- There is still no cross party alignment on when the fast charging element to Formula E race will come in to being for the coming season. Extra testing of the WAE devices has been ongoing at a test session at the Mallorca Circuit this week with Mahindra, DS, Porsche, Nissan and Jaguar all trying out the chargers.
- The week long test at Mallorca also saw new rubber options for the Gen3 Evo period which will come in to effect for the 2025 and 2026 seasons. This was tested by all the manufacturers (on Thursday) apart from the ERT (formerly NIO 333) manufacturer, although some staff members were present from the Chinese owned team at the test, including chief engineer Mike Henderson.
- A general test was conducted on Tuesday with Nissan believed to have accrued the most laps with Sacha Fenestraz at the wheel. Oliver Rowland took over for potential new 20025 (Gen 3Evo) Hankook tyre running on Thursday. Another general session with 2024 spec rubber will re-start tomorrow (Saturday).
- The specific tyre being used is a modified rubber and not those seen on the so-called ‘Gen Beta’ car that was used for the indoor record breaking attempt by Jake Hughes and Lucas di Grassi.
- The new Hankook’s were said by some manufacturers to be a little quicker but didn’t show much degradation over long stints.
- Most manufacturers completed around 200 laps of the 3.2kms circuit, with two race sims completed on Thursday. These are believed to have included the fast-charging devices which could be debuted at the Diriyah double header at the end of January.
- Also tried out at the test was a modified front powertrain (FPK) which introduced an active set-up ‘in drive mode/4WD’ for the spec component. This is being evaluated to be part of the Gen 3Evo and Gen 4 technical set-up for 2025 and 2026. The spec FPK’s are supplied by Californian company Ateiva.
- Drivers in action at Mallorca included Mitch Evans for Jaguar, both Jean-Eric Vergne, Stoffel Vandoorne and Jehan Daruvala in the DS test and development car, Oliver Rowland and Sacha Fenestraz in the Nissan, Pascal Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa for Porsche and both Nyck de Vries and Jordan King for Mahindra. Edo Mortara did not attend as he is competing in the Macau GT race this week.
- NEOM McLaren’s Jake Hughes did get some time in the Nissan test and development car as part of an arrangement with their car suppliers on Tuesday. Sam Bird did not attend the test.
- Andretti were not present at the test but Andretti team principal Roger Griffiths told The Race Formula E podcast recently that “the initial feedback we’ve had from them (Porsche) is so far so good.
- “So, we’ll see we don’t actually have anybody out there with them at the moment, but they’re, they’re ploughing through their test list and I think, you know, they’re making some decent progress.”
- ABT Cupra also got some time in the Mahindra test and development car with Mahindra old boy Lucas di Grassi and Nico Mueller both in attendance at Mallorca.
- FEN understands that the Andretti and Porsche teams have had a concerted drive recently to work closer together after some tetchy exchanges towards the end of the 2023 season, particularly between Jake Dennis and Pascal Wehrlein.
- Both teams conducted pre-test meeting together in Valencia last month and even went out for dinner the night before the test started. The Dennis and Wehrlein rivalry which boiled over in both Jakarta and London last season is said to have thawed considerably after the Valencia test.
- Team principals met with senior Formula E Holdings figures prior to the Valencia test in what was presented as a ‘high level retreat’ to discuss the future direction of the all-electric world championship. Formula E is also organising a similar event for stakeholders in London on Thursday November 30.
- FEN understands that the possibility of Portland becoming a double-header next June is getting much more likely and could be confirmed next month in addition to a definitive venue for the Italian races scheduled for mid-April. Should Portland go to a double the calendar could total 17 races, the biggest ever schedule for the all-electric world championship.
- Equally, the possibility of Jakartra being reprieved and bolted on to the calendar in early August is now believed to not be possible. However, the Jakartra EPrix is expected to make a return to the 2024/25 calendar with its usual early June slot.
- Changes are being introduced to the RESS batteries following the Valencia pit fire last month. WAE, the spec battery suppliers will install new contactors to all the Formula E RESS fleet.
- Both Mahindra and Andretti revealed their 2024 reserves drivers this week with Kush Maini and Zane Maloney completing deals to be at the majority of races in 2024. F2 driver Maloney sampled the Andretti Porsche at Rome, Berlin and Valencia earlier this year and is highly rated by the Andretti management.
- Formula E is believed to be considering the possibility of relocating its Italian race to the north of Italy from 2025 onwards if it can find a suitable host city. The Modena area of the country is known to being scoped out for possible venues.
- The 2024/25 Formula E season is highly likely to start in December of ’24. An initial ‘Americas leg’ is already being planned to include a possible race in Los Angeles followed by an earlier race in Sao Paulo and then Mexico City.
- Former CEO of Formula E, Jamie Reigle, has joined the board of Eclat Media Group. This incorporates the SPOTV Group content platform operating across Asia. Reigle is set to be involved in developing and growing the platform for the Asian market.
- Formula E and EMG announced earlier this month an extension to be the exclusive multi-year broadcaster (SPOTV) for Formula E in selected markets across the APAC region.
- Formula E is still, in talks with ITV to show some races next season. The terrestrial channel previously showed races for the first two seasons of the championship between 2014 and 2016.
- The world championship continues its search for a replacement broadcaster in Germany after the surprise withdrawal of the ProSieben broadcaster last week.
- Germany registered its highest ever audiences in 2021 when it was shown on the free-to-air channel SAT.1 station. Germany was the largest market for Formula E. But audiences have tailed-off since the pandemic as broadcast volumes have dipped.
- Germany had a cumulative audience of 19.9m in 2021, while last season saw a global cumulative audience of 10.3m. Both figures are for live and highlights packages.
- Formula E’s net zero carbon strategy won the edie Net-Zero Award this week. According to Formula E this reaffirms ‘the championship’s position as the most sustainable sport on the planet.
- Formula E’s net zero carbon strategy was commended at the awards ceremony for its ‘ambition in reducing overall emissions in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship by 45% by 2030. Formula E is also the only sport in the world to be net zero carbon from inception in 2014.’
Monaco Formula E Notebook – Post Race
Barnard’s Monaco heroics with Hughes’ seat, Daruvala transponder issues explained and Porsche’s Gen3Evo test are all discussed in the latest FE Notebook full of post-race paddock news from Monaco.
