The Lucas di Grassi Formula E Thread

[dr-baker]

I had to do that to remind myself just how bleat Venturi's results have been...

And in a terrible insult to logic, if those results stay as bleat as they are or get even worse, the team will never be the GOAT.

*drum roll*
*cymbal crash*

And yet they are too good for GROAT, that surely has to be Team Trulli at the moment?

[dr-baker]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.ph ... o-valencia

This disappoints me. Unless it coincides with my summer break and I have time to book a trip out there after they announce when the tests are? (they only gave a few weeks' notice last year that the public were allowed to turn up and watch the group test!)

[dr-baker]

So, the reserve driver for the DS Virgin team in New York City will be... Richard Branson! Seriously? Publicity stunt? If they need a replacement driver, are they REALLY going to put HIM in the car? Is he qualified to do so?

[Aislabie]

In the most important news of the year, Audi has completed its takeover of Abt Sport Audi Schaeffler. In order to reflect its status as a full-works outfit, it will become known as Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler.

That's a minute of your life you won't get back.

[dinizintheoven]

And there I was thinking it had been Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler all along... at least, I'm fairly sure that's how the commentators have always referred to them.

Does this mean Daniel Abt is no longer assured of a drive there?

[Peteroli34]

In the most important news of the year, Audi has completed its takeover of Abt Sport Audi Schaeffler. In order to reflect its status as a full-works outfit, it will become known as Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler.

That's a minute of your life you won't get back.

That most have been one hell of a long meeting. It must have taken them ages to come up with that name

[Aislabie]

Properly rejectful scenes on Lap One of the New York ePrix. Like watching a video game as obvious bottlenecks create stationary queues on the track.

[Barbazza]

What a dreadful track. Not conducive to great racing really. What was going on with all the cars conking out at the end as well?

Also, why did C5 not show the race live? I notice that they are this evening.

[Miguel98]

What a dreadful track. Not conducive to great racing really. What was going on with all the cars conking out at the end as well?

Also, why did C5 not show the race live? I notice that they are this evening.

C5 did "show" the race live... through a Facebook live feed, to show something else. Yeah, I don't know either.

[Barbazza]

C5 did "show" the race live... through a Facebook live feed, to show something else. Yeah, I don't know either.

I think they were broadcasting back to back repeats of some docusoap thing - obviously terribly important. If they can't be arsed (and all available evidence shows that to be the case) then they should hand the broadcasting rights to someone else really.

[dinizintheoven]

That was an absolutely reject-tastic track, just like that one in China a few years ago in A1GP where the cars couldn't get round the hairpin. "Better" still, there was a strictly one-car-wide chicane immediately afterwards! Something tells me there's going to have to be a bit more thought put into the circuits than just "we absolutely must hold the race where the obvious iconic backdrop of the host city is in full view and to hell with the consequences" - I can't think of any other explanation as to why the circuit would have been built around the dockside streets of Red Hook otherwise. I've been there on my one and only visit to New York - I went looking for a brewery that's out there somewhere (or was in 2008, no idea about now) and it's a desolate, depressing place. But at least the TV cameras get to see the Statue of Liberty just to ram home where the race is, and that's what really counts, isn't it?

I've got to confess to being slightly disappointed by the result, given that in the early stages, six of the top seven drivers had yet to win a Formula E race. Surely, then, with The Swiss Winning Machine absent, we'd have a new winner, wouldn't we?

Oh well. At least we get to do it all over again today, and I don't mind missing the last hour of cricket for it, given what's kicking off just down the road from me. I've got a ticket for tomorrow, and I may need many visits to the bar to get through it...

[Dj_bereta]

Formula E doing a good job stealing car brands from other racing series. First Audi quitting WEC to focus on Formula E and now, Mercedes quitting DTM to focus on Formula E too.

[Rob Dylan]

What a clusterf*ck that was in New York. Almost three full years in, and I'm wondering where all the interest and money is coming in from. The lead driver in the championship (and the defending champion) doesn't feel the race is important enough to attend compare to his other duties. The circuit was utter balls, and the sound of carbon fibre on those first few corners was just cringe-worthy. Yet we're told major manufacturers are dropping their programmes in rival series and making a dash for Formula E! We are yet to have seen a really respectable driver give it a shot full-time, and I'm hoping I get proved wrong because I really don't understand how this series holds prospects of...well, any kind!

