Race Review: Shanghai E-Prix Race One and Race Two 2024

Race One

Although the Shanghai International Circuit is a new addition to the Formula E race calendar for Season 10, many motorsport fans (and racing drivers) will be quite familiar with the twists and turns of the 3 kilometer circuit, despite the altered layout to the well known Grand Prix configuration. So, all in all, can we really be surprised that the first pole sitter for this debut race weekend was an ex-Formula One driver with plenty of Shanghai International Circuit experience under his belt?

DS Penke's Jean-Eric Vergne took pole at this event, marking only his second of the season. Drivers such as Vergne, as well as Stoffel Vandoorne, Pascal Wehrlein, Sebastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi, had a slight advantage over the rest of the field, having raced at the circuit during their Formula One careers. But, come the end of the day, did the advantage mean anything? In short, no. It was Mitch Evans who took the win of the inaugural race, after a tough battle with Wehrlein that left many fans glued to their TV screens.

Despite another "pelaton" style race, Evans and Wehrlein quickly became the sole contenders to take victory, with Evans' teammate; Nick Cassidy, knocking on the door in the latter stages. But before that, it was all the about the tense battle between the Jaguar and the Porsche. The Porsche team of Wehrlein and Antonio Felix da Costa both got blistering starts, threatening Vergne for the lead off the line. But, after settling for second, Wehrlein got his chance and took the lead. However, once again, it was all about conserving energy; even Mahindra told Nyck de Vries to give up his "surprise" lead half way through proceedings. Later on, after a few bumps and nudges later, Evans and Wehrlein came through to battle for the lead, with a notable off-track overtake from Wehrlein as Evans squeezed him, ever so slightly. Neither driver wanted to give up the win, with Cassidy soon joining the fray after another impressive performance where he used his energy consumption to his advantage. Evans would take the lead on the final lap, leaving Wehrlein behind in Cassidy's grasp, giving us fans the ultimate dramatic ending to an ePrix. Evans would be the driver to cross the line in first, with Wehrlein holding on for second and Cassidy in third, ensuring fans that Jaguar's early-season troubles were far, far behind.

But what about everyone else? After all, it is Formula E. Drama is it's middle name.

After missing the Berlin race weekend, Robin Frijns, among others, made his return to the FE cockpit and began the race in style, taking four positions in only two corners, firmly planting himself in the lead and hoping to be apart of "that" lead battle. Alas, for the Dutch driver, it was not to be, getting spun around in the latter stages of the race, dropping him to a miserable 14th. And, then there was Edoardo Mortara. After an impressive pole position in Berlin, Mortara's luck firmly ran out in Shanghai, finding himself in the wrong place at the wrong time as he was hit from drivers around him, ending his race prematurely, littering the track in debris in the process.

Regardless, despite zero Safety Cars, there was plenty of on-track action and it's a lovely change and sight to see Formula E race on purpose built race tracks, rather than their usual narrow street circuits.

Race Two

As we’ve seen, as recently as Race One in Shanghai, the current pelaton style of racing has been, somewhat, of a more controversial form of racing in this generation of Formula E. But, hold your horses; Race Two in Shanghai slightly veered away from this aspect, with drivers choosing to hold the lead rather than simply, give it away.

After a miserable Race One, DS Penske’s Stoffel Vandoorne found himself on the front row for Race Two, missing out on pole by a mear +0.001. A decent start saw the Season Eight Champion lead into turn one, where he stayed for the opening laps, until taking his first attack mode. Other drivers, such as Norman Nato and eventual race winner - Antonio Felix da Costa, also used this method to ensure decent results come the chequered flag.

For Vandoorne, the negative consequences of holding the lead soon caught up with him, with his available energy dwindling in the latter stages. For DS Penske, energy conservation seems to be one thing the team is currently lacking, with both Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne finishing the race with very minimal. Is this something the team needs to focus more on to ensure decent results? They have the speed, with both Vergne and Vandoorne starting on the front row in Race One and Two respectively, before going away with a double points finish.

