Motorsport on Monday: 15/9/14
When the flag drops the talking stops - so what is Formula E racing really like?
I'm sure the rules will morph and subtly change again over the year, just like they have on the run-up to the first race, but fundamentally, I thought the season opener was entertaining enough.
What everyone's debating; replay in the story
I couldn't quite bring myself to vote for my favourite driver through Fanboost - that's one area that still doesn't seem right to me, affecting a race's outcome purely due to popularity - but I did fully embrace the new electric era in motorsport by sitting down to watch the race in a shoe shop (and a dress shop, and the supermarket...) on my smartphone.
The Beijing street circuit wasn't the most challenging, with plenty of 90-degree bends and chicanes, but that's what Formula E was always going to be about. However, the layout did produce some brilliant racing.
Franck Montagny - ahem - charged through the field like a man on a mission, flirting with the walls, while pole sitter Nicolas Prost got away cleanly at the front.
Speeds weren't incredible, but with only 202hp in race trim, that's not surprising - it's the rubber that made things exciting. With just three sets of tyres to cover each driver's pair of Spark-Renault SRT_01Es, the low rolling resistance 18-inch Michelins made for plenty of loose, dancing cars through the chicanes as drivers chased the throttle harder and harder, earlier and earlier. It's refreshing to see a single-seater that visibly moves around everywhere on the race track.
Well what else would be the safety car?
Maybe it's because this aspect is integral to electric racing, with the series designed to accommodate it from the start? In F1 it's an engineered afterthought in my opinion.
Swapsies
It threw up some interesting strategy calls, too. Do you use your allotted energy aggressively in the first phase of the race to attain track position on the tight confines of a city-based circuit, then protect it for the remainder after the pit stop car swap? Or do you drive to a consistent pace and play it conservatively, hoping some drivers will have used more energy earlier on and will have to turn the wick down towards the end of the race?
Well-drilled teams made time on the swap, too. Heidfeld, for example, scooped up a couple of places thanks to slick pit work, even with a mandatory minimum 30-second car change.
Rejoice, single seaters with attitude!
And it was Heidfeld that was involved in the major incident in the race. Having made his way through from sixth on the grid - showing strong pace and an intelligent command of the energy available to him - he and leader Prost went into the last lap with broadly the same percentage of power left in their battery packs.
Heidfeld got a run going down the back straight and through the final flip-flop chicane. Carrying that speed through the fast turn 19, he closed up on Prost on the approach to the final corner of the race. Heidfeld went to the left, Prost checked his mirrors and, at the time, seemed to pull over right into the path of the German.
The clash broke Heidfeld's car's wishbones and sent him skittering down the inside and over the sausage kerb at the apex - which acted like a ramp and sent him airborne into the wall on the outside. A high-energy impact shown by the triple toe loop Heidfeld's car executed provided a first test for the SRT_01E that none of the drivers were hoping they'd have to go through.
On review, even commentator Dario Franchitti, reminded all too vividly of his own interaction with the catch fence, saw it as "Prost just swerved at him."
Simple circuit, great racing
Me? After more than 24 hours sitting on this fence, it's starting to become rather uncomfortable. Replay here to judge for yourself.
In Prost's defence, he was looking in his mirrors - potentially to defend the corner. He claims he was unsighted, but he seemed to move late relative to Heidfeld's attack and early relative to the apex.
Given Heidfeld and Prost actually race in the same LMP1 car for Rebellion in the WEC, it thankfully seems to have been smoothed over. Prost apologised and pleaded innocence, Heidfeld accepted.
Cicruit may be new but the lines aren't!
Back to the future
Race one was a success for Formula E in my book. Even the trackside microphones picked up just enough space age whooshing and whining from the drivetrains, sounding like a pack of gobbling turkeys on the overrun.
Whether it'll sustain interest remains to be seen, but on Goodwood Revival weekend showing how motorsport used to be done, that the future can still deliver entertainment is most definitely something to hold on to.
[Images: LAT]
Didn't watch it apart from the replays of the last corner incident on the ITV news. No doubt in my mind that young Prost swerved into Heidfeld.
It's worth re-watching the video where he's looking right, right, right, right for Heidfeld but then turns left to take the corner and collect Nick. A mistake but not malicious.
Nico Prost (@nico_prost) tweeted at 2:16 pm on Sat, Sep 13, 2014:
I feel very bad about the incident and after looking at the videos I understand that I am responsible. I just did not see him, feel very bad
(https://twitter.com/nico_prost/status/510779085967351808)
Nick Heidfeld (@NickHeidfeld) tweeted at 3:56 pm on Sat, Sep 13, 2014:
@nico_prost Thx Nico.Know u and that u dont drive anybody of on purpose.st happens.Next week we fight together in Austin @RebellionRacing
(https://twitter.com/NickHeidfeld/status/510804184112046080)
I thought the race was a complete mess with utterly underwhelming cars being driven very slowly on a lash-up of a track.
