Roaring start in Hong Kong to Formula E season 4

The budding Formula E’s season four got off to a roaring start in Hong Kong recently, producing great excitement as well as a few surprises with a dose of controversy. 

The fourth edition of the FIA Formula E Championship saw 10 teams and 20 drivers compete in 11 cities spanning five continents in the fight to be crowned Formula E champion.

The FIA Formula E Championship is the electric street racing series and the world’s first fully-electric international single-seater category in motorsport. Formula E brings electrifying wheel-to-wheel action to some of the world’s leading cities, racing against the backdrop of iconic skylines such as New York, Hong Kong, Paris and Rome.

Formula E is a competitive platform to test and develop road-relevant technologies, acting as a catalyst for sustainable mobility solutions, helping refine the design and functionality of electric vehicle components and improving the driving experience for everyday road car users all over the world.

For the 2017/18 season, the maximum power available in race mode has been increased from 170 kW to 180 kW meaning those with the most efficient package race faster for longer. The new season has also seen more manufacturers joining the electric revolution with reigning champion Lucas di Grassi looking to defend his title behind the wheel of the Audi-backed ABT Schaeffler team. 

When the double header (two races) concluded in Hong Kong, the reigning champion had no points to his name and the contest was wide open with 10 more races to go. 

In the first race on 2 December, Sam Bird of the DS Virgin Racing team came first followed by  Jean-Eric Vergne of TECHEETAH and Nick Heidfeld of Mahindra Racing. In the second contest on Sunday, Felix Rosenqvist of Mahindra Racing who came first followed by Edoardo Mortara of Venturi Formula E Team and Mitch Evans of Panasonic Jaguar Racing.

Both races had their share of surprises and controversies. Bird won the first race despite being slapped with a penalty for not stopping in his allocated space during the mid-race car swap. In the second race Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team’s Daniel Abt won in what appeared to be a fitting celebration of his 25th birthday but he was later disqualified after a post-race penalty.

DS Virgin Racing team’s driver Sam Bird (L) of Britain reacts with Techeetah’s driver Jean-Eric Vergne (C) of France after winning the first day Formulae E race - Reuters

Organisers found that the FIA security stickers (barcodes) on the inverter and Daniel’s MGU units didn’t correspond with those declared on the technical passport provided by the competitor for the event. 

The German Abt had chased Formula E debutant Edoardo Mortara for the majority of the race and inherited the lead with just two laps to go after the Venturi driver spun at Turn 2.

The disqualification saw the second-placed Rosenqvist declared winner and originally fourth-placed Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Evans securing third place. Evans made history with the first podium finish in Formula E for Panasonic Jaguar Racing and a return to the podium for Jaguar in motorsport for the first time in 15 years. Soon after the disqualification, Audi Sports ABT Schaeffler vowed to appeal but later dropped the idea after reviewing documents and processes. 

Team principal Allan McNish said in a statement that the team accepted they had made “a small mistake with big consequences” and apologised.”We gained no advantage as a result of the administrative error and all parts fully complied to homologation and the technical regulations at all times,” he said. “Still, we accept the decision of the FIA and fully back the technical passport regulations.”

ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport’s Daniel Abt of Germany celebrates with Mahindra’s Felix Rosenqvist of Sweden and Venturi’s Edoardo Mortara of Italy after winning the second day race - Reuters

For Rosenqvist it was his second victory in the FIA Formula E Championship and put Mahindra Racing on top after the conclusion of the Hong Kong double header with 44 points followed by DS Virgin Racing (41points) and TECHEETAH (33 points). The rest of the scores were Venturi Formula E Team (30), Panasonic Jaguar Racing (27), Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler (11), NIO Formula E Team (9), Andretti Formula E (8) and Renault e.dams (7).

Last year’s winner Lucas di Grassi of ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport had to be content with 14th place in the second race and 17th place in the first.

Sam Bird led the drivers’ standings followed by Jean-Eric Vergne, Felix Rosenqvist, Edoardo Mortara of Venturi Formula and Nick Heidfeld of Mahindra Racing. Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Evans was placed sixth and his teammate N. Piquet Jr, the winner of the first season, was seventh. Piquet came fourth in the first race, making Panasonic Jaguar the most consistent team. The disqualified winner of the second race, Abt, was standing in eighth position.

Marrakesh E-Prix

The next leg of the season sees Formula E return to the African continent for round three of the FIA Formula E Championship for the Marrakesh E-Prix on 13 January. The rest of the races will be held in Santiago, Mexico City, Punta Del Este (Uruguay), Rome, Paris, Berlin and Zurich after which there will be two races each in New York and Montreal on 28 and 29 July 2018.

After the second race, Rosenqvist of Mahindra Racing, said: “There’s been a lot of ups-and-downs all weekend, but I’m happy with taking away 29 points - for pole, winning the race and fastest lap - it’s a lot of points! But I feel sorry for Daniel as well, he won the race on track, but I don’t know the reason. It’s not the way you want to win and I don’t feel like I’ve won the race. But I’m happy with the points. Sometimes you’re happy and then you’re sad, like yesterday we were in P15 and turned it around - getting the fastest lap but it got taken away, so there’s been a lot like that but I’ll take maximum points and the third in the championship.”

Evans of Panasonic Jaguar Racing, said: “I’m proud to secure Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s first podium in Formula E. It’s bittersweet as Daniel is a good guy and a mate of mine. After a tough year in our first season, this is a great reward for the hard work of everyone in the team. Tonight we will celebrate this achievement together and then work hard to repeat it.”

Speaking about the shock result in the first race, Bird said: “That was a really crazy race. I’m still trying to process what happened really. It’s unreal for me winning after a driving-through penalty in Formula E. I’d like to thank the team. We knew it would be tough this year with lots of close competition. When I came out the pits there was a TECHEETAH in front of me and I thought it was JEV, so I was pushing hard to catch him! It turned out I was in the lead and I never in a million years expected that.” A rare coincidence of Formula E’s season 4 opener was that both races had to start with the Safety Car. In the first race there was a collision at the start and on the second day a hardware issue caused the start lights not to come on.

What the Hong Kong opener produced was also great competition as there weren’t any dominant racers. 

Motorsport popularity and sustainable mobility

The inaugural season of Formula E sparked to life in September 2014 around the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing.  FIA President Jean Toot in a message said that the FIA Formula E Championship remains committed to its two main goals - bringing motorsport to the heart of cities around the world and spreading the vital message of sustainable mobility - a combination of which continues to attract some of the world’s biggest car markers and most talented racing drivers. 

Mitch Evans of Panasonic Jaguar Racing who secured the third place at the second race being congratulated 

“This underlines the significance of Formula E on the global stage as we move towards an increasingly electrified automotive future,” he added.

Formula E Founder and CEO Alejandro Agag said: “Formula E wants to inspire change - a change in perception, a change in attitude and behaviour and a change in the way we live our lives. Electric street racing is a vision for the future but is happening in the present. We want the cities to come with us on this journey.”

He said the shift towards sustainable mobility was in motion and was unstoppable. “The transition to electric is only a question of time. Brands, companies and governments are changing their mindset and approach - anyone not moving in this direction is paddling against a strong tide,” he added. Come January and until end July next year, the world in general and motor racing enthusiasts will see a lot of action and meaning in Formula E.