But then again, that's just my opinion.

[dinizintheoven]

The lead driver in the championship (and the defending champion) doesn't feel the race is important enough to attend compare to his other duties.

Or, as Channel 5 actually told us on their broadcast (spartan though it is), it was not Sébastien Buemi's decision to miss this race, it was Toyota's. They have first call on his services, and wouldn't release him to compete in the Formula E race, seeing as he and his two co-drivers are sitting in second place in the WEC and are the most likely squad to beat Porsche this year. Ditto José Maria Lopez, who was also requisitioned by Toyota. They're the only two to have a full-time drive in LMP1.

I don't follow endurance racing much, but I'd assume (quite reasonably) that LMP1 is considered as sacrosanct as F1 and the other classes... less so - I mean, who remembers class at Le Mans each year rather than just the overall victory? Prost, JEV, Sarrazin & Piquet all have LMP2 drives and were cleared to miss Nürburgring to race in Formula E, as was Alex Lynn so he could make his debut in place of Lopez. As for the only Formula E driver in the GT class... that's Sam Bird, who was initially set to be called to the Nürburgring by Ferrari before they relented, and he ended up being very happy at that decision.

I'll grant you the shonkiness of the circuit, though - both the hairpin and the chicane were disasters waiting to happen. There is room for improvement, and Berlin's second visit to Templehof Airport was on a completely different layout to the first. And while we're on the subject of street circuits, it's not as if F1 hasn't had its fair share of clunkers over the years in America alone - Caesar's Palace being the worst example - and in more modern times the scorn that was heaped on the Valencia circuit resulted in the often-panned Hermann Tilke saying "But really, what else could I have done? This wasn't a blank canvas, I was constrained by the layout of the existing streets." I'm glad to see that one gone, and I will expect the second New York ePrix to sort out the circuit trouble - it is not the be all and end all to have the Statue of Liberty in the background at all times.

[Barbazza]

Looking at the coverage for this weekend and it's beyond pathetic.
5 are supposedly covering the Saturday race live though the Formula E website says it's a delayed 'as live' broadcast.

Unless I'm missing something it looks like they're not showing the final race of the season AT ALL.

Seriously FIA, would you care to take a serious look at these jokers and move coverage to a channel that cares?

[mario]

That was an absolutely reject-tastic track, just like that one in China a few years ago in A1GP where the cars couldn't get round the hairpin. "Better" still, there was a strictly one-car-wide chicane immediately afterwards! Something tells me there's going to have to be a bit more thought put into the circuits than just "we absolutely must hold the race where the obvious iconic backdrop of the host city is in full view and to hell with the consequences" - I can't think of any other explanation as to why the circuit would have been built around the dockside streets of Red Hook otherwise. I've been there on my one and only visit to New York - I went looking for a brewery that's out there somewhere (or was in 2008, no idea about now) and it's a desolate, depressing place. But at least the TV cameras get to see the Statue of Liberty just to ram home where the race is, and that's what really counts, isn't it?

I've got to confess to being slightly disappointed by the result, given that in the early stages, six of the top seven drivers had yet to win a Formula E race. Surely, then, with The Swiss Winning Machine absent, we'd have a new winner, wouldn't we?

Oh well. At least we get to do it all over again today, and I don't mind missing the last hour of cricket for it, given what's kicking off just down the road from me. I've got a ticket for tomorrow, and I may need many visits to the bar to get through it...

This race reportedly cost the local authorities a fairly sizeable chunk of money too - from organising the event through to spending on infrastructure and regeneration to make the track look more photogenic, I believe the local authorities spent over $20 million in order to hold this event.

What a clusterf*ck that was in New York. Almost three full years in, and I'm wondering where all the interest and money is coming in from. The lead driver in the championship (and the defending champion) doesn't feel the race is important enough to attend compare to his other duties. The circuit was utter balls, and the sound of carbon fibre on those first few corners was just cringe-worthy. Yet we're told major manufacturers are dropping their programmes in rival series and making a dash for Formula E! We are yet to have seen a really respectable driver give it a shot full-time, and I'm hoping I get proved wrong because I really don't understand how this series holds prospects of...well, any kind!

But then again, that's just my opinion.

I recall that Agag held an interview with the Top Gear magazine where he said that the manufacturers are mostly underwriting the cost of the series.

