It's early January in 2023 and Formula E will be back with a bang this weekend as it kicks off it's first race of the season at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico. If you're new to the series or are looking for some light reading, then I'm here to guide you along on what you can expect from this highly anticipated season of the electric racing car series.
A lot of things have changed for this upcoming year. From the reigning World Champion to the technical and sporting regulations to the addition of new races; there's so much going on! Even I need to break it down myself just to understand what's happening.
Let's begin with a quick look at what Formula E actually is.
In short, Formula E is like any other single seater racing championship. The main difference? These cars are electric. Talk about such series came about in 2011 with its inaugural race taking place in 2014. In 2020, the racing series was granted World Championship status by the FIA. The only championship, besides Formula One, to be granted this. To date there have been seven Formula E champions in only eight seasons with Jean-Eric Vergne being the only double champion. Stoffel Vandoorne goes into 2023 as the reigning World Champion. Renault e.Dams have been the most successful team with three team championships.
The upcoming 2023 season will be Formula E's ninth. As mentioned above, Stoffel Vandoorne goes into the season as reigning champion with an eye to hold onto his title. Reigning team champions, Mercedes-EQ, will not partake in this season. And, with the new Formula E Gen3 car, it's going to be an exciting one.
Technical Changes
The technical changes within Formula E will be quite noticeable this year with the introduction of the Gen3 car. In simple terms, it's a new car. The third generation of car, in fact.
With the Gen3 car comes an extra power train, upping the maximum output of energy from 250kW to 600kW. The overall weight of the car will also be reduced by a massive 60kg, making it the lightest car yet! So, with extra power and a reduced weight, be prepared for some Formula E records to be broken when it comes to speed!
What is also quite interesting is that with the extra power train regenerative ability will be increased to 40%, diminishing the need for hydraulic rear brakes.
Finally, on the technical side, there will be a new tyre supplier for this season. Michelin will be leaving the series and Hankook will be replacing them.
Sporting Changes
So, we've established the technical changes but there are a number of sporting changes that are going on too with the big one being the discontinuation of Fanboost.
Fanboost has played a big role in Formula E since it's first season. And, although there is no definitive reason as to why it's been dropped, it has been heavily criticised by race fans in the past.
Then there is "Attack Mode," which has been confirmed to stay for 2023, however, it will be joined by "Attack Charge." This is a new format that will be trialed at a select few races and consists of the driver having to pit for a "recharge" during the race. Once they've done they will be eligible to receive two additional attack modes. If you're unsure as to what attack mode is then it's a mode that enables the driver to have a temporary boost of power.
We've also become quite accustomed to Formula E's timed races. Well, get ready to wave goodbye because we're going down the more traditional route of racing a set number of laps. But that's not all. With safety cars and full course cautions quite probable during a race, extra racing laps will be added on to make up for lost time.
And, as with Formula One, teams are now also required to run a rookie driver in a minimum of two practice sessions over the course of the season.
Teams and Drivers
As we've already established, Vandoorne is the reigning Driver World Champion. His 2022 team, Mercedes-EQ, were the team champions. However, they won't be returning for the upcoming season with their entry and assets being purchased by McLaren who will be making their Formula E debut in '23.
Maserati will also be joining the Formula E grid as they pair up with ROKiT Venturi Racing. This will be Maserati's first time racing as a constructor since they left Formula One in the 1950s.
Then there's Nissan who have taken complete ownership of the the e.Dams team. From this season onwards, they will be known as Nissan Formula E Team.
One of Audi's past partners, ABT Sportline, will be making their Formula E comeback under the name ABT Cupra Formula E Team. However, they will be racing with Mahindra power trains rather than Audi.
Finally, DS and Techeetah would be ending their partnership after four Formula E seasons. DS instead will be teaming up alongside Penske and Techeetah would be taking time away from the sport with a return on the horizon in the future.
As for the driver lineups, a lot has changed. Many drivers have switched teams for the upcoming season. Some, such as Alexander Sims, Oliver Turvey, Nyck de Vries and Antonio Giovinazzi, have also decided to leave the series. Also with new teams comes new drivers. So, who is driving for who?
DS Penske - Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne
NIO 333 Racing - Sérgio Sette Câmara and Dan Ticktum
ABT Cupra Formula E Team - Robin Frijns and Nico Müller
Neom McLaren Formula E Team - Jake Hughes and René Rast
Maserati MSG Racing - Maximilian Günther and Edoardo Mortara
Mahindra Racing - Oliver Rowland and Lucas di Grassi
Jaguar TCS Racing - Mitch Evans and Sam Bird
TAG Huere Porsche Formula E Team - Antonio Felix da Costa and Pascal Wherlein
Envision Racing - Sebastien Buemi and Nick Cassidy
Nissan Formula E Team - Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz
Avalanche Andretti Formula E Team - Jake Dennis and André Lotterer
Races
In Formula E, everything takes place on race day. From practice to qualifying to the race, it's all there.
The day usually starts with a practice session or two lasting 30 minutes before qualifying later in the day.
During qualifying, the drivers are split into two groups based on their championship positions. Everyone in an odd-numbered position goes into one group, everyone with an even goes into another. However, at the first race of the season, the teams will have one driver in each group as no championship positions have yet been established.
During the session, each group gets 10 minutes to set their fastest lap with the fastest four drivers from each group advancing to what is known as the "duels." This is where the drivers battle head to head over the course of a quarter-final, semi-final and a final. The winner of the final starts the race on pole position.
As mentioned before, in 2023, the race will be counted in laps rather than time. And, safety cars and full course yellows will be compensated with extra laps.
So that's how the race weekend works. But where are they racing this season?
In 2023, there are 16 planned races in 11 locations around the world.
For the first time, Mexico City will host the opening round. In recent years, we have seen Diriyah in Saudi Arabi hold the opening race of the season. Instead, Diriyah will be round number two.
Another notable change is the USA round. Previously this has been held in Brooklyn, New York but for 2023 moves across the country to Portland in Oregon at a heavily modified Portland International Raceway.
We also say hello to a handful of new tracks this year including Hyderabad, São Paulo and Cape Town. But that does mean we do have to say farewell to others. Seoul, Marrakesh and Paris were the ones to miss out on a 2023 spot.
Full list of races:
14th Jan - Mexico City
27th and 28th Jan - Diriyah
11th Feb - Hyderabad
25th Feb - Cape Town
25th March - São Paulo
22nd and 23rd April - Berlin
6th May - Monaco
3rd and 4th June - Jakarta
24th June - Portland
15th and 16th July - Rome
29th and 30th July - London
So, there we have it. The 2023 Formula E season in a nutshell. This is going to be one crazy season, that's for sure.
Who do you want to win the championship? Are you going to any races?
Enjoy the season!
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