Race Two, in general, was faster paced when compared to Race One. Lap times were faster and the race was shorter, regardless, we weren’t left short when it came to action. Front wing damage and punctures were on the cards for several drivers over the course of the 28 lap race, including championship contender Wehrlein, who’s pit stop, after a rear left puncture, could prove to be a pivotal moment in the championship fight between himself and Nick Cassidy. As for Cassidy, he wasn’t immune from damage either. With, what seemed to be a disagreement over strategy with his team in the early stages of the race, front wing damage was waiting for the Kiwi driver later on in the race, which could have potentially cost him that podium finish.

But, for da Costa, it was a comfortable ride to the line, despite McLaren’s Hughes closing in over the final laps, setting up a battle for the lead that never had chance to materialise. Norman Nato would finish in 3rd place in his Andretti, seeing off Cassidy for the final step on the podium.

Shanghai and it’s International Circuit has proved to be an interesting addition to the Formula E calendar, especially as the track is purposed built rather temporary, the norm for Formula E. And, next time out, we’ll be on yet another purpose built race circuit at the Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon, which also is the penultimate race of the season. It’s going to be a good one.

Race Review: Emilia Romagna GP 2024

30 years have passed since the unfortunate deaths of Roland Ratzenberger and Ayrton Senna during the San Marino Grand Prix of 1994 at the now infamous Imola Circuit, or Autódromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, as it is officially know. In 2024, Formula One is still racing in Imola as the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, on albeit, a slightly different configuration of the circuit. Regardless, this race weekend felt very fitting as the world of Formula One, including multiple World Champion Sebastian Vettel with an emotional on track tribute, came together to remember the lives of Ratzenberger and Senna, in what was probably one of the only few memorable moments of the weekend.

The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was shaping up to be a good one, with Red Bull’s struggles over the course of the three practice sessions capturing the attention of fans old and new. Ferrari had pace, as did McLaren but alas, out of no where Red Bull returned, with Max Verstappen taking pole position and the race win after leading from start to finish.

The opening laps of the race may have felt like a drag to some, with not much happening in regards to on-track battles and yellow flags. But, come mid-race it was ramping up. After clashing in Miami, it was time for Carlos Sainz v Oscar Piastri 2.0. However, with the latter unable to get up close behind the Ferrari, the battle was short lived before Piastri used the undercut to jump Sainz in the pits instead. And, then there was Yuki Tsunoda and Nico Hulkenberg. Both with impressive performances so far over the weekend, they kept it up with some brilliant overtakes, in unexpected places, before finishing 10th and 11th respectively. A shame, as both deserved plenty more dosh for their efforts in cars that aren’t exactly scoring points every race. However, the big, intense, climatic, on edge battle came in the final few laps, as a struggling Lando Norris, running in second at the time, found some extra juice to challenge an also struggling Verstappen for the win. With both drivers running on worn hard tyres, it wasn’t much of surprise to see both of them unable to push them to the maximum in the latter stages. But, with Verstappen’s issue ranging from tyres to how the car handled, Norris quickly regained his lost ground to the reigning World Champion, eventually crossing the finish line less than one second behind the Red Bull. Alas, like every race, we ran out of laps. Oh, what could have been for young Lando, only one race since his first and most recent win in Formula One.

For many, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix turned out to be sixty three laps of pure frustration, with the Williams of Alexander Albon taking the brunt of the pain after a botch first pit stop saw his tyres fitted incorrectly. After trundling around back to the pits, the problem was rectified and he was on his way. Unfortunately, a ten second penalty and damage sustained from the initial pit stop, put an end to his day and his misery in Imola as he failed to finish for the second time this season. As for the others, there was plenty of off-roading, with Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc taking to the gravel traps and run off areas. Verstappen, on the other hand, would receive a black and white flag for track limits, waking viewers up who may have nodded off during the slow opening laps.

One of the more interesting aspects to come out of Imola was the performance of Fernando Alonso when compared to his teammate; Lance Stroll. F1 aficionados will be well aware that, as Alonso’s teammate, Stroll has failed on several occasions to reach the same level as the most experienced driver on the grid in 2024. In Imola, the tables had turned. With crashes, mistakes and mechanical issues - resulting in an eventual race retirement, plaguing Alonso’s weekend, Stroll took advantage to be the better Aston Martin driver. Although, not the most amazing race for Stroll, after making several passes, not too dissimilar to the ones made by Tsunoda and Hulkenberg, Stroll finished in 9th, scoring his first points since Australia.

