1339 replies to this topic

[maximilian]

JEV wants things to change, since he didn't win the title 

[FirstnameLastname]

Interesting to see Merc pulling out of the sport. For a while there it looked like manufacturers would flip over to formula E… but now perhaps the F1 tech is seen as being more relevant

[Ben1445]

FE still have 5 major manufactures signed up for Gen3. Meanwhile F1 has... 4... soon to be 3. 

Edited by Ben1445, 21 August 2021 - 22:54.

[FLB]

Interesting to see Merc pulling out of the sport. For a while there it looked like manufacturers would flip over to formula E… but now perhaps the F1 tech is seen as being more relevant

The mroe you look at it, the less sense it makes fot Daimler to have two international single-seater series promoting the same brand (Mercedes).

 

 

What does make sense is them pushing for (a greater) electrification of F1, which is what they're doing if some rumours about the next set of F1 regulations are to be believed.

[Ben1445]

I'll be honest, I was somewhat surprised that Merc joined FE to begin with. 

 

For a while I was wondering if they were planning to use FE development in electric drivetrains to sneakily circumvent any budget caps in F1 by shuffling people/expertise around at Brixworth. But I'm not sure how much water that theory holds. 

Edited by Ben1445, 21 August 2021 - 23:05.

[BRG]

FE still have 5 major manufactures signed up for Gen3. Meanwhile F1 has... 4... soon to be 3. 

By my reckoning, that puts F1 ahead.  Fewer manufacturers the better: less teams to quit suddenly.

[thegamer23]

Pretty funny video to know the drivers more & close off this season! 

Turns out Buemi tops pretty much all categories 

 

 

Season 8 Thread coming soon! 

 

Edited by thegamer23, 25 August 2021 - 07:17.

[Disgrace]

Gunther will partner Buemi at Nissan next year. Two drivers who have just had predominantly awful seasons. Seems like a risky and underwhelming line-up.

[RSRally]

I’m pleased to see Guenther keep an FE seat tbh, when he’s good he’s very good. I feel Buemi needs a better year next year or it could be his last. Other snippets from this article: https://the-race.com...d-in-formula-e/

[RSRally]

- Looks like Lynn out of FE to concentrate on sportscars (a shame he keeps getting passed over in FE, he had a stronger season than Sims who seems to be staying at Mahindra) - DiGrassi close to a deal (Venturi?) - Andretti seem likely to go with an American driver in the search for commercial support from the USA. - Kvyat still talking to FE teams

[Ben1445]

Kyle Kirkwood? 

[thegamer23]

Silly season!

Nice to see Gunther driving for another factory team. The guy sure has the talent.

There are also rumors about Antonio Felix Da Costa joining Mercedes if De Vries gets promoted to F1.

 

Edited by thegamer23, 02 September 2021 - 12:18.

[maximilian]

There are also rumors about Antonio Felix Da Costa joining Mercedes if De Vries gets promoted to F1.

 

 

 

Seems like a dead end move with Mercedes pulling out.  Much better off staying with Techeetah.

 

Lynn getting the boot AGAIN - I guess he did have enough chances now to impress sufficiently in FE, and it doesn't happen.

 

Kirkwood will not go to FE next year, especially if he wins the IndyLights title.  That prize money will be utilized in IndyCar

[Ben1445]

Lynn getting the boot AGAIN - I guess he did have enough chances now to impress sufficiently in FE, and it doesn't happen.

In fairness, I thought he did pretty well during the Mahindra stint. Two podiums, a pole and a win in a car which arguably isn't the most competitive in the field.

 

At this point I think it's a case of FE not loving him back. He was really quite emotional about how much it meant to him to finally get that ePrix win in London. 

[FLB]

Seems like a dead end move with Mercedes pulling out.  Much better off staying with Techeetah.

 

 

Considering the articles this week in The Race about DS Techeetah, I'm not even sure they'll be there next year.

Edited by FLB, 03 September 2021 - 13:55.

[RSRally]

DiGrassi to Venturi seems done. I know he can be a bit of a whiner but i’m pleased to see him stay in FE as a strong ambassador for the series. Also fairly strong hint in the article as to who that non-paying sponsor may have been: https://the-race.com...-e-next-season/

[Ben1445]

Considering the articles this week in The Race about DS Techeetah, I'm not even sure they'll be there next year.

