Stoffel Vandoorne and Mercedes are crowned world champions in Seoul, in an E-Prix with a nostalgic atmosphere that sees the star’s house farewell at the electric world championship at the same time and the last act of second-generation single-seaters before their well-deserved retirement. The race in the Korean metropolis was also the number one hundred in the history of Formula E, a first important milestone for a still relatively young category. The context therefore invites us to trace a report on the state of health of the championship at the conclusion of its second technical cycle, a balance sheet from which important progress emerges but at the same time critical issues that will need to be addressed.
The four-year period of Gen2 has seen Formula E grow dramatically on every front. The current notoriety of the championship is not even remotely comparable to that of the beginnings, when the category was struggling to spread its name in the international motoring scene, as evidenced by the sudden growth in engagement numbers. The growing popularity of the full-electric world is reflected in the constantly expanding calendar, where there is the interest of more and more cities from every corner of the globe to host a competition. From the point of view of management, however, it is positive to register as in the last four years the organizers have straightened the regulations whenever unfortunate episodes have highlighted the gaps. Impossible not to think, for example, of the subtraction of energy that can be used in the race, which triggered the chaotic race finale in Valencia last season, or of the possibility for a driver to take command of the race by passing through the pit lane during the Safety regime. Car, as attempted by Di Grassi in London again in 2021.
The most important correction however is the one it concerns the qualification format: the subdivision into groups based on the position in the championship was a mechanism that disadvantaged the ranking leaders, constantly reshuffling the world championship scenarios and preventing a single side from going on the run. This dynamic, however, had created an extreme senary last season, with sixteen drivers still fighting for the title on the eve of the final stage in Berlin, creating a confusing context. All this turned out to be deleterious, as well as for the image, also for the interest of the houses that did not see the investments repaid to improve their competitiveness with respect to the competition. The new format launched in 2022 has dealt with this critical issue, without however affecting the great balance typical of the category.
Another growth front during the Gen2 era was that of starting parkwith a class of drivers strong in victories in competitions such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, WEC, DTM, the various GT, Super Formula, Super GT championships and in some cases even experiences in Formula 1. At the same time, Formula E has attracted more and more manufacturers and despite the recent farewells of BMW, Audi and Mercedes have taken over McLaren and Maserati, which, however, at least in the early days will not build the powertrain on their own. There is also no lack of recurring indiscretions of the interest of other automotive groups and in this light the approval of a budget cap of 13 million dollars from 2023 it will help to avoid an escalation of expenses and to preserve the current broad participation.
The presence of the manufacturers is therefore not an immediate concern for the category, but it would be superficial to ignore the recent farewells, which would seem to be partly dictated also by financial reasons and by the lack of clarity on the future strategies of the championship. In fact, the impression is that Formula E is missing at the moment medium and long-term planning and vision, with an uncertain guide highlighted in the small by apparently minor aspects. Less than five months before the start of the next championship, for example, it is not yet known what the race format will be for the third generation single-seaters. Ignore if the distance decreed by the number of laps will return, if the timed format will remain, if Attack Mode and FanBoost will be re-proposed with the Gen3 and again if there will actually be the announced quick recharge pit stop.
Another element of uncertainty is represented by the calendar. In the top level championships on the international scene it is unusual to attend a program with three locations yet to be defined, while in the recent past the cancellation of the Vancouver stage during the current season cannot be ignored. The precarious stability of the calendar suggests contractual and economic problems in the discussions with the host cities, given the uncertainty about the confirmation of a potential location less than a year after the race dispute, a framework that also does not facilitate the planning of the site of race. During the Gen2 era, the layout of the circuits has improved significantly, with the organizers explicitly removing the narrowest sections following the excessive traffic jams experienced at the start, all of them being the one in Bern in 2019. However, some circuits remain unsuitable for hosting a high-level motor racing, where accidents and rear-end collisions are still too frequently seen that undermine the image and reputation of the category. The problem is not so much represented by the tortuosity of the design, necessary to contain average speeds and allow adequate regeneration under braking, as by the recurring funnel sections and insufficient escape routes.
Formula E has been racing around town one of its distinctive features, bringing the show directly to the fans rather than the other way around, a concept that is appreciated and increasingly embraced by Formula 1 and even earlier by IndyCar. However, it is precisely these categories that demonstrate how it is possible to create city systems with even tortuous designs, but with satisfactory escape routes and less narrow spaces that limit traffic jams at the start of the race. Although there is a lack of sufficient economic return in Formula E to justify large infrastructure investments and extensive roadblocks for the host cities to build plants such as those seen in Formula 1 in Miami or Jeddah, certainly a better and earlier planning of the calendar would benefit the time available for design suitable paths.
Then there are some considerations relating to the technical aspect of the category, with Formula E is still perceived by a substantial portion of the public as a single brand. The desire to standardize various components of the cars, on all chassis and aerodynamics, is acceptable in order to contain costs and encourage the investment of resources on the core elements of electric mobility contained in the powertrain. Equally understandable is the still lack of freedom of development on batteries, which would risk catalyzing the attention of the teams and investment in research. On the other hand, in the four-year period of the Gen2 it was seen how various freedoms of further design differentiation between the teams were precluded by the organizers. Above all it stands out the Nissan-Renault casewhich was rumored to have developed an engine with an architecture capable of accumulating additional kinetic energy during braking by means of a flywheel, a solution however promptly cut short by the subsequent regulation.
Nonetheless, it persists a differentiation between the cars, with drivers increasingly talking about how their respective cars adapt better to certain types of tracks according to the design philosophy of the powertrain and rear suspension. At the same time, with the powertrains subject to biennial homologation cycles, the engineering competition in the last four years has played a lot on updating the control software, able to condition the power relations like aerodynamic development in Formula 1. It is therefore surprising how on the part of the organizers there has always been little external communication of these aspects, without any narration of the technical challenges between the stables, and how even for journalists the opportunities for in-depth analysis are scarce. These shortcomings do not contribute to eradicating the vision of Formula E as a single-brand from the public.
The now Gen2 boarders have made a profound contribution to the growth of Formula E, accompanying it from the very beginning and projecting it into a new dimension. Precisely for this reason, the expectations towards a category that has come to obtain the title of World Championship have risen at the same pace and certain limits can no longer be ignored.
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