5 things to look out for in Formula E Season 7
2021 marks the seventh season of Formula E competition and since its first race at Beijing in 2014, the series has gone from strength to strength and now boasts guaranteed fast and furious wheel-to-wheel action and a grid of world class drivers and household name manufacturers.
As has been the case with pretty much every global sport, Formula E suffered from the impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic. In March 2020 Season 6 was brought to a halt due to the spread of the virus and managed to resume, without fans present, and complete the season in frantic and improvised fashion in August with six races run in nine days at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit, Berlin.
Techeetah’s António Félix da Costa was crowned champion for the first time, and he will be one of the favourites as the new season kicks off on the 26th of February in Saudi Arabia for a desert double header under the lights.
As well as da Costa’s fight to reclaim his crown, here are five key things to look out for as Formula E whizzes back into action...
Can Bird break his duck with Jaguar?
Sam Bird has made the switch to Jaguar Racing after six seasons with Virgin Racing and nine E Prix victories which puts the British racer third in the list of drivers with the most wins. For Bird however, that elusive maiden championship crown is still out of reach.
During his time with Virgin, Bird managed a third place finish in the overall championship standings at the end of the 2017-18 season, and a couple of inconsistent campaigns have left the 2015 LMP2 champion hungrier than ever to claim his and his new employer’s first Formula E silverware.
First ever night time races for Formula E
The 2020-21 Formula E season will get underway with not one but two races over the weekend of the 26/27 February, and on top of that the cars will do battle in the dark as Saudi Arabia plays host to Formula E's first night races.
Amid historic surrounds of Diriyah the nocturnal brace of races will be a vital quick fire way for teams and drivers to bag points and get their championship aspirations off to a strong start. Last season, before the Covid-19 pandemic brought a premature halt to proceedings Sam Bird won for Envision Virgin Racing in the Saudi desert with compatriot Alexander Sims, then with BMW i Andretti Motorsport, following up with victory in Round two.
Alex vs Alex at Mahindra
It’s an all-British, all-Alex lineup at Mahindra Racing for the seventh season of Formula E racing. Alex Lynn starts his second season with the Anglo-Indian team joined by Alexander Sims, who replaces Belgian driver Jérôme d'Ambrosio, and the London-born duo will be looking to revive the fortunes of Mahindra who had a rather anonymous season in 2019-20 - the highlight proving to be a fourth place finish for Pascal Wehrlein in Uruguay.
Both drivers boast a varied CV spanning Formula Renault, Formula 3, GT racing, GP2, World Endurance Championship, Formula One test roles and a turn at the illustrious 24 Hours of Le Mans and Simms will look to add to his solitary Formula E race victory, whereas his younger team-mate will be keen to score his first E Prix, as well becoming the top Alex at Mahindra in what is, on paper at least, one of the strongest driver line-ups.
First E Prix on a permanent circuit
For the first time in its history, Formula E will be leaving the city and getting out into the countryside as the 24 drivers will battle it out in April on a permanent racing facility, in the shape of the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, just a 30 minute drive from the Spanish city of Valencia.
The circuit has long served up classic MotoGP races, and the challenging, technical circuit features a series of tight corners and short straights, and will be familiar to the drivers as it was the venue for intensive pre-season testing at the end of 2020. BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s Maximilian Guenther topped the timesheets in testing with the entire field covered by just eight tenths of a second. Will things be as close on race day and who will be Formula E's first-ever winner in Spain?
The ongoing battle with the pandemic
All forms of motorsport are still navigating the choppy waters of the Covid-19 pandemic and arranging logistical and scheduling necessities around extremely challenging conditions in almost every country on the planet.
However, the FIA has confirmed that eight rounds in six locations are confirmed between late February and June including Formula E's first race on a permanent race circuit to take place at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, the return to the calendar of the Marrakesh ePrix, with a further six provisional dates including trips to Berlin, London, Seoul and New York.
Fingers crossed that the increasing roll out of worldwide vaccines can halt the terrible effects of the pandemic and the seventh season of Formula E racing can progress relatively unabated with maybe, just maybe, the presence of fans returning to races sooner rather than later.
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