Wehrlein, Dennis, Cassidy. There are three different winners in as many E-Prix, reiterating the balance and alternation of command as the strengths of Formula E. The first three events of the season, however, highlight a category in which the qualification takes on greater importance compared to the past. The reason is to be found in the third generation single-seaters, which have profoundly influenced the dynamics of the race, a change of which we are now starting to become aware after a year of adjustment.

Diriyah, one year later

From an energy point of view, the third generation Formula Es are significantly more efficient than their predecessors. In 2023, however, it was not yet clear how this would affect the dynamics of the E-Prix. The comparison with the double event in Saudi Arabia is emblematic. The two E-Prixes of last season both ended with 1-2 between Wehrlein and Dennis, both authors of important comebacks. In the Saturday race the two protagonists started from the fifth and sixth place on the grid, while on Friday they even started from the fifth and sixth row. At the time, drivers and teams were still getting to grips with the new cars and the performance gaps were particularly large, which is why the superiority of the Porsche engines was enough to move up the group.

In the second year of the Gen3, the starting fleet is more prepared and balanced, flattening the differences and hindering overtaking. This is accompanied by the decisions of the organizers, who for the 2024 edition reduced the energy granted for the race, 38.5 compared to 40 kWh in 2023, but also reduced the number of laps. Proportionately, in 2024 the energy per kilometer made available was 1.4 and 4.3% higher compared to the two E-Prix last season. In any case, the energy management was nothing and the result was two pleasant races, especially the one on Friday. The Gen3, however, began a trend in which low-economy racing is increasingly common, to the detriment of on-track action.

Efficiency: the side effects

The report of the decline in overtaking in the first three E-Prixes of the year is not yet a cause for alarmism. Jean-Eric Vergne underlines how the track factor contributed to shifting the emphasis to qualifying: “Mexico, Diriyah and London are the most difficult tracks for overtaking.” It is equally true, however, that in Formula E, competitiveness on the flying lap is gaining importance. Low-management “sprint” races follow where overtaking is prohibitive, as noted by Wehrlein already after his victory in Mexico:” When we set off, the race was already very close to being no saver. Contrary to other categories, we don't have help to overtake, like DRS or something else. The overtaking possibilities for us come from saving energy, which however wasn't enough.”

The dynamics is a direct consequence of the characteristics of the Gen3, technologically more advanced and efficient than their progenitors. Advances in the field of batteries now make it possible to sustain higher powers for a prolonged period of time, not only in acceleration, but above all in braking. The opportunity has opened up for the addition of a second engine on the front axle, which can currently only be used for braking regeneration. Thus, while the Gen2s recovered energy with a single generator, the current single-seaters use two units.

In the past, the cars discharged 200 kW of power to the ground and then recharged at 250 kW when braking, while the Gen3 regenerated at double the thrust power, 600 versus 300 kW. The result is the ability to recover when braking over 45% of the energy needed to complete the race, almost double the 25% regenerated by Gen2. With the Gen3, Formula E finds itself in a condition of energy abundance, so much so that the energy that can be used by the battery is no longer constant and defined by the regulations, but is agreed from race to race depending on the type of circuit.

Objectives to be defined

In the early days of the category and with battery technology still immature, energy was extremely precious, with the symbolic image of the car changing mid-race. The remarkable efficiency of the Gen3 has reduced the need to manage the pace and has shortened braking distances, given that energy recovery occurs mainly at the end of the straight and in the early stages of braking. Overtaking becomes more difficult, rewarding speed in qualifying or rather on the flying lap. In fact, the same skill becomes important in the phases of activating the Attack Mode, a rare opportunity to gain positions, circumstances which, especially in Diriyah, saw the drivers challenging each other with fast laps. A type of struggle not necessarily to be despised and which could also recur with the rapid charging pit stops.

E-Prixes with opposite dynamics will soon arrive, with group races completely debasing the qualification. This is also why there are those who appreciate the importance of the flying lap of the first E-Prix of the year: “I think the variety of the championship is positive.”Wehrlein's thought. “There are races where there is too much overtaking and where qualifying doesn't count, while there are others where you have to be fast on the flying lap and start from the front to have a chance of winning. The mix is ​​quite good.”

Roger Griffiths, Andretti team principal, however, underlines the importance of energy management for the category's performance: “The more we have to manage the energy, the more fun we have.” The problem is not the excess efficiency of the Gen3, which on the contrary is a symbol of the technological progress of both the category and electric mobility. Faced with more efficient cars, however, it should be revised the proportion between the race distance and the energy granted, a topic that will especially need to be addressed with the Gen4s. In Saudi Arabia, however, the Federation has opted for a higher value of kWh per kilometer than in 2023. The question then arises as to what is the reason for the push towards poorly managed races, whether it is simple fear to dare or rather the desire to convey a different image of the championship.