Currently, the main advantage that the series has is that it fits the bill for exactly what the manufacturers want right now - it is tapping into a much younger audience than most motorsport series, it is comparatively cheap (even something like DTM, despite the heavy use of spec parts in recent years, is more expensive overall) and it is tapping into the current zeitgeist for electric vehicles. The "Roborace", whilst scorned by motorsport purists, also taps into the hype surrounding the potential future of self driving cars too.

In the case of the VW Group affiliated companies - i.e. Audi and Porsche - they are pivoting very aggressively towards electric vehicles in an effort to replace the negative headlines over the emissions scandals of recent years (Porsche have recently been ordered to recall cars - this announcement seems conveniently timed to distract from that news).

In particular, Porsche announced some time ago that they intend to have an electric car ready for sale by 2020, with plans for half of their sales to be electric cars by 2023. From their point of view, entering in 2019 is perfect for them to sell the line of "transferring technology from the track to the road" to make their car more alluring and create the positive headlines the group badly needs to repair its reputation.

With increasing public concern about vehicle emissions, the scandals over "cheat devices" and increased moves towards electrification, Formula E is very effective at selling just the right sort of public image that the manufacturers want to promote right now.

Furthermore, right now Formula E seems to be in a loop where, as more manufacturers pile in, it is creating more prestige for the series as more prominent and luxurious entrants come - first we had mass manufacturers like Renault and Citroen, and now we have more premium marques like Jaguar, Audi and Porsche (Marchionne has even flirted with the idea of bringing Ferrari to Formula E).

[madmark1974]

Looking at the coverage for this weekend and it's beyond pathetic.
5 are supposedly covering the Saturday race live though the Formula E website says it's a delayed 'as live' broadcast.

Unless I'm missing something it looks like they're not showing the final race of the season AT ALL

Looks like it might be on Spike (Channel 141 on my Freesat box) at 20:30, though the description does not make it very clear ...

[dr-baker]

Looking at the coverage for this weekend and it's beyond pathetic.
5 are supposedly covering the Saturday race live though the Formula E website says it's a delayed 'as live' broadcast.

Unless I'm missing something it looks like they're not showing the final race of the season AT ALL

Looks like it might be on Spike (Channel 141 on my Freesat box) at 20:30, though the description does not make it very clear ...

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Saves me having to scroll through the TV schedules to try and find them. Does appear to be shorter shows than we used to get on ITV4, "back in the day." 1 hour 40 instead of 2 hours 30. 7:30 pm start of TV coverage each day

[dinizintheoven]

While the shorter show does cut down on the amount of idle studio chatter, I will admit to being annoyed that the podium for the second New York race was never shown.

Seriously FIA, would you care to take a serious look at these jokers and move coverage to a channel that cares?

May I address the obvious elephant in the room: which "channel that cares" has pretty much unlimited room to show whatever sports they like, 24 hours a day, 365/6 days a year, and all for the low, low price of about £600 per year that lines the pockets of a CEO that just about everyone in the world detests with every fibre of their being?

Sure, Channel 5's coverage isn't of the standard as ITV4's was, but for the potential extra cost (one which previously prevented me from following A1GP at all) I'm not going to look this gift horse in the mouth, even though I already know it's an old nag.

[dr-baker]

Seriously FIA, would you care to take a serious look at these jokers and move coverage to a channel that cares?

May I address the obvious elephant in the room: which "channel that cares" has pretty much unlimited room to show whatever sports they like, 24 hours a day, 365/6 days a year, and all for the low, low price of about £600 per year that lines the pockets of a CEO that just about everyone in the world detests with every fibre of their being?

Sure, Channel 5's coverage isn't of the standard as ITV4's was, but for the potential extra cost (one which previously prevented me from following A1GP at all) I'm not going to look this gift horse in the mouth, even though I already know it's an old nag.

On that note, with all the publicity of Alonso got at the end of May, why doesn't that channel to which you refer also televise American F1? BT Sports do a good job, but it would be nice to have all the major single-seater championships in one place.

[Barbazza]

May I address the obvious elephant in the room: which "channel that cares" has pretty much unlimited room to show whatever sports they like, 24 hours a day, 365/6 days a year, and all for the low, low price of about £600 per year that lines the pockets of a CEO that just about everyone in the world detests with every fibre of their being?

