Season 8 of the all-electric ABB FIA Formulation E World Championship racing collection is about to kick off this weekend in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. As ever, the collection continues to behave as one thing of a proving floor for improvements to “enhance the present,” and this season is not any completely different because of a brand new, “knockout qualifying” format.
It’s hoped that the brand new qualifying format will carry much more pleasure to the Formulation E race weekend by persevering with to permit the very best groups and drivers to showcase their velocity and talent whereas they jockey for monitor place, but additionally enhance the probability that any driver may “get it proper,” pull a lap out of the bag, and discover themselves ranging from the sharp finish of the grid.
The brand new qualifying format splits the sphere of twenty-two automobiles into two teams of 11 drivers every, decided utilizing their rating within the Formulation E Driver’s World Championship.
From there, every group of 11 “battles it out” at 220 kW to set quick lap instances in a 10-minute session. The 4 drivers from every group with the 4 quickest single laps then progress to the “Duels” stage.
The Duels are simply what they sound like, pitting the ultimate eight Formulation E qualifiers towards one another, one by one, till just one stays (as proven, beneath). That profitable driver takes the Julius Baer-sponsored Pole Place award, whereas the runner-up traces up second. The semi-finalists will line up third and fourth and the quarter-finalists between fifth and eighth, in keeping with their finest lap instances.
To my eyes, it’s a little bit of a large number – however my baseline is the old-school IMSA sports activities automobile days the place you’d exit one after the other and jam out your laps and that was it. You bought what you bought. This appears needlessly difficult, however the head-to-head side of the brand new format, ratified final Friday, ought to positively add to the present. And that, finally, is the aim.
“Our new qualifying format will showcase the groups and drivers head-to-head all through the season whereas nonetheless permitting any driver on their day to take pole place,” says Alberto Longo, the Chief Championship Officer and Co-founder of Formulation E, echoing that sentiment. “For our followers, the brand new qualifying format was designed to be intuitive, unpredictable, and entertaining.”
The groups appear into it
The Jaguar TCS Racing group – which narrowly missed out on profitable the Season 7 Groups’ Championship, with 177 factors vs. Crew Mercedes-EQ at 181 – put out a press launch earlier at present about being prepared and wanting to get Season 8 of Formulation E began, which appears to suggest that they really feel the qualifying format will serve their pursuits.
“At Jaguar TCS Racing there’s nice pleasure to be beginning season eight of the ABB FIA Formulation E World Championship. After such a aggressive season seven, we’ve got been working laborious as a group to place ourselves in a robust place this season and we will’t wait to lastly go racing in our Jaguar I-TYPE 5 and begin the battle for World Championship,” says Jaguar TCS Racing Crew Principal, James Barclay. “With a brand new qualifying format there are undoubtedly issues we’re going to study this weekend, however we’re wanting ahead to the lights going inexperienced as soon as once more.”
The ABB FIA Formulation E World Championship returns to Diriyah, and the historic desert environment of the UNESCO World Heritage website for the fourth season, for a double-header weekend kickoff to Season 8. Click on right here to search out out how one can watch the races dwell in your space.
Electrek’s Take
Season 8 is the final Formulation E season with the present automobiles, so subsequent season is all change, with new producers and new drivers coming in, and extra freedom to develop batteries among the many groups, which may result in a technical arms race. That mentioned, Formulation E has delivered constantly tight and thrilling races – particularly in season 7 – and season 8 seems like it would proceed that development.
Undoubtedly value watching.
Supply | Photos: Formulation E, Jaguar TCS.
