Formula E

FIA has extended the deadline for the manufacturer to put in action the set of generation 3 rules for the 2022/2023 Formula E season. The manufacturers are now required to make the decisions at a board level by July 2021 opposed to earlier mentioned January 2021 deadline. The change in time comes as a result of several meetings held by Formula E stakeholders during the lockdown period this year due to the covid-19 pandemic. The extension of time will mean the stakeholders will be able to manage themselves after months of lower sales and dwindling finances. Frederic Bertrand who is the FIA Formula E Innovative Motor Sports Projects department director said the discussions between the Formula E stakeholders led to the consensus of time extension. He continued to add that the motivation behind the extension of the timeframe is to ensure that the manufacturers recover from the pandemic and come to a situation where the visibility of the business and confidence in thre tomorrow will be better. “So we, first of all delayed the commitment period so that we can commit later in 21. No commitment is expected by the end of this year it will be more than the first part of 2021 where we start to commit from the beginning of 2021, but we will accept up to June 2021.” It is also believed that the manufacturers will be expected to issue a purchase order before the end of 2021 besides budgeting for the development of their own cars, this comes as manufacturer Gen3 cars delivery is still fixed for January 2022 with race car deliveries still set for May 2022. “Nobody has to put any money on the table before early 2022, and we understand that it still means that the manufacturer will have to go through validation process, presentation process through the boards and development process of their own cars but no cash is expected by the suppliers before 2022,” said Frederic Bertrand. The status of the Formula E’s future is considered to be very strong as the sustainability relevance of formula E and substantial budget overlay has actually paid off. Additional manufacturers are also eyeing programmes for 2022 and 2023. “We got strong support on all the current ones (manufacturers), and also good signals from potential newcomers thinking that the job done here was something interesting for them,” said Frederic.

Porsche Tag Heuer’s new signing Pascal Wehrlein has completed his first test for the Porsche Formula E team since replacing Neel Jani for the 2020/2021 Formula E season. The ex-Formula 1 driver sized up the track in a first test outing with the team last week as data was gathered for the development of season 7 powertrain. 688 Kilometres(430 miles) were covered in Germany alongside his teammate Andre Lotterer in the Porsche 99x electric car. The test lasted for two days. “The team has given me a warm welcome,” said Pascal. “I felt right at home from the word go, It was nice to be back in a Formula E car after almost six months away and it is a fantastic feeling to experience the acceleration and forces again.” “Generally speaking, I have a very good feeling in the Porsche 99X Electric. I must now continue to get used to everything.” Andre Lotterer secured a podium for the Porsche team during the maiden Diriyah grand prix and another at Tempelhof airport making the team rank eighth in the drivers’ running and teams’ championship. “The break after the races in Berlin was a short one,” Andre said. “It was an extremely productive test and at the same time, it was interesting to see what experience Pascal has brought with him from his time in Formula E. The cooperation with him has been good and the development for Season 7 gives me great optimism.” Amiel Lindsay, the head of Formula E operations for porsche said it was a very successful first test which was so soon after the end of their first Formula E season adding that the powertrain for the coming year was tested. “Wehrlein is coming in from a different team and brings his experience with him. His feedback was very positive and we are looking forward to working with him.”

Mercedes-Benz EQ managed to have a perfect end to the season in the Berlin E-Prix at Tempelhof Airport as Stoffel Vandoorne led home Nyck de Vries for a Silver Arrows 1-2. Stoffel Vandoorne drove a perfect race to win the first championship for the German team with de Vries coming second to his teammate in the Driver’s Championship after making a late move on Sebastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams) earning his spot as the best-placed rookie in 2019/2020 season. “Honestly going into basically the last day I didn’t even realise that everything was still so open considering everything we went through,” said de Vries. “I really thought we could have a good day and achieve a good result as a team but I didn’t realise that (second) was actually still on the table. I checked after the race and Stoffel wouldn’t have finished there without my move on Buemi!” Vandoorne made the offer of a cold one to his team-mate by way of recompense for his last-ditch efforts, though it was never going to be any of his winners’ Moet & Chandon, which ended up on the concrete apron at Tempelhof. The team principal Ian James was also very crucial to the win  after putting the Brit through the ringer in that crucial Round 11 showdown – the team chasing second spot and bragging rights in the standings into the final few laps of the season. De Vries was very confident in both his abilities as a racer, and with his team’s tactics and energy management strategy to produce. “When you’re in the car, you don’t think about what if – you follow the instinct and you trust the team because we manage the race strategically,” added the 25-year-old. “I just trust the guys, saving energy and having a go later on in the race. It also depends on who you’re racing because Seb (Buemi) is fair and straightforward. At the end of the day, you’re racing and you want to go for it. If there is a gap, you take it.  “All the pressure just melted away once I’d crossed the finish line. On previous occasions, I’ve often got close to finishing on the podium, but unfortunately, it just never happened for me, so it felt really good to have finally succeeded. “Overtaking was harder on the third layout than on the first two that we raced on, which is why we thought we could see a chance of finishing second, and luckily, our plan worked out. De Vries’ first year in Formula E left the Dutchman positive, having been well aware of the unique challenge served up by the all-electric street racing championship.  “I knew it was going to be very unpredictable, very challenging, very different,” said de Vries. “You really can’t take anything for granted and every day is a new day.  “You have to manage energy and fight as well. That compromise is difficult and sometimes you really don’t know when it’s smartest or safest to use up your reserves with the competitiveness of the whole category and especially the midfield. “In Berlin, the challenge was multiplied. The order changed upside down from one day to another and it’s not that suddenly the car is wrong or you have lost something. The package can be competitive, but it’s so extremely tight and it’s so tricky to get it right all the time – especially on that one lap in qualifying. “You have to remember that in practice you have two laps in 250 kW – two chances to pick up your references. Being in Berlin for such a long time, everyone started to get closer and then every day someone will get it right.  “That means if you want to be there all the time, you have to get it right all the time, and that’s a tough, tough challenge.”