It's almost painful to describe this year’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix as mediocre. An anti climatic affair after some intriguing practice sessions. Regardless, the old-school and nostalgic feel of Imola is something long-time F1 fans yearn for. But, with the slow paced race and not much opportunity for an overtake, you can’t help but think Formula One has outgrown tracks like these. It’s a shame, because it’s F1 history and old-school tracks are far more superior than a flashy, high-end street circuit. Talking of street circuits, next up is Monaco! Another gem full of motorsport history.

Formula E: An Incoming Driver Rebellion?

If you want to see wheel to wheel action as drivers fight for the lead; Formula E is your guy. Now in the second half of it’s 10th season, FE is slowly, but surely, coming into it’s own, with it’s popularity ever on the rise. However, things aren't quite what they seem, with drivers from the series evidently not happy with the current form of racing that has transpired throughout the Gen 3 era.

One of the more interesting, yet stranger, aspects from this season of Formula E is that, although there are plenty of battles for the win, no one wants to be leading the race in the early stages, thus meaning the lead of the race changes more often than not in a "pelaton" style of racing. Something unheard of to Formula One aficionados! For some, this makes an exciting race, with close upfront battles and the unknown of who is going to win. But, for others, this isn't the type of motorsport that they want to be watching. For the drivers themselves, they want to be up at the front, racing for the win, but not like this.

“We’re here to compete, we’re here to win. If we have to drive in reverse, we are going to learn how to drive in reverse but it doesn’t mean I like this kind of racing.” - Jean-Eric Vergne

Vergne, who races for DS Penske, and can be classed as the most successful Formula E driver to date, has been particularly outspoken on the matter. The only two-time FE World Champ recently said in an interview:

“It’s horrible, honestly, I really don’t like this style of racing, I hate it. I think every driver hates it, but I think it’s the way we have to race. (...) It’s truly horrible from a driver's point of view. You’re watching from the side, behind, above, below, it’s a mess.” - JEV (Taken from Autosport)

But why are drivers having to race this way in the first place?

Simply put, it's all about energy consumption and saving as much as they can after starting the race with low energy targets. Tracks that are inundated with long straights and high-speed corners, such as Portland, Misano and Berlin, have proved to be notorious for drivers, as they slip back into the back, while saving energy in the slipstream.

And, Vergne isn't the only driver to make his feelings towards pelaton style racing heard, with Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein questioning as to whether qualifying is actually worth it when positions change so frequently in these types of races.

"But from my perspective it’s just, I’d rather take a lottery for the race start positions because it doesn’t make a difference." - Pascal Wehrlein

At the 28 lap Misano E-Prix, 8 plus drivers found themselves leading the race at one point or another. There was also a total of 19 changes for the lead. The eventual winner, Antonio Felix da Costa - who was later disqualified, started from 14th position. Third place man, Jake Dennis, started 17th. A prime example of the point Wehrlein is trying to make in regards to the necessity of qualifying at these particular races.

Despite drivers concerns, has Formula E proved that the misconception that motorsport is all about flat-out racing is just that - a misconception? The reality is, especially in electric racing, that the person and team with the best strategy win. And, they may not necessarily be the fastest either, potentially making Formula E's pelaton style racing nothing more than a geniuses work - especially from a marketing point of view. As for fans, it's like a jar of marmite. You either love it, or you hate it. Regardless, there is no denying the close wheel to wheel action that makes for great viewing and plenty of conversational chit chatter on social media platforms. It really is all about the reputation.

In the long term, however, maybe Formula E needs to hear their drivers out. At the end of the day, a racing driver wants nothing more than to go flat out. If their needs are not being met, could this indicate a slow demise for the series? I hope not.

Tell me, do you like Formula E's pelaton style of racing? What do you like about it? What do you dislike? Comments are open below!