Sure, Channel 5's coverage isn't of the standard as ITV4's was, but for the potential extra cost (one which previously prevented me from following A1GP at all) I'm not going to look this gift horse in the mouth, even though I already know it's an old nag.

If only Dave would go for it, I think they'd do a good job, and they have dabbled in sport in the past. I suppose it doesn't really suit the 'Top Gear' style viewer profile they have though. I guess you're right that not many others would bother, unless C4 go for it as a long-term replacement for F1. It just takes the piss to get to the last race of the season and go 'nah, we won't bother with that' when it's not as if 5 has lots of high quality drama / soap / something that might attract regular viewers that would have to get the push.

[dr-baker]

Back to the on-track action, and it was a good race. And I enjoyed seeing the camera remain on Buemi as he got out the car and walk down the pitlane after the race.

But of course, the coverage cuts just as the podium is about to take place. Not long after Bob Varsha says how each podium in FE is unique and special...

[dinizintheoven]

I think the same problem would lie with Dave broadcasting FE as with Channel 5 - budget. C5 has never been a big channel - it never gained much more than about 0.5% share of the audience that it had at launch, was passed around Dirty Des's Daily Express empire, and only now that it's in the hands of Viacom can it be bankrolled from the American side (which also explains why Spike is a subsidiary channel), but because we're now in an era when even those who only have Freeview have rather more than five channels to choose from, I can't see C5 being much more desirable for advertisers than it was in the early days. C5 have at least said they'll be covering season four so, despite the groans about the standard of their coverage (where we've just missed another podium ceremony at a time when there was no excuse for that because The Big Fight afterwards has been cancelled) then at least it's not vanishing behind a paywall. In a way it reminds me of the brief period we had coverage of GP2 on Setanta's short-lived UK operation - it started as the cars were lining up on the grid, and finished barely a few seconds after the winner had crossed the finish line, that's your lot, not even a studio, just the disembodied voices of the commentators. C5 is at least doing better than that.

Channel 4 is, potentially, a good suggestion; I was always surprised that they'd taken the F1 coverage because it doesn't suit the profile of the channel, which is essentially the TV version of the Guardian, and such a rampant display of fossil fuel burning (gasp!) and money-hungry capitalism (shriek!) is absolutely at odds with the vast majority of the rest of their content. Lovely, kind, caring, environmentally-friendly FE should be far more fitting in their schedules and will please the bigwigs behind the scenes - again, just so long as we don't drop any hints about how the cars are recharged between sessions, or that the drivers don't always hold hands and sing "Kum By Yah" with each other after the race, especially not a certain Mr S. Buemi.

As for today's race... this is how I saw "that incident". Buemi left the pits too early to get ahead of Abt, which may or may not have been an unsafe release. Buemi then braked, realising he'd be short of the minimum pit time otherwise. Abt touched him from behind and may have considered this a brake test. Clearly, and blatantly, and obviously, the only right and proper and fair decision the stewards could have made was to impose a 10-second stop-go penalty on Lewis Hamilton.

[dr-baker]

Clearly, and blatantly, and obviously, the only right and proper and fair decision the stewards could have made was to impose a 10-second stop-go penalty on Lewis Hamilton.

Nah, it's Kyvat who feels that he ought to pick up that penalty at the moment... (Although Vettel would agree with your logic!)

[dr-baker]

Turns out that Buemi has been DSQed from race 1 in Montreal. Not for his outburst after the race (FE have been sharing that over social media). Not for break-testing And on the pit exit. Not for an unsafe out release. Not for racing with a knowingly damaged car in the first half of the race. But for his second, rebuilt-in-haste car being a few kgs underweight!

[dinizintheoven]

Well, that'll do his blood pressure a pile of good.

Call me a cynic if you must, but is there someone behind the scenes who wants to ensure that we have a third different champion in three seasons? Whatever we all think of Seb's behaviour after the race, and I wasn't impressed, there's something about a driver winning six (or potentially seven) of the 12 races in the season and still losing the championship that doesn't sit right. I remember all the furore about Bernie's "medals" system in F1 that, if applied here, would have seen Seb wrap up the championship in Berlin, but if anything added fuel onto that fire, this is it. And all those endless, endless discussions about "worthy" and "unworthy" F1 champions will start raging here - although seeing as I get the distinct impression from every motorsport forum I've ever looked at (including, somewhat depressingly, this one), "British" equates to "unworthy" and "any other nationality" equals "worthy" and never the twain shall be confused - Lucas "I was robbed in the first two seasons" di Grassi will have little examination of the "worthiness" of his championship which now looks to be signed and sealed.