The car changeover all but hit a giant 'pause' to the racing, especially with a minimum time being allowed during the 'car switch'.
Regarding Prost and Heidfeld, yes it was good that Prost smoothed it over post-race but his move was more than "a little early for the apex". It was a blatant, and very clumsy shoulder barge to defend against Heidfeld on the last corner of the race.
Then add a bit of 'fan-boost' into the mix where effectively a position could be decided by popularity rather than speed or ability, it generates a laughable racing series...
All in my opinion of course
In the actual headline of the piece? come-on chaps, I know it's Monday, but still...
As for the race, I was really looking forward to it, but the quality of coverage let it down in the end. It just didn't electrify me the same way touring cars do (see what I did there).
The accident into the final corner was unfortunate and highly avoidable.
It was obvious to everyone where NH was going to be and I do mean everyone. If you watch the in camera footage from NP's car, he looks in his right mirror, sees no sign of NH, so doesn't need to look in his left, he then brakes incredibly early for the corner, NH is already lined up to take the inside, but NP turns left just after braking, this was always going to result in some form of coming together. It's unfortunate and I do not believe NP intended to cause an accident, or that there was any malice involved, he just wanted to protect his racing line, but had he moved over first, then braked, he would probably have crossed the line first.
I just feel that given they can only use 202bhp during the race (isn't max power still only 270bhp?), each car can only last around 13 laps and top speeds are pretty poor, is it maybe just a bit too early for Formula E? Wouldn't another couple of years development be the best option?
I just feel that given they can only use 202bhp during the race (isn't max power still only 270bhp?), each car can only last around 13 laps and top speeds are pretty poor, is it maybe just a bit too early for Formula E? Wouldn't another couple of years development be the best option?
"development" happens with competition, and next year teams can build their own motors if they want (with the caveat they have to then offer the same motor on sale to other competitors at the same price as the spec motor).
It has great drivers, racing is good, and is obviously appealing to a different fanbase rather than the more "traditional" fans of lower profile race series. More people interested in motorsport is a universally Good Thing, even though some of the gimmicks not to my taste.
It is likely to have crap looking street circuits, and look a little too slow- but that will improve with competition and development. Overall - give is 7/10 for first race, and 6/10 chance of surviving and being something big - vs. just fizzling out like A1GP...
The cars were never going to be quick, anyone thinking they would have been perhaps set themselves up for dissappointment.
How it is managed longer term will be the key. Lets hope a successful package isn't sold to a crook (A1GP anyone).
This had to start somehwere, somewhen, somehow. This was it, and hats off to all involed. Long may it continue!
WRC, DTM, ELMS…….Any thoughts on these?
The twitter thing, the DJ, celebs on the grid, shorter races, social media profile, etc - all very different to more conventional formats.
FWIW - i watched the race last night, found it straight away on youtube and watched the whole broadcast. It had 145,000 views at the time - I sometimes watch TUSC sports car races from youtube also, they seem to get 4k - 10k views, and that's the "premier" US sports car series!
However the racing was fairly good, if slow and the idea of mandatory 30 second pit stops doesn't make sense to me.. Ok it probably makes it more equal, but hey.
The tracks aren't exactly brilliant - although I'm interested to see what London will offer up.
Overall, I watched this, then V8 Supercars Sandown 500, thoroughly enjoying the latter. Would I have preferred to have DTM aired instead of FE? Yes.
The tech isn't mature enough, it's a bit slow and other than the run up to the crash.. boring.
But does it show promise? Yes, to me it does. Just give it a few years...
However the racing was fairly good, if slow and the idea of mandatory 30 second pit stops doesn't make sense to me.. Ok it probably makes it more equal, but hey.
The tracks aren't exactly brilliant - although I'm interested to see what London will offer up.
Overall, I watched V8 Supercars Sandown 500, thoroughly enjoying it... Would I have preferred to have DTM aired instead of FE? Yes.
The tech isn't mature enough, it's a bit slow and other than the crash - boring.
But does it show promise? Yes, to me it does. Just give it a few years...
Of course you can still cock it up, think Prost came out *exactly* on the minimum time window, which gains him a little time
Of course you can still cock it up, think Prost came out *exactly* on the minimum time window, which gains him a little time
I was very quickly bored watching slow cars that sounded like Radio Controlled racers on a bland circuit with no spectators. An RC car is probably quicker.
Interesting to read the comment that Tesla produce quicker road cars.
It's a shame but I don't think it will last. Amazed it's attracted the driver lineup it has tbh
The noise was the biggest disappointment, it just sounded like some digital interference, most disappointing. As said perhaps a few more years it may be better, seems aimed at the younger Play Station generation to me.
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