For the start of the new season, Formula E declared the five most important changes:
THE GEN2 CAR
While the championship might be only five years old, the technology of racing around the circuit is ever-changing. Season 5 will see 22 Gen2 cars racing around the track for the very first time. The Batmobil-esque all-electric racer has double the energy storage capacity of the Gen1 car, meaning it can complete a whole race. So no more mid-race car swaps. With 250kW of power, the Gen2 will accelerate from 0-100km/h in 2.8-seconds and go on to a top speed of 280km/h. Greater speeds, more action on track and with just one car per driver – everything is at stake.
TIMED RACES
No more lap limits – we’re moving to timed races. With each round running to a strict limit of 45-minutes plus one lap to reach the chequered flag, we’re mixing things up to make it even more interesting. The energy management is put in focus even stronger than before.
NEW PLACES
Season 5 of the championship pairs some familiar favourites with new iconic cities, featuring a total of 13 races in 12 cities across five continents. Starting in Ad Diriyah, with the debut of Formula E in the Middle East on December 15, the series heads back to Marrakesh before moving to Mexico City and Hong Kong. For the newly titled voestalpine European Series, we’re back on the streets of Rome, Paris, and Berlin, in addition to returning to Monaco for a third time on May 11 – appearing on the calendar on a bi-annual basis. The last race in Europe will take place in Switzerland’s capital city Bern on June 22. Finishing up with a double-header season finale in New York, the race is set to take place on July 13 and 14, where a new champion will be crowned. See below for a full calendar listing. You can find the full race calendar here.
NEW POWER MODES
In a world first for motorsport, drivers will be able to access a higher power mode in addition to FANBOOST, by passing through an activation zone marked out and visible on the circuit for fans at the track and those watching on TV. When a driver passes through the activation zone, they will be able to access 225kW of power – as opposed to the standard 200kW available during the race. The new illuminated FIA halo head protection device is signalling the respective power mode with different colours. The exact number of individual uses and relative duration of the higher power mode will vary at each event and will be determined by the FIA. It will be up to the teams and drivers to decide when to activate the higher power mode throughout the race within the limits set by the FIA.
MORE TEAMS AND DRIVERS
After the announcement that HWA will be 11th team to join the grid, there will be a total of 22 cars on the start line of the first race of Season 5. With BMW – currently technical partner of Andretti – becoming a full manufacturer team, the German marque will join the likes of Audi, DS, Jaguar, NIO, Nissan (which takes the place of sister marque Renault) and Venturi as manufacturers in the series. All teams and drivers at a glance:
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Lucas Di Grassi (BRA)
Daniel Abt (GER)
BMW i Andretti Motorsport
Antonio Felix Da Costa (POR)
Alexander Sims (GBR)
Envision Virgin Racing
Sam Bird (GBR)
Robin Frijns (NED)
Geox Dragon
José Maria López (ARG)
Maximilian Günther (GER)
Panasonic Jaguar Racing
Nelson Piquet Jr. (BRA)
Mitch Evans (NZL)
Mahindra Racing
Jérome D’Ambrosio (BEL)
Pascal Wehrlein (GER)
NIO Formula E Team
Oliver Turvey (GBR)
Tom Dillmann (FRA)
DS Techeetah Formula E Team
Jean-Éric Vergne (FRA)
André Lotterer (GER)
Venturi Formula E Team
Edoardo Mortara (SUI)
Felipe Massa (BRA)
Nissan e.dams
Sébastien Buemi (SUI)
Alex Albon (THA)
HWA RACELAB
Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL)
Gary Paffett (GBR)