With the ABB FIA Formula E Season 8 just around the corner, excitement and anticipation is ramping up in the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team. The most exciting news is that the new season sees two big changes, both to the racing format and to the cars themselves.
First, the new qualifying format is sure to have both drivers and fans on the edge of their seats. A take-no-prisoners knockout system will see drivers competing in Groups and in head-to-head duels. According to Alberto Longo, Chief Championship Officer and Co-founder of Formula E, the new format is “designed to be intuitive, unpredictable, and entertaining." It allows the best teams and drivers to showcase their speed and skill but maintains the possibility that any driver can step up, pull a lap out of the bag and shoot themselves up the starting grid.
It works like this: In the Groups stage, two groups of 11 drivers, ordered based on their Drivers' World Championship position, battle at a standard 220kW to set lap times, each in a 10-minute session. The fastest four from each Group proceed to face off in knockout duels, packing an eye-watering 250kW of power, competing through quarter-finals, semi-finals and on to the final.
With positions in the final grid line-up determined by knockouts, Formula E is going to be more competitive than ever in 2022. But that’s not all; it’s going to be faster too!
From next year all cars will have an extra 20 kilowatt of power in race mode. Performing at 220kW means quicker acceleration and around 5-6km/h higher top speeds – so expect faster lap times all round. In attack mode, the cars will have a knuckle-clenching 250kW, compared to the previous 235kW. But – here’s the kicker - the battery capacity regulated at 52kWh will not be changing.
Which means, energy management is going to be even more crucial than ever, to avoid using up that charge prematurely. And there are other factors to keep drivers and their teams on their toes, like careful tyre management in the face of extra wear and tear.
It works like this: In the Groups stage, two groups of 11 drivers, ordered based on their Drivers' World Championship position, battle at a standard 220kW to set lap times, each in a 10-minute session. The fastest four from each Group proceed to face off in knockout duels, packing an eye-watering 250kW of power, competing through quarter-finals, semi-finals and on to the final.
With positions in the final grid line-up determined by knockouts, Formula E is going to be more competitive than ever in 2022. But that’s not all; it’s going to be faster too!
From next year all cars will have an extra 20 kilowatt of power in race mode. Performing at 220kW means quicker acceleration and around 5-6km/h higher top speeds – so expect faster lap times all round. In attack mode, the cars will have a knuckle-clenching 250kW, compared to the previous 235kW. But – here’s the kicker - the battery capacity regulated at 52kWh will not be changing.
Which means, energy management is going to be even more crucial than ever, to avoid using up that charge prematurely. And there are other factors to keep drivers and their teams on their toes, like careful tyre management in the face of extra wear and tear.