I think there needs to be an investigation into Fan Boost as well. The top two drivers have been given Fan Boost at every race they've competed in, and Daniel Abt has had it at eight races out of 11 so far. At the risk of repeating myself, call me a cynic if you must, but that looks like Renault e.dams and Abt Schaeffler (or possibly the whole of Renault and Audi) are getting all their employees to vote en masse and putting every other driver out of contention at the vast majority of races. That said, Nicolas Prost has never had a single Fan Boost in three seasons, and I wouldn't expect him to get one today either.

[Barbazza]

Turns out that Buemi has been DSQed from race 1 in Montreal. Not for his outburst after the race (FE have been sharing that over social media). Not for break-testing And on the pit exit. Not for an unsafe out release. Not for racing with a knowingly damaged car in the first half of the race. But for his second, rebuilt-in-haste car being a few kgs underweight!

Good! Given that the stewards said they were investigating the pit lane incidents with Abt and then....absolutely nothing happened. Buemi is the French speaking Lewis - brilliant when out in front, erratic and endlessly whinging when he has to actually overtake people and with a bad attitude as well.

[Barbazza]

....That said, Nicolas Prost has never had a single Fan Boost in three seasons, and I wouldn't expect him to get one today either.

I am amused by the fact that, in a series where it's quite difficult to do this, Prost has scored points in every race. Without ever looking remotely competitive mind you. I am slightly bored by him so is there a trophy that Nick Heidfeld can hand over for this achievement. Given what happened in the first ever FE race, I think this would be even more special.

[dr-baker]

And all those endless, endless discussions about "worthy" and "unworthy" F1 champions will start raging here - although seeing as I get the distinct impression from every motorsport forum I've ever looked at (including, somewhat depressingly, this one), "British" equates to "unworthy" and "any other nationality" equals "worthy" and never the twain shall be confused.

Not quite true. Villeneuve the Younger isn't British. (Although Canada is a part of the British Empire/Commonwealth.) And Rosberg is considered by many chaps to be a chump of a champ.

[girry]

Whilst it's true that it seems to be very much a British trait to lash it out at their own drivers (and sportsmen, in general) who don't win much, such as Palmer, Chilton and di Resta, even Eddie Irvine - probably because they get their fair share of the broadcast time? - however, I wouldn't quite agree with dinizintheoven's suggestion that the British champions are generally much underrated.

Yes, Lewis has to live with the "dominant car 2014-2016" asterisk - but then again, it was exactly the same if not worse for Vettel in the Red Bull. For example, I don't think Hill is generally rated below Villeneuve (although both are, in my opinion, unfairly rated as two of the "worst" champions), Button less than Kimi (this was not necessarily the case at time of JB's title, but after we've seen how their careers would later develop, I think people are questioning Kimi more and more, whilst JB's "title worthiness" is going up), Hunt less than Scheckter, or Mansell less than Piquet.

Stewart, Clark and Graham Hill I read nothing but critical acclaim of, and Surtees & Hawthorn...well, whilst they are not remembered as F1 legends, neither is a common feature of the *worst of* lists, either.

Sorry for off topic -- now, back to Formula E...

[mario]

Whilst it's true that it seems to be very much a British trait to lash it out at their own drivers (and sportsmen, in general) who don't win much, such as Palmer, Chilton and di Resta, even Eddie Irvine - probably because they get their fair share of the broadcast time? - however, I wouldn't quite agree with dinizintheoven's suggestion that the British champions are generally much underrated.

Yes, Lewis has to live with the "dominant car 2014-2016" asterisk - but then again, it was exactly the same if not worse for Vettel in the Red Bull. For example, I don't think Hill is generally rated below Villeneuve (although both are, in my opinion, unfairly rated as two of the "worst" champions), Button less than Kimi (this was not necessarily the case at time of JB's title, but after we've seen how their careers would later develop, I think people are questioning Kimi more and more, whilst JB's "title worthiness" is going up), Hunt less than Scheckter, or Mansell less than Piquet.

Stewart, Clark and Graham Hill I read nothing but critical acclaim of, and Surtees & Hawthorn...well, whilst they are not remembered as F1 legends, neither is a common feature of the *worst of* lists, either.