Statement today from DS Techeetah: 

 

"In respect of recent comments made in the press, Seca Sports Europe would like to state that it does not comment on potential Investor discussions. We have not done so in the past nor do we intend to do so in the future.

We remain fully committed to the Techeetah Formula E Team, DS Automobiles, all of our team members and business partners. As 3 x Drivers Champions, 2 x Team Champions and having earned a hard-fought 3rd place finish in Season 7, we are looking forward to returning to the top of the exciting Formula E World Championship next season."

 

https://www.dstechee...from-techeetah/

Edited by Ben1445, 03 September 2021 - 20:14.

[FLB]

Statement today from DS Techeetah: 

Yeah, I saw it after I posted 

 

The fact they they felt compelled to make a statement is... an indication that the article hit close to home, IMHO. Also, I notice it's a commitment for next year, but nothing about beyond... 

Edited by FLB, 04 September 2021 - 00:24.

[Ben1445]

I don’t at all doubt that SECA are planning to sell a majority stake to a new investor ahead of Gen3 and that a planned deal to do so soon recently fell through, question is whether they’re in dire straights about it because of that or if it’s simply a matter of finding the right investor.

Mind you, perhaps a blockchain/crypto CEO isn’t the best fit anyway, especially if a team rebrand was on the cards… that sounds like it could all get a bit Rich Energy…

Aside from that, I’ve personally been becoming more disappointed in the quality of The Race’s reporting recently, especially with the journalistic reputation that Sam Smith brought to the table from e-racing365. I’ve felt that there’s an editorial preference for sensational/shock/crisis/click-bait framing and getting content out just for contents sake (or simply because NEOM paid them to say nice things) for a while now. A certain lack of integrity. But it is what it is.

[Viryfan]

According to Autohebdo the mess at Techeetah is pissing off DS to the point they might just leave before Gen3.

 

Drivers were unpaid in the winter at leasr.

 

DS does not want to commit financially and compensate the mess at SECA

[maximilian]

Oh crap

[juicy sushi]

Those are some exceptionally negative articles on Techeetah and Rokit. If they want to sell then why the slow management response? And for Rokit, is this the only time their cheques have bounced? They didn’t seem to last long at Williams, and I hope they don’t screw over Bourdais in Indycar as well.

[RSRally]

According to Autohebdo the mess at Techeetah is pissing off DS to the point they might just leave before Gen3.

 

Drivers were unpaid in the winter at leasr.

 

DS does not want to commit financially and compensate the mess at SECA

 

Other teams are available.

[BRG]

Those are some exceptionally negative articles on Techeetah and Rokit. If they want to sell then why the slow management response? And for Rokit, is this the only time their cheques have bounced? They didn’t seem to last long at Williams, and I hope they don’t screw over Bourdais in Indycar as well.

Rokit are on a lot of cars in different series (eg Nick Hamilton in BTCC). Are they failing to pay all of those too?

Edited by BRG, 07 September 2021 - 11:47.

[juicy sushi]

Rokit are on a lot of cars in different series (eg Nick Hamilton in BTCC). Are they failing to pay all of those too?

That’s my concern. Generally, if a sponsor stiffs one team, they usually stiff them all.

[Ben1445]

Update on the DS/Techeetah from The Race today paints a slightly more positive picture. 
 
https://the-race.com...rmula-e-future/
 

Chevaucher re-emphasised the current commitment of DS Performance in its relationship with Techeetah saying that “there is a very strong commitment from the brand to pursue Formula E and to show the good condition we have been in for a few years.”

“(The entry) it’s two different entities and we are still very strong partners and we will work together to fix any issues.

“We have had very good results still from the beginning of our partnership. So we definitely want to continue to work together. We are facing some challenges sometimes, it’s not the first one. And as we have done before we will work together to fix them.”

Edited by Ben1445, 07 September 2021 - 16:21.

