Formula E
Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The series was conceived in 2011 in Paris by FIA president Jean Todt and Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag, who is also the current chairman of Formula E Holdings. The inaugural championship race was held in Beijing in September 2014. Since 2020, the series has FIA world championship status.
Overview
The Formula E championship is currently contested by twelve teams with two drivers each. The sport features electric-powered race cars similar in style to the hybrid-drive cars of Formula One. Racing generally takes place on temporary city-centre street circuits, 1.9 to 3.4 km (1.2 to 2.1 mi) long.
Race day format
All events begin with two practice sessions in the morning: an opening 45-minute session followed by a further 30-minute session. During these sessions, the drivers are free to use the full qualifying power output (currently 250 kW (335 bhp)).
The qualifying session takes place later in the day and lasts approximately one hour. The drivers are divided into four groups of six, with each group having six minutes to set their best lap. The first group consists of the six drivers currently leading the championship, followed by the next six in the championship etc. This is intended as a small handicap for the top drivers, because track conditions generally improve in the course of a session. Full power of 250 kW is available throughout qualifying. Since the second season, the six fastest drivers then go out again, one by one, in the Super Pole shoot-out to determine the top six grid positions.
The race itself is set to 45 minutes plus one lap. During the first four seasons, drivers made one mandatory pit stop to change cars. With the introduction of the Gen2 car, this is no longer necessary, because the battery lasts for the full race. Since the all-weather tyres are designed to last for a whole race, pit stops are currently only needed to change a punctured tyre or to perform repairs on the car. In race mode the maximum power is currently restricted to 200 kW (268 bhp).
It is general series policy to start behind the Safety Car as soon as there are a few drops of rain on the circuit surface, as it is deemed risky for drivers to start races in small amounts of rain.
Point scoring
Points are awarded to the top ten drivers using the standard FIA system (25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1). The driver securing the pole position is also awarded 3 points, while the driver setting the fastest lap (if they finish in the top ten) additionally receives 1 point (2 points during the first two seasons). In addition, since season six (2019-20) the driver achieving the fastest lap during group qualifying is awarded 1 point. The championship consists of both a drivers’ and teams’ championship. A driver’s end of season total is made up of a driver’s best results. A team’s total is made up by counting both drivers’ scores throughout the season.