Sorry for off topic -- now, back to Formula E...

I wouldn't entirely agree with some of those suggestions - I do think that Piquet Sr is more often than not rated above Mansell. Mind you, Piquet Sr is often ranked moderately lowly - perhaps because, in part, many feel that he kind of lucked into titles (the first coming because of the infighting at Williams and the second coming when he was driving an illegal car - you can argue about the merits of the third title separately).

In the case of Button, I think that part of it is that people felt he was at least able to keep his team mates on their toes, and he was in a situation where he was allowed to compete against his team mate in the way that many feel that Kimi is not allowed to do so at Ferrari now.

With Kimi, some of the frustration and questioning seems to come from those who feel that he has lost that ability he had as a younger man - others, meanwhile, perhaps feel that Kimi has allowed himself to be treated as a second driver at the team and think that he is being constrained and unable, or unwilling, to show the sort of form that he did in previous years. With Button, at least people felt that he was giving it his best shot, and that he wanted to give it his best shot, whilst at the team (at least until his final year in F1) - I don't think that quite as many think that is the case for Kimi these days.

[Rob Dylan]

I pretty much stand by all the things I was saying in my earlier post. While I find Formula E very entertaining, I still think it's been a farce each season. Buemi lost the title this year after missing one weekend - and therefore two races - and getting disqualified for another two. So Lucas di Grassi won it almost entirely by default and a little fortune in Montreal that really gave him the title lots thought he's deserved for a few years now. But I'm not exactly on my feet in applause for his win. Because, well, I saw the race...

Formula E really needs to look at itself in the mirror. Honestly, whilst it continues to proclaim itself as a respectable independent racing series, its competitiveness has been fabricated by DSQs each season (and Buemi missing two races just doubling the farce). Fanboost is, as said earlier, utterly ridiculous when the same two drivers, already arguably the best two drivers on the grid, get an unfair advantage alongside their natural advantage over the rest of the field. The tracks are interchangeable for the most part. I mean, I'm ranting, but I feel like my complaints are just pointing out Formula E's structure. Damn, I enjoy it, but damn, it really bothers me when I actually think about how this is being promoted as the future of racing.

[AndreaModa]

Give me tracks that aren't laughable, cars that aren't gimmicky and don't fall apart at the smallest of contact and don't schedule it on Saturday and I might remember to watch it sometime.

[Ataxia]

Give me tracks that aren't laughable, cars that aren't gimmicky and don't fall apart at the smallest of contact and don't schedule it on Saturday and I might remember to watch it sometime.

I'm sure they'll cater to your every whim.

What we're talking about is a series in its third year. I mean, the Formula E guys have managed to prise Porsche and Mercedes out of more "illustrious" series, create a global product that cities all over the world want to be involved with, and build its profile.

Fine, it's not perfect. I think you have to appreciate FE for what it is, and understand how much of a challenge the series is. FanBoost...fine, it's contrived as hell and it's the same guys who receive the nominations for it every weekend, but it's completely inconsequential most of the time anyway!

Circuits are hit or miss, but the issue here is that you're judging them with "F1" eyes. This is going to sound like quite a lame excuse, but hear me out...

You know when someone says "oh, that circuit's better for bikes than cars"? It's a bit like that. It's also a bit like how NASCAR generally sticks to ovals 99% of the time.

Formula E circuits are developed for Formula E cars. For power regen, drivers have to drop the brake bias rearwards to harvest more, as well as through software mapping that creates an engine braking effect at the rear axle. So, you need those short, sharp corners to make that work. You couldn't get that effect if everyone was racing at somewhere like Donington. If you want FE to break into circuit racing...no, that won't happen.

It's a growing series. If you expect it to be flawless right now, then you're a fool; it's like expecting a three-year old child to be able to fly a plane, complete a full company audit or work a homicide case. We've come such a long way in the last three years, and it's only going to keep getting better.

[AndreaModa]

My post was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but you make good points.

It's true, they've done well to lure the manufacturers in. But it leaves the series massively exposed should any get cold feet. Look at the history of sports car racing. There's plenty of instances that prove to us that this model is not sustainable, including the current era of LMP1.

The problem I have with the circuits isn't from looking at it from an F1 perspective. I want to see the cars race on tracks that don't have farcical one-at-a-time sections and silly chicanes that just result in bodywork going everywhere when 20 cars try to fit through at the start of the race. By all means stick to street circuits but try and design them so the cars can actually, you know, race.

