When Formula E’s third-generation car was unveiled at Monaco last summer, both the series and the FIA couldn’t have been more optimistic about the championship’s future.
Boasting the highest top speed ever for a Formula E car, the highest ever revving value, a power increase of over 130bhp and 100kb more torque than before. Championship.
With its unique, angular design and radical innovations such as rear hydraulic brakes, Formula E’s new car was supposed to push the envelope of electric motorsport and make racing better than ever. After all, the step up from the original Formula E car to the second-generation model in 2018 was huge, with the sport now able to run full race distances in one car instead of having to swap cars mid-race.
So what was the first impression of the third generation Formula E car after yesterday’s season opener in Mexico City, where Andretti’s Jake Dennis scored a stunning victory?
Naturally, no one should judge a new car or an entire series based on what happened at a single day’s race. This does not mean that there are no observations about this new era of the sport.
With so much more power, the first question to ask is simply ‘Are the Gen3 cars faster than their Gen2 counterparts?’ Unfortunately, it is difficult to judge Mexico City alone.
Due to concerns over braking problems discovered during testing, the FIA revised the layout of the Mexico City circuit for yesterday’s Prix, adding the medical center chicane previously used between the 2016 and 2018 race venues. But if we remove the middle sector, there are some interesting data to analyze.
Taking the three fastest total laps completed in yesterday’s event – all set during the qualifying race – removing the mid-sector times and comparing them to the three fastest laps set in the 2022 event, the results are striking.
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Faster Gen3 qualifying times compared to Gen2 times
PositionGenPowerDriverS1S3S1+3Diff1Gen2250kWPascal Wehrlein22.30321.47843.781–2Gen2250kWPascal Wehrlein22.35421.51343.8670.0863Gen3300kWJake Hughes22.23621.75943.9950.2144Gen3300kWJake Dennis22.46421.6244.0840.3035Gen2250kWAndre Lotterer22.52321.56244.0850.3046Gen3300kWJake Hughes22.44221.77644.2180.437
Factors such as wind and track temperature must be taken into account, which is not a direct comparison, but it is still interesting that the Gen3 cars are faster and a little slower than their predecessors only in the first and last sectors. Although it is 100 kg lighter and has a total power of more than 130 bhp.
Why not faster? In truth, there’s a laundry list of reasons why Gen3 cars aren’t as impressive as many expect them to be at this point. Of these, at least the most limited time teams and drivers are given to test and gain knowledge about the car. This was thanks in no small part to global supply issues, which meant teams got their hands on the new cars later than they had ideally thought. And while three days of testing may seem like a lot, the teams always want more distance, especially when they’re up against cars that are said to be faster than the cars they’ve been familiar with before.
Adding to the challenge are the new tires provided by Hancock – this is the first season the series has not used Michelin tyres. Drivers have struggled to get to grips with the new compounds, especially in the traction phase where they have to transfer all that extra power to the road.
“It’s very easy to make a mistake with these tyres,” Andretti’s Andre Lotterer said after a mistake in his semi-final against Lucas di Grassi.
“Holding is not the same as what we are used to. To get the limit, to be in the right window – no more apologies.
There is a general lack of mechanicals with the new car and drivers are struggling with the balance of their machines. Neo’s Dan Ticktum described the new Gen3 car as “a very difficult car to drive overall”.
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There are some additional safety concerns following a series of incidents when testing with the new car. The removal of mechanical rear brakes is not as radical as it seems – the cars did not need to start due to the regenerative braking feature – but at least three accidents during testing caused cars to fail to stop following the emergency braking system that will be introduced for the next two races in Daria to the FIA.
As a precaution, the middle sector chicane has been re-added to the circuit layout. But Jaguars’ Mitch Evans suffered a crash at the end of the opening practice session on Friday evening as he entered the stadium section after a chicane, later being ruled “non-productive”. While Robin Fridgens broke his wrist in a crash on the opening lap of the race, that had nothing to do with the car and everything to do with the opening lap chaos that routinely occurs at the start of a Formula E race.
As for the race itself, the opening course used a Gen3 racing style similar to the flavor fans are used to in previous seasons. Three separate safety car periods didn’t help the drivers get into an early rhythm, but while the addition of five extra laps at the end of the race may have put some stress on the power allowance, all drivers still avoided a scary race running at the checkered flag. To exceed the total power limit.
A tense multi-lap battle on the final podium gave spectators plenty to do as Dennis built up a gap of more than seven seconds by the end of the race. And judging by their response to the race, it seems that RaceFans readers enjoyed the first race of the Gen3.
Now, it’s important to note that the Formula E Gen3 cars are definitely slower. Especially compared to the shocks of the Gen2 era, which were fully optimized by teams and drivers for the final season in 2022. Just as Formula 1’s new ground-effect cars are rapidly improving for the 2022 season, don’t be surprised if Formula 1’s pace is surprising. For the rest of 2023, drivers and teams will play E racing in earnest after they get out on their new cars and tires.
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