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76 Porsche in Formula E
ABOVE Jani and Lotterer stand alongside the 99X
electric race car, Porsche’s first single seat race car
since the American CART series in the early ’90s
which, while not sustained, may be useful for a pass
or to hold off an ‘attack’, a word Formula E seems to
really like.
ATTACK MODE, capitalised on the FIA website
for emphasis, allows drivers to collect an extra 35kW
of power, which must be obtained by driving off the
racing line and through a designated Activation Zone.
The short-term loss, teams hope, will then result in
long-term gain, as the cars’ maximum power output
of 250kW can be realised “for a few laps”. The 250kW
maximum power, by the way, translates to 335hp, and
the FIA’s sanctioned top speed is 174mph.
The details of ATTACK MODE – such as the
number of uses, duration and minimum amount of
times it can be used – are revealed by the FIA just
an hour before the race, placing more emphasis on
race strategy for drivers and teams than in traditional
Formula races, where they have weeks and months
to prepare. At this point, it would be fair to ask how
all of this can be tracked live. Well, fans need to look
no further than the Halo protector system around the
driver’s helmet, which will glow blue when a car is in
ATTACK MODE and magenta when a driver has used
their FanBoost.
These boosts can be activated only in races, which
follow two free practice sessions and a qualifying
session that splits drivers into four groups based
on reverse championship standings. The six fastest
drivers from these sessions then head to the Super
Pole Shootout where, one-by-one, they aim to set the
fastest time to determine the top six grid positions.
The race itself, known as an E-Prix, lasts for 45
minutes and one lap – that last part being important.
Once the 45 minutes are up and the leader has
crossed the finish line, there is one final lap of racing
before the positions are finalised. With no formal
race length – cars are trying to go as far and as fast as
they can in the allotted time, essentially – each team
must complete the same number of laps as the lead
driver, creating a format that, Formula E hopes, places
an emphasis not only on making its car go faster, but
also a focus on superior battery management.
As with other race formats, a sliding scale of
points from 25 down to 1 are presented to the top ten
“Formula E falls within the company’s
motorsport realignment to keep in
check with its Porsche Strategy 2025”
finishers. The driver (or drivers) who set the fastest
laps in qualifying and the race get an additional point;
whoever’s on pole from the shootout also gets an
extra three.
This season, DS Techeetah, which won both the
team and drivers’ titles last year, and which has
retained the services of its champion, Jean-Eric
Vergne, remains the team to beat. But with all of
Germany’s premium brands now competing, not to
mention Mercedes and Porsche drivers picking up
podiums in their first races in the sport, competition
is even more fierce.
When the sport first began, sceptics turned up
their noses at what they saw as a potential fad. But
since the earliest days of automobiles, manufacturers
have used motor racing as testing grounds for
technologies that then filtered into other vehicles.
Since 2011’s Parisian deal, electric vehicles have only
become more prevalent in the discussions related to
the future of road users (try Googling ‘Cybertruck’
mentions over the last few months and see where
that gets you).
For Porsche, Formula E falls within the company’s
motorsport realignment to keep in check with its
Porsche Strategy 2025, which is to shape the future
of the sports car. Under this plan, the company’s
Mission E has already seen what was a concept car
go on to become the recently released Taycan, the
company’s first all-electric vehicle, which features
similar 800-volt technology as the 99X. More fully
electric sports cars are being developed, Porsche
says, and with the company not competing in a
six-figure ubercar field (yet), it’s hoped by fans that
Formula E advancements may result in an heir to the
918 hybrid – perhaps even a pure electric version.
The old adage goes something like, “Win on
Sunday, sell on Monday”. But in a sport that has
increased its attendance, television viewership,
popularity amongst teens and revenue, yet still holds
a much smaller percentage of the race market than
the all-glam, petrol-powered approach of Formula 1 –
not to mention its fierce manufacturer and driver
loyalists – perhaps that needs to be tweaked a little
for Porsche and its Formula E intentions. “Develop it
on Sunday,” perhaps? “Sell it in 2025.”