[juicy sushi]

It's positive from DS/Stellantis, but still leaves a big question around Techeetah's situation. I hope they can find the investment they are looking for, but it's tricky right now coming out of the pandemic.  If we can see the team find a path forward, and Toto is able to figure out a solution for the Mercedes squad then things could be looking positive in a few months, even though it looks bleak now.

[RSRally]

Kinda feel like Agag might have taken his eye off the ball over the last year or two and spread himself too thin in setting up Extreme E as well.

Hoping and expecting a better season 8 but it is a worry that Mercedes for example think F1 is a better arena to develop electrified power trains than FE!

[juicy sushi]

I think the costs ballooning out in the last few seasons with the manufacturers joining didn’t help. The cost cap is probably a pretty vital step in ensuring people stick around.

[RSRally]

Venturi driver line up announcement tomorrow. Would be a shock if it was anyone other than DiGrassi and Mortara.

[thegamer23]

Venturi driver line up announcement tomorrow. Would be a shock if it was anyone other than DiGrassi and Mortara.

 

And here it is,

 

Lucas Di Grassi joins Edo Mortara!

Just a rock solid driver pair.
 

[Ben1445]

That is an odd helmet design 

[thegamer23]

 

Great compilation from this eventful Season 7. Worth the watch! 

I'd say it's time to switch on the Season 8 thread.
If anybody has a good idea for the OP, free to go, always nice to see new thread styles 

Otherwise, i'll try do it in the weekend! 

[Rodaknee]

Whatever....

 

 

A probable new qualifying format for next season’s ABB FIA Formula E Championship that includes football-style knock-out sessions is set to be trialled in November’s official test in Valencia.

 

https://the-race.com...lifying-format/

[maximilian]

Yeah, whatever.  Gimmick.  Not needed.  The current format is just fine, and provided some good drama and kept the championship battle close.  So sure, change it.

 

Also:  "the first free practice session of the weekend will be reduced from 45 minutes to 30 minutes in duration" - WHY?  They already don't get enough practice as it is, and fans don't get enough on track action.  It's bad enough the races are only 45 minutes after spending a MONTH building the circuit and having an hour and a half of pre-race-show fluff.

[Ben1445]

"The fresh procedures, which could be ratified at the next FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting in October, include the field being split into two initial groups to find the top four fastest performers from each group’s 10-minute session. These eight cars are then set to go through what is likely to be billed as a quarter-final stage in a separate session. The top four from the quarter-final session are then expected to go through to a semi-final stage, from which the top two will go through to a shoot-out final to decide the pole-sitter"

Sounds pretty similar to the IndyCar qualifying format to me. Would just be that instead of the two initial groups feeding into the 'Fast 12' and then the 'Fast 6' it would effectively be a fast 8, 4 and 2 but maybe branded as quarters, semis and finals. Or some variation on that theme.  

 

Don't see the issue or the gimmick here, to be honest. When it comes to it, it's basically a known format used by a respected series elsewhere and it's in response to significant criticism about the qualifying format throughout the last season. 

 

Edit: I'm surprised that the articles makes no mention of the similarities to the IndyCar format and instead makes a big deal out of the dubious football comparison. But then...it is The Race... so maybe I'm not. 

Edited by Ben1445, 17 September 2021 - 00:04.

[Muppetmad]

Yeah, sounds fine to me. It helps to overcome the problems of the current system while still finding a way to avoid having everyone on track.

[thegamer23]

Sounds very good to me, can't see the gimmick.
Maybe the article title is a bit misleding.

Should be much more fair than the current quali format, while mantaining the thrill of the final super pole shootouts.

[Broekschaap]

For me the current format is the gimmick. A world championship with a worried leader of te standings after the penultimate round just because of the qualifying format is not a good thing. And that a great part of the drivers can still be champion in the last race is not normal. The good drivers are not rewarded enough. So an new format which helps the drivers that are actually the fastest would be a great improvement

Edited by Broekschaap, 17 September 2021 - 08:31.

[RSRally]

A new format was clearly needed as drivers and manufacturers were quite unhappy with the old one. Whilst unpredictability is good up to a point, last season in particular did feel a little too random. I think this new format should make things a little more consistent but i doubt ‘F1 predictable’ as with same peak power and aero the gaps will never be huge.