624 replies to this topic

[thegamer23]

Although I think the design of the cars is gimmicky, I also think it lends itself well to withstand contact, which is a good thing in street racing.

 

Increasing the power is also a needed addition. I hope in the next race, the power zones will more smoothly integrate into the flow of the track.

 

 

 

In Marrakesh the Attack Zone Activation will be located on the outside line of Corner 1!

 

Should be quite better than on a straightline like Riyadh!
 

Edited by thegamer23, 17 December 2018 - 13:02.

[ExFlagMan]

Quite like the idea of having to go off-line to activate the power boost - looks like in the first race at least it put an element of driver skill/risk into being able to use it - unlike DRS where it is just a matter of luck in being in the right place at the right time in order to be able to use it - especially if it is a back-marker ahead and they have to slow down as they are getting blue flags.

[Peat]

It definitely adds something. AND that it takes it from the total power output is interesting. Being able to burn one up under SC and enjoy a few more W/lap through the rest of the was a clever ploy. 

[Vielleicht]

It's a fair point, although I'm not sure quite how many people are "put off" by engine noise. You could equally make a claim that there are people who would go to football matches, if the crowd wasn't as loud and had to behave like they do at a snooker match.

It will be interesting to me to see how the viewing figures for Formula E develop over this season in particular, since it is now surely one of the easiest series to watch, whether on YouTube or wherever else. It's the first non-F1 form of motorsport to get any coverage on the BBC since MotoGP left after the 2013 season. Surely, if there was a significant amount of people who do prefer silent motorsport to noisy engines, this would be reflected in the viewing figures at least?

However, I do think that Formula E will continue to have to fight something of an uphill battle. The problem is that people are very quick to form an opinion on something, for good or bad. No doubt there are a significant amount of people who either watched the very first race, or one over the last few seasons, and believe that the series is not for them, for whatever reason. Despite all the progress it has undoubtedly made for this season, one of the biggest sticking points - the lack of engine noise - is going to remain. And, yes, something seemingly so trivial is going to put people off from watching.

Personally, I hope there's a middle ground somewhere in the future of motorsport. I'd find it very sad if more or less every series featured silent electric cars. Variety is a spice of life - you watch videos of cars blasting down the Mulsanne at Le Mans, and you hear all the different variations in engine noise. I can still remember going to a touring car race one year (back when they still had NA engines) and even before getting into the circuit, I could distinguish the BMW immediately because it had such a recognisable engine note. When you think about all the variation of engine noises that exist in motorsport, whether it's in NASCAR or elsewhere, I just think it would be a shame if all of that became part of history.

I don't know what the answer is, but I do fear that this is increasingly going to become a talking point in the immediate future. I wouldn't be surprised if some series even resorted to the desperate measure of having artificial engine noises, just to keep some fans happy...

I can understand all that. I also find it very interesting as to how this is going to go.

For interests sake, I took a friend of mine to the WEC round at Silverstone earlier this year. They’re relatively new to racing having been watching F1 for maybe 4 years or there abouts and FE for 3. The verdict was that some of the cars (particularly the Porsches) were simply too loud for it to be a fully enjoyable experience. And I have to say that I kind of agreed. They’re now plotting to go to the Monaco ePrix (without me grrr ) having enjoyed the S2 race in Battersea Park.

So I would note that I don’t think it’s about liking or preferring ‘silent’ racing. Noise is definitely a part of the FE experience - they’re still noticeably noisey and you can still tell the difference between different powertrains. It’s just that you don’t have to shout in someone’s ear when trackside in order to be heard or struggle to hear the tannoy commentary over the sound of the cars.

They key will lie in marketing and publicity, getting the word out to those who are interested in watching that kind of event. One of FE’s strengths so far has been the marketing, so they have a decent chance, but I agree it may be an uphill battle. I’m looking forward to seeing it all unfold though.

[Ben1445]

I like the concept of Attack Mode. Think it will evolve as time goes by but once everyone’s familiar with it and the system is refined I think it’ll be a really good addition. I also like the idea that it could be seen as ‘future proofing’ the race format in case dynamic recharging by induction loops becomes viable in a race setting.

[BalanceUT]

That's why I said good systems and processes.

At the time, they thought bloodletting was a good process. 

[Nonesuch]

They really should have listed each driver's times seperately, rather then combining them per car.

This is obviously an intentional move, this test has largely been a virtue signalling exercise.

 

Intentional or not, it's almost as if they didn't account for this possibility.

 

The WEC - often featuring three drivers per car - has no problem listing the times per driver in their sessions. This is all registered automatically, and has worked well for years.

[Rinehart]

It's an easy and visual way to show they are doing it. Also, don't they have to slow down a bit? Lopez not quite clipping the lane right lost positions each time. I thought it was rather good. 

Surely the pretty halo lights "shows" they are doing it - I thought that was the point. 

And losing a bit of time to gain a bit of time is a good thing? Not sure it will be on tighter tracks where the net gain is nada. 

[thegamer23]

Attack Mode would look glorious in a night race. 