The bottom line for me is this - I don't have anything in particular against FE, but if they got the on-track product a bit better, then I might remember to watch it. The reality is the scheduling and coverage is so poor that I forget, and because I'm not hugely bothered by the whole thing, I don't really see it as a big deal. Make me care about it more, and I might remember to tune in.

[Ataxia]

My post was a bit tongue-in-cheek, but you make good points.

It's true, they've done well to lure the manufacturers in. But it leaves the series massively exposed should any get cold feet. Look at the history of sports car racing. There's plenty of instances that prove to us that this model is not sustainable, including the current era of LMP1.

Well, it's not been sustainable for F1 or for LMP1; the former was largely as a result of the global financial crisis and the latter as a result of dwindling competition and turning attention to other categories. What Formula E has in its corner is economic/political factors; Britain and France will ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars in 2040, as Germany look to do the same in the next 20 years.

Accelerating the performance of electric vehicles in that time should provide some semblance of manufacturer longevity as they don't wish to get left behind.

The problem I have with the circuits isn't from looking at it from an F1 perspective. I want to see the cars race on tracks that don't have farcical one-at-a-time sections and silly chicanes that just result in bodywork going everywhere when 20 cars try to fit through at the start of the race. By all means stick to street circuits but try and design them so the cars can actually, you know, race.

Again though, there's the factor of supplying enough areas for cars to regenerate/harvest electrical power from braking zones. The majority of circuits this year have been pretty open anyway - as I recall - and there's a nice collection of new venues next season which offer a bit more variation.

The bottom line for me is this - I don't have anything in particular against FE, but if they got the on-track product a bit better, then I might remember to watch it. The reality is the scheduling and coverage is so poor that I forget, and because I'm not hugely bothered by the whole thing, I don't really see it as a big deal. Make me care about it more, and I might remember to tune in.

In the UK, yeah, it's garbage. In China and the US (I think?) they've got pretty mega TV deals, and it'd be nice for the UK to have a better TV deal rather than have Channel 5 essentially wank on the live feed with their broom-cupboard studio and inconsistent live schedule. But it's better than being hidden behind a paywall.

Again though, it's a brand new series that's still finding its feet in many respects. Maybe if you made more effort to watch it, you'd find it's moved on a bit since Season 1...

[AndreaModa]

Maybe. I've caught it now and again - the Mexico race this season had a great finish to it, but I just can't get captivated by it. Not given up on it though.

[CoopsII]

Maybe. I've caught it now and again - the Mexico race this season had a great finish to it, but I just can't get captivated by it. Not given up on it though.

I'm the same, when I do watch it I enjoy it and get into it quite quickly but I've missed most of the races this season due to not knowing they were on. C5 might advertise it quite heavily but as I don't watch C5 (no, not even to watch Big Brother or Celebrity Autopsies. I know, right?) I'd never know it. I tend to find out either on here or on the rare occasion I'd check the FE website.

I do think a consistent calendar would help in the future so there's an awareness that it starts around this time of year and ends at this time of year and no mahoosive gaps between the races either. Or consistent gaps at least.

[watka]

Maybe. I've caught it now and again - the Mexico race this season had a great finish to it, but I just can't get captivated by it. Not given up on it though.

I'm the same, when I do watch it I enjoy it and get into it quite quickly but I've missed most of the races this season due to not knowing they were on. C5 might advertise it quite heavily but as I don't watch C5 (no, not even to watch Big Brother or Celebrity Autopsies. I know, right?) I'd never know it. I tend to find out either on here or on the rare occasion I'd check the FE website.

I do think a consistent calendar would help in the future so there's an awareness that it starts around this time of year and ends at this time of year and no mahoosive gaps between the races either. Or consistent gaps at least.

Did you ever watch Time Trumpet?

[madmark1974]

Di Grassi gets promoted!

https://www.jamesallenonf1.com/2017/09/formula-e-champion-lucas-di-grassi-becomes-ceo-of-autonomous-roborace-series/

Formula E champion and ex-Formula 1 driver Lucas di Grassi has joined driverless racing series Roborace as CEO. Di Grassi’s role was announced at the Frankfurt Motor Show (Sept. 13).

Wonder if he'll employ Piquet Jr. as a toilet-cleaner or something?