A big two-day preface at Paul Ricard and a public unveiling at Goodwood has seen the Gen4 Formula E car begin to creep its dynamic way in to people’s consciousness so far. But what comes next?
Apart from the long, hot days at the likes of Calafat, Almeira and Varano for the teams in their seemingly endless days of manufacturer testing to come, what else can wet the collective racing world’s whistle when it comes to the exciting new era?
Get ready for Formula E to be creative and vigorous when it comes to marketing the new world order. And clearly they are looking more and more to the F1 audience to engage with. That’s because, a bit like the Gen4 car itself, that audience is large and far-reaching.
Formula E’s audience is a bit different from F1. But there is a reason that Formula E wants to tap in to F1s fans more and more. It’s because, by absolute necessity, it is moving away from its city centre roots. Formula E, in its alternative, quirky teen oddity years is growing up to race on permanent tracks, an intake of ambitious F2 drivers and a car that has much more in common with traditional single seaters than ever before.
So, getting an F1 driver in a Gen4 car, whether it be a test – likely, or a race seat – only likely in 2028 – is an understandable next new step.
It almost happened in February of this year when one recent F1 driver is believed to have agreed to do a test, only to be denied by a clashing engagement at the last minute. While the identity of that driver is not known, another or perhaps the same one can be re-visited soon.
“I’ve had lots of conversations with various F1 drivers about them getting in that car and driving it, and there is a very high level of excitement for the Gen4,” Formula E CEO, Jeff Dodds, told Formula E Notebook at Goodwood last week.
“These are professional racing drivers. They want to drive everything fast. They want to have a go in everything but there’s a difference between them getting in a car and driving it, and them getting in a car and driving it as a PR stunt.”
This makes sense. Formula E welcomed some of the F1 paddock in to its own nest at Monaco in May, but this was hardly a major coup as half the paddock live there. Naturally there was interest in the new car and David Coulthard was genuinely bowled over by its power amid his few laps around his adopted home town.
There is a balance Formula E has to get right though regarding its interaction with F1. Formula E has, pound for pound, one of the strongest if not THE strongest grid of drivers in the world. Clearly they are not as well-known as their F1 cousins but their quality matches up to, and in some cases surpasses the F1 midfield.
Think about it. Who’s a better all-round driver at present: Oliver Rowland or Lance Stroll? Nick Cassidy or Valtteri Bottas? Pascal Wehrlein or Sergio Perez?
Ask a sporting manager, team principal or lead engineer in any given Formula E team and it’s not even a question from a sporting viewpoint. Ask the marketeers and there may be a pause and reflection. But that is precisely why Formula E needs to celebrate its talent much more, balancing it with potentially bringing further eyes to FE with an F1 driver testing the Gen4 without it being an overt publicity thrill-ride.
“I would love a few of those F1 drivers to have a go because I think that they’ll walk away is saying that thing is bloody fast, great fun to drive, and putting that message out there, and then talking about it is good for our championship,” suggests Dodds.
“I’m less interested in putting an F1 driver, and it was a big publicity stunt because I think it’s awkward. It’s difficult for them to be able to do it while they’re contracted to an F1 team, part of different championship, and I think for us it probably feels a bit ‘try hard’ if it’s a big PR stunt, but I definitely would love to see those drivers in the car.”
Then, of course, there is perhaps a healthier way to build an F1 flavoured talent strand in Formula E. It’s to mould, shape and create new heroes that were in it, or on the cusp of being in it.
A year ago, Pepe Marti was, let’s be honest, one of several F2 drivers in a kind of limbo. Two seasons of F2 had brought good results with four wins for Campos Racing, but his options were diminishing. With limited financial resources he had few choices but one of them was Formula E. He’s now in a position, after a very impressive rookie campaign against a rapid teammate, where he has much more choice in what he does and where within the Formula E paddock now.
Victor Martins, highly likely to be a part of Formula E’s new generation is another one, Robert Shwartmann also are key components of Gen4. They will be the da Costa’s and the Vergne’s that take the baton for the Formula Es future.
They can grow with Formula E. So, does it need established F1 drivers or even former F1 drivers? Will a manufacturer or team be willing to take a chance on one as did Andretti with Vergne or Mahindra with Wehrlein?
The vibe is that a few will play out like this. It could be what Formula E needs. It could be that Formula E has its own self-grown talent too. Either way, Dodds is right. The publicity should be kept to a meritocratic sensibility rather than a blatantly PR one.