[RSRally]

Surely the pretty halo lights "shows" they are doing it - I thought that was the point.
And losing a bit of time to gain a bit of time is a good thing? Not sure it will be on tighter tracks where the net gain is nada.

If you didn't have to go off line though it would basically just be push to pass, like DRS.

[f1paul]

Surely the pretty halo lights "shows" they are doing it - I thought that was the point. 

And losing a bit of time to gain a bit of time is a good thing? Not sure it will be on tighter tracks where the net gain is nada. 

Riyadh was a pretty tight track yet you still was able to overtake and gain time compared to not using it.

 

Anyway, everyone has to use it X amount of times anyway so it's about when you use it which is a great strategy element IMO.

[alframsey]

Currently watching the season opener on iPlayer, the first Formula E race I have ever watched, and one thing which strikes me is just how slow these cars seem. I am enjoying it though and look forward to watching how this series develops.

[DrF]

Are they ever going to introduce "proper" tyres and allow more power? I understand that the intention is to make the cars more Road Relevant and keep costs down, but at the speed these cars are going with the limits on power output, they must have relatively little aero grip, so even more of an argument for mechanical grip... It makes the cars seem even slower. It's a pity because EV's are capable of some serious performance (Rimac and Tesla spring to mind).

Edited by DrF, 18 December 2018 - 00:37.

[RSRally]

The power is already up this year, and is set to rise gradually in coming years too.

Most people seem to agree the new car looks faster than the old one already.

Try and take a look at qualifying for round two next month.. we haven't seen the new cars at full qualifying power on a dry track yet..

[Ragnar668]

Are they ever going to introduce "proper" tyres and allow more power? I understand that the intention is to make the cars more Road Relevant and keep costs down, but at the speed these cars are going with the limits on power output, they must have relatively little aero grip, so even more of an argument for mechanical grip... It makes the cars seem even slower. It's a pity because EV's are capable of some serious performance (Rimac and Tesla spring to mind).

I think the first car had 190 kW

[Peat]

Currently watching the season opener on iPlayer, the first Formula E race I have ever watched, and one thing which strikes me is just how slow these cars seem. I am enjoying it though and look forward to watching how this series develops.

 

You should have seen season 1, mate..... The straights took forever. This Gen2 car is a giant stride forward. 

[thegamer23]

I mean, it's like day & night! 

 

 

Compare that to Riyadh's last lap, the difference is mind blowing actually! 

 

https://youtu.be/8bhmd4mF71k?t=255

 

And..bare in mind that those cars went 3 seconds faster than that in the post-race testing. 
The track surface in race day was terrible after the morning's downpour. 

Edited by thegamer23, 18 December 2018 - 08:41.

[RSRally]

Also, 0-60 in 2.8s and 280kmh top speed is not slow..

Sound probably plays a part too. Current F1 cars sound a bit dull and don't look that quick on a wide track either, even though they are of course very quick.

[thegamer23]

I did some research work here on the forum. 

 

Interesting stats, kinda shows how much interest there's for this new Formula E!

We're back to Beijing's 2014 levels of engagement. Remember that Beijing 2014 also had that huge crash at the end, that was worth some extra pages. 

 

 

 

 

Opening threads

 

 

SEASON 1 - OPENING RACE THREAD

14 pages, 688 replies

 

SEASON 5 - OPENING RACE THREAD
13 pages, 618 replies

 

SEASON 4 - OPENING RACE THREAD

6 pages, 278 replies
 

SEASON 2 - OPENING RACE THREAD
4 pages, 182 replies

 

SEASON 3 - OPENING RACE THREAD
3 pages, 178 replies

 

 

 

Season Threads

 

 

2014/2015 OFFICIAL THREAD
39 pages, 1930 replies

 

2015/2016 OFFICIAL THREAD

23 pages, 1128 replies

 

2017/2018 OFFICIAL THREAD

18 pages, 873 replies

 

SEASON 5 OFFICIAL THREAD [After 1 out of 12 races  ]

15 pages, 705 replies

 

 

can't find the 2016/2017 thread, but i guess it was pretty low 

 

 

   

Edited by thegamer23, 18 December 2018 - 09:20.

[f1paul]

 

 

can't find the 2016/2017 thread, but i guess it was pretty low 

 

 

   

https://forums.autos... 2016 official

 

23 pages - 1101 replies 

[Rinehart]

If you didn't have to go off line though it would basically just be push to pass, like DRS.

Push to pass isn't at all like DRS...

[karl100589]

Group photo of the girls after the test. Unsurprisingly Jorda is in the centre (wonder why ;))
https://pbs.twimg.co...=jpg&name=large

Edited by karl100589, 18 December 2018 - 19:28.

[RSRally]

Push to pass isn't at all like DRS...

That's basically what happens a lot of the time though, open the drs, drive past on the straight and move back in front before the next corner.

[cheekybru]

I wanna read about last weekends race but I can't find the thread? And the link above didn't work for me

[MaxScelerate]

I wanna read about last weekends race but I can't find the thread? And the link above didn't work for me

It's moved to second page...  Bring it back, will ya?

https://forums.autos...-1819-round-02/