Several weeks have passed since the thrilling finale of the 10th Season of Formula E, and there is still plenty to dissect and talk about. The season began all the way back in January 2024, with the Mexico City Eprix at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, before wrapping up in London at the end of July. It's definitely proven to have been a year full of nail biting racing and unexpected surprises that has kept every Formula E fan hot on their heels as they absorbed the excellence that was Season 10. With that being said, there have also been many interesting talking points throughout the season, some of which will surely play apart in future seasons to come. In the meantime, let's delve into a few, with 5 Talking Points from Formula E Season 10.
Pascal Wehrlein is your Season 10 World Champion
There is no denying that a World Championship win has been a long time coming for the Porsche driver; Pascal Wehrlein, who debuted in the series back in Season 5 with the Mahindra Racing team. However, before his Formula E venture, the German-Mauritian driver would show plenty of promise in other series such as DTM, where, in 2015, he would become the youngest racing driver to ever win the DTM Championship.
In the 7th season of Formula E, Wehrlein would join Porsche, achieving some impressive stats with the team between then and now. Together, as of writing, Wehrlein and Porsche have won a World Championship, as well as seven wins, 11 podiums and five pole positions. Is there any surprise, after being in the title fight for the past two seasons, that Wehrlein finally takes home the crown? He told Formula E: "Every day, every morning, every evening and every time training I believed in this – I told myself, ‘you can do this’. We executed it perfectly here from the first time we hit the track and were as strong as we’ve ever been – stronger."
With both Porsches, the other being Antonio Felix da Costa, performing to a high standard in the latter end of the season, it's pretty much a given that eyes will be placed firmly upon the team going into Season 11. Can Wehrlein make it two in a row?
Jaguar Has the Strongest Driver Line Up
Jaguar TCS Racing has firmly made their mark upon Formula E with two 2nd places and a 1st in the Constructors World Championship - the latter being achieved this season, where a new driver pairing would make them the strongest team on the grid, finishing over 30 points ahead of Porsche, who no doubt also had a strong driver line up.
Mitch Evans, who has raced for Jaguar since Season 3, and Nick Cassidy, who joined his fellow countryman for Season 10 and beyond, would score 4 poles, 4 wins, 2 fastest laps and 14 podiums between them, propelling the team to first position and their first Championship win, as well as being deep in the fight for the Drivers World Championship.
Unfortunately for the team, their hard work would come undone over the course of the Season 10 finale in London, with both drivers getting their own dose of tough luck with retirements, clashes and strategy mistakes. Regardless, like Porsche, their Season 10 performance was more than promising and is hopefully setting up another showdown into next Season. Let's just hope they can keep it all together!
Goodbye Gen3
And, continuing on the subject of new regulations, at the end of Season 10 we said a fond farewell to the current generation of car - Gen3. For Season 11, Formula E will be welcoming the Gen3 Evo cars to the grid. With Gen3 Evo, the cars will include a"new chassis package featuring a more robust front wing, new Hankook tyres aimed at providing increased grip and an active front power train to be used in qualifying, the race start and during attack mode, increasing acceleration and power output." It's exciting knowing that there are a range of brand new and innovative technical upgrades that will be making their debut as the sport continues to evolve.
The Gen3 Evo car, which is capable of 0-60MPH in less than 1.82 seconds, was first unveiled to the motorsport aficionado earlier in Season 10, and is said to"mark another huge step for the all-electric championship." For example, did you know that this lastest generation of FE car accelerates 36% faster than Gen3? That's very nearly a whole second faster! Season 11 couldn't come around faster!
Peloton Style Racing
One of the biggest talking points to come out of, not just Season 10, but out of the majority of the Gen 3 era, is the amount of "peloton style" racing we've been witnessing in numerous races. And, interestingly, Formula E fans seem to be completely divided over this form of racing. But, what is it exactly? Well, it's an effective way for drivers to preserve their energy by sitting in the slip stream of the car ahead, meaning no one wants to lead, thus the higher number of overtakes. We tend to see this format of racing at tracks were there is low usable energy or a high number of laps.
As mentioned before, drivers, teams, fans, everyone seems to have an opinion that either favours or disregards the idea of the peloton style that has become the norm. For those that like it, they enjoy the higher number of overtakes, the tactical strategies and the fact that it's unique to Formula E in the world of motorsport. For those against, it may come across as too strategic, slow, and, in some cases, slightly dangerous. Interestingly, I recently read this comment on a Reddit forum which definitely gave me something to think about: "I do however think that it needs to be toned down. We can't have it at every permanent facility we go to. If we can keep it a thing at Berlin or Portland or something, then that makes those races special, crown jewels if you will. Sort of like how Nascar has their superspeedway races in moderation." With Season 11 moving to the Gen3 Evo spec car, it'll be intriguing to see the effect that these new car regulations will have on the type of racing we have been witnessing.
Attack Mode and It's Issues
Attack mode first came to fruition in Formula E ahead of the 2018/2019 season, or Season 5, if you will. And, despite it's purpose being to give the driver an extra power boost, it doesn't always work to how the team nor driver would expect. As we already know, as long term FE fans, "The FIA and FE intend for Attack Mode to both increase overtaking, both prior to and during its activation, as well as introduce an element of strategy to each race through energy management. Indeed, drivers and teams will have to compensate for the additional energy use when in Attack Mode by running more conservatively at other times during the race, which will likely create some chaotic scenarios during an E-Prix."
Although we do, quite regularly, get the said "chaotic scenarios," Attack Mode can, at times, prove to be more a headache to teams and drivers rather than a privilege. For example, when is the right time for the driver to activate their attack mode and how many places could they lose in the process? It screams a strategical nightmare. And, not to mention missing attack mode entirely, as Mitch Evans did multiple times in London. Of course, that is more driver error than anything.
The big issue that fans talk about most on forums, such as Reddit, is tyre grip and engine power. In short, the tyres and aerodynamics do not provide enough grip for the cars that are currently more powerful than ever, making attack mode, in some cases, pretty redundant. In simple terms, Attack Mode doesn't always work as intended.
Another inciting thought from an FE fan, which gives Attack Mode a clear explanation; "Attack mode is supposed to work like a pitstop on F1. If I use it, it costs me a lot of time but I get that immediate advantage over anyone else, like new tyres in F1. Is it enough? Imo no. I think it should be 3-4 seconds a lap faster in the race. It would make the strategy of it better. It's not unfair, because everyone has it."
Again, could Gen3 Evo improve matters?
Well folks, there we have it. Formula E Season 10 comes to an end and there is plenty of thought, driver swaps and aero/techincal changes going into Season 11. It's going to be an exciting one to watch. One which I can't wait to see how it plays out!
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