Formula E Notebook can reveal details of the new for Season 12 driving standards guidelines that have been issued to teams and drivers for the forthcoming season.
The document, which has been acquitted by FEN has been described by Race Director Marek Hanaczewski as “giving the drivers a clear point who has the right to have a space while overtaking outside or overtaking inside.
“That’s what drivers have expected from us when I had a meeting with some of them in Jakarta last season, that they would like to have something which will create a framework for them.
“And also, for us, how the situations are policed, how the situations are judged. So, I think it was a good input, it was a good starting point to work on that through previous season.
“Then, I had a couple of discussions with the drivers, with Antonio (Felix da Costa), with Oliver (Rowland), with Jake Dennis. I also sent all the draft of the guidelines to the team managers to have internal discussion within teams. I got some feedbacks which were sometimes very nice. I adopted their feedbacks into the guidelines, I discussed this with our stewards too. So, everything is now combined in the document.”
The guidelines detail that ‘overtaking manoeuvres must be completed in a fully controlled manner by both drivers. Defending and overtaking drivers have shared responsibility to ensure the manoeuvre is completed without any contact and within the limits of the racetrack. Each incident resulting from the non-respect of these guidelines will be judged independently.’
A. Overtaking on the INSIDE of a corner
• The front axle of the overtaking car must be at least alongside the defending car’s mirror prior to and at the apex.
• The manoeuvre must be executed in a fully controlled manner.
• The overtaking driver must take a reasonable racing line and be able to complete the pass while remaining within track limits.
B. Overtaking on the OUTSIDE of a corner
• The front axle must be ahead of the defending car’s front axle at the apex.
• The manoeuvre must be executed in a fully controlled manner from the entry to exit of the corner.
• The car must stay within track limits.
C. Chicanes and S-bends
• The inside/outside guidelines apply to each element of the sequence.
• Rights are generally assessed using the first corner of the sequence as the primary reference point.
• If a driver on the outside of a corner defends their position by not respecting the track limits for the following corner of the sequence, it will be considered as overtaken and must, therefore, give back the position to the overtaking car except if any point of A or B regarding the overtaking manoeuvre to be completed in a controlled manner is not respected.
D. Overtaking and Racing Room – Cornering Situations
This section explains when a car attempting to overtake is entitled to racing room and how the defending driver must respond, based directly on the criteria outlined in Sections A (inside) and B (outside).
Corner Rights and Space Obligation
• The right to occupy the racing line — from corner entry through to corner exit — is determined by the relative position of the attacking car at the apex of the corner:
Overtaking on the inside:
• The attacking car must have its front axle at least alongside the defending car’s side mirror, prior to and at the apex.
• If this condition is met, the attacking car is entitled to be given racing room, and the defending driver must leave at least one car width on the inside throughout the corner. The attacking car has a shared responsibility to avoid any contact with the defending car and must leave at least one car width on the outside at the exit of the corner.
Overtaking on the outside:
• The attacking car’s front axle must be ahead of the defending car’s front axle at the apex.
• If this condition is met, the attacking car is entitled to be given racing room, and the defending driver must leave at least one car width on the outside throughout the corner.
The full guidelines go on to details when criteria are not met and the criteria in which the stewards will rule an incident.
Additionally, track limits, impeding, moving on straights, leaving the pits and giving back an advantage are covered off in the document.
FEN has learned that this season each car will carry a recording and active on-board camera. Previously they were limited to 50% of the grid.
“Regarding the onboards, last season we had 11 onboards. It was random onboards coming from the TV. So, luckily this season we will have all onboards from all cars available live for us in race control and also for the stewards,” said Hanaczewski.
“In addition, every team will have onboards from their car. So, this will bring us more clarity and I think more efficiency while the stewards will judge the situations. So, we will not have situations where after the race there were some social content coming and we have never seen those videos.
“This time we will have videos available all the time from all cars. In addition, I think it might reduce some job from my desk because very often the driver was reporting something to the team.
“So, we get the information from the team by radio or by the messaging system. There was something we didn’t have any clear information who was involved, which corner, what time of the day.
“We were sometimes digging in the fog a little. I think it can reduce me some job because the team can judge the situation by their own. They will feel the point if it’s worthy to address this race control to the stewards while they saw the video in their garage.”
