zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Racing
/
Why You Should Be Watching Formula E (Even If You Think It's A Gimmick)
Why You Should Be Watching Formula E (Even If You Think It's A Gimmick)-April 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:11:46

Forget everything you think you know about the FIA's all-electric race series. Forget the lack of noise and the whole-car-switchovers for a sec, and take a look at the season so far. If close racing and total chaos is up your alley, you should be watching Formula E.

Let's get the cons out of the way: the cars sound funny, they don't go super fast, the high-pitched electric motor whine isn't a V8, a V10 or a V12, and (where fan votes give the three most popular drivers extra power to use) is a painfully contrived gimmick.

In 2014 Formula E became the first sport to give fans the chance to play an active role, allowing…

The past few races have proven that none of this matters, though. Okay, I'd still rather have no FanBoost, but whatever. You get my point.

Take a look at the highlights from the this weekend's Buenos Aires ePrix, for example:

The leader changed four times in the last ten laps or so, with one or two additional "we're not sure who's really in the lead right now" moments of insanity.

An unfortunately timed crash at Turn 10 from Karun Chandhok right around when everyone was low on power and heading to the pits made things even more interesting. A pack of cars led by Sebastien Buemi came out of the pits in front of the safety car. Many viewers were unsure if Buemi took the lead then, or if Jaime Alguersuari had the lead for being the first car behind the safety car. Buemi actually had it, and later, the cars were allowed to pass the safety car so they could catch up to the Buemi-led pack on the circuit.

Turn 10 kept claiming cars in this race, both from taps to the wall as well as suspension failure. Buemi hit the wall in the exact same spot as Chandhok, giving Lucas di Grassi the lead. Then di Grassi hit the same piece of wall.

Nick Heidfeld took the lead after di Grassi, with Sam Bird close behind in second. An overenthusiastic Bird blew through a red light at the end of pit lane during the clean-up for di Grassi's punt, giving him a drive-through penalty that effectively ended his battle for first.

Heidfeld, trying to increase his lead, got a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pits, handing the lead and the win over to Amlin Aguri driver Antonio Felix da Costa with one lap to go.

Street circuits always promise more chaos, and Formula E's schedule has a ton of them, ready to deliver. Thus far, I haven't seen a Baltimore Grand Prix-style serious design disaster in Formula E, but rather, some pretty amusing street circuits that usually have ample passing room for the small electric racers to use. Because they're street circuits, though, get it wrong and you're either in the wall or you're roughing up suspension components on big bumps installed to discourage shortcuts through wider areas.

This chaos kept the race up for grabs 'til the very end.

Part of why the racing is so close is the cars: they're all , and running on Michelin street tires that have less grip than the usual racing slicks. The street tires squeal hilariously every time there's an off. No, the cars aren't as fast as F1, WEC, or many other series out there. Power-to-weight ratio-wise, they're closer to F2000 than anything.

The 2014 season is not only exciting because of the new engine regulations in F1, but also because…

Thing is, you don't need racers to go to plaid to produce genuinely entertaining racing. Anyone who's ever gotten caught up in a grudge match between friends knows exactly what I'm talking about. It doesn't matter if you're racing bicycles, tired go-karts at the kiddie track or plastic trash can lids down a snowy hill. What matters is beating the other guy. If it's close, it's going to be exciting, and that's exactly what Formula E has done so far.

The other, very, very important reason why the racing is so close is the drivers. People joke that Formula E is F1's retirement home, and I'd say that they're wrong. Formula E is the midfield and backfield that F1 deserved, but couldn't afford.

Sure, Formula E is not the so-called "pinnacle of motorsport," as the really major talents will typically find sponsorship and funding, easy-peasy. That being said, to say that I wouldn't rather have many of the ex-F1 also-rans who are now in Formula E instead of the latest crop of F1 pay drivers would be a massive understatement.

So, yes, there's an upside to Formula One's : Formula E has become awesome.

A letter to Bernie Ecclestone cosigned by smaller Formula One teams Force India, Sauber and Lotus…

It's a long list of ex-F1 drivers and test drivers currently racing Formula E, too: Nick Heidfeld, Bruno Senna, Jaime Alguersuari, Jean-Eric Vergne, Karun Chandhok, Jarno Trulli, Jerome d'Ambrosio, Sebastien Buemi, Lucas di Grassi, and of course, Guys Who Try Racing Everything Stephane Sarrazin and Nelson Piquet, Jr.

Additionally, Nicolas Prost was a current test driver for Lotus F1 in 2014 (although we aren't sure if he's keeping this spot in 2015). Marco Andretti, Antonio Felix da Costa and Sam Bird have taken part in F1 Young Drivers' Tests as well.

Ex-F1 drivers Franck Montagny, Takuma Sato and Charles Pic have raced in Formula E this season as well. (Okay, maybe Montagny , but there's plenty of others still in the series to cancel him out.)

Franck Montagny, Andretti Autosport's Formula E driver, had a drug test after the Malaysian round…

Is Formula E the next big thing? Probably not, given that the FIA themselves doesn't even consider it important to in series that count as experience for an F1 Superlicense. Is it kind of cool and worth the watch, though? Absolutely. It's just good, fun, close racing.

Max, baby—uh, wait, that's not what we mean—it's not that we don't love you, it's just that there…

(I'll be honest: the nuttiness of swapping cars mid-way through the race is kind of fun to watch, too.)

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Racing
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
You've Probably Never Heard Of The Coolest Canadian Car Ever Built
Name a car from the early 1960s built by a famed racing driver with curvy, lightweight aluminum bodywork, a big American engine, and a reputation for being unruly and fast as all hell. Your first thought was probably the famed Shelby Cobra, did you know there was a who...
Apr 20, 2025
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
Listen To In-Car Audio From Race Cars While You Work
If you follow racing in the U.S., you probably already know about the . Most of the episodes are too much of a distraction to put on as background noise while you work, but a couple of recent entries in his series have been working incredibly well for me....
Apr 20, 2025
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
After Delivering 8 Seasons At The Back Of The Grid, Haas F1 Team Dumps Guenther Steiner
The partially North Carolina-based squad has determined that after , it needs to mix things up a little. The team’s firebrand has been following an abysmal 2023 season which saw the team score just four points-paying finishes. The team’s , where scored a fourth-place finish, but that season too...
Apr 20, 2025
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Get Ready To Spend All Your Money On Retro Formula 1 Merch
Fellow nerds, get ready to open your wallets, because I’ve found what may be the greatest store of all time. With designs from Formula 1 teams like , you’re sure to find something that fits your particular nostalgic niche. I’d like to introduce you to Racing Retro. I first...
Apr 20, 2025
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
Local Businesses Want Compensation After Allegedly Losing Money During Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix
If you listen to Formula 1 or local officials from Las Vegas and Clark County, you’d probably think November’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix was a success. Some sources estimated that the city of Las Vegas made over $1 billion in revenue from the event — but there were...
Apr 20, 2025
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
Race Team Would Rather Create A Fake AI Woman Rather Than Hire A Real One
In another unsurprising example of motorsport’s inhospitable mindset toward hiring competent women, the Racing team has announced a new partnership with Ava Rose, a literal , who will... engage with fans? Share knowledge about technology? “Navigate the cutting edge of innovation to create positive change” (whatever that means)? I...
Apr 20, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved