Secret tests completed for Formula E's all-new Gen3 tyres - The Race


Hankook has started doing initial exploratory testing of its first Formula E rubber that will debut at the end of next year on the Gen3 car.

The Race can reveal that tests have been carried out in Europe in recent weeks using an old GP2 car to evaluate the first iteration of all-weather tyre.

Hankook’s debut in Formula E for the 2022/23 season will be the first time in a decade that anything other than a Michelin tyre has been used on a Formula E car.

The Korean company won the tender to supply Formula E last July, beating Michelin, which was initially expected to confirm a third deal as the official tyre supplier.

Hankook is working on a major programme to further evidence its sustainable credentials. Last year it was awarded a Platinum status by EcoVadis for its CSR commitment, and it is one of only three tyre manufacturers listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World.

The test was organised with Spark Racing Technologies (SRT) with a ‘neutral’ driver that had no manufacturer affiliations used.

SRT has often used drivers such as former Bentley GT3 driver Antoine Leclerc, ex-Audi DTM driver Adrien Tambay and the ultra-experienced Emmanuel Collard for tests over recent years, while Michelin often used Frederic Makowiekci before Porsche entered the championship in 2019.

Hankook submitted an all-weather design to the FIA 16-months ago to the official FIA tender which specified rubber for the “lowest rolling resistance, less tyre wear and optimum handling of the car in all weather conditions”.

The tyres have to endure the maximum power levels outlined by the FIA for Gen3 and include wear which allows for just “two new rear and two new front all-weather tyres of the same specification per race”.

Tyre modifications “such as cutting, grooving, scrubbing-in, the application of solvents or softeners, as well as the fitting of heat retaining devices or preheating” are prohibited.

Drivers have already raised concerns on the scant number of tyres for Gen3, with double champion Jean-Eric Vergne telling The Race that he is “not looking forward” to the new for 2022/23 allocation plans as they stand.

“I don’t know why we have this rule to be honest,” said Vergne.

“Talking about this one, it’s quite difficult because sometimes you can get unlucky have a puncture in the shakedown, for example, nothing to do with you, so it’s a bit of a lottery.”

Diriyah E-Prix victor Sam Bird said: “We need to see what that’s like but certainly if you do have any contact with the wall or you have a puncture, your day can be very easily compromised.”

New NIO333 partnership hints at long-term Formula E plans - The Race

The NIO333 team has given a hint that it will continue to race in the ABB Formula E Championship beyond the 2021-22 season after announcing a new technical partnership with China-based company GUSTO Group.

Although it hasn’t confirmed if it will continue to be a manufacturer in the world championship, it does intend to race beyond the final Gen 2 season which is scheduled to begin at the end of this year.

The NIO333 team was taken over by the Lisheng Racing Company, which in turn utilised a brand called Brilliance in Excellence (BIE) to manage the whole operation in the late summer of 2019.

It was headed on a day-to-day basis by both Vincent Wang, while GUSTO Group founder Alex Hui heads up the technical and operations running of the team alongside team principal Christian Silk.

Through the GUSTO Engineering technical division of the GUSTO Group, NIO333 has undergone a re-structure with Hui now the executive director of the NIO333 team.

Today’s announcement is believed to be a precursor to a future communication on its future status either as a manufacturer or more likely as a customer team to a manufacturer.

It is known not to have yet registered as a manufacturer but unlike Mercedes and Jaguar is not expected to even beyond yesterday’s notional deadline.

It has recently confirmed that it has a technical partnership with the Integral Powertrain tech EV engineering company which has also worked with Nissan e.dams and Dragon.

“When Li Sheng Racing (LSR) took over the team, I was asked to execute the operational and technical due diligence for the newly created Brilliant In Excellence UK (BIE UK Ltd) company that would manage the Formula E operation,” commented Hui.

“My focus at the moment is to bring my contacts into the FE programme, identify the problems previously faced by the team and try to allocate resources in better places in terms of team building, hardware, powertrain investment and so on.

“I don’t manage the team on a day to day basis, that is up to my UK colleagues, but I am responsible for the technical strategy. I am constantly speaking to the engineers to understand what they need to drive the team forward,” Hui added.

The GUSTO name is well-known in R&D, installation, production and after-sales support of motor racing accessories in China.

In 2014, became the official chassis and engine supplier of the China Touring Car Championship and it also announced close ties with the now-defunct Volkswagen Motorsport programme in 2016.

It has since diversified its services and expertise to not only include public production vehicle performance upgrades, but also professional motor racing R&D and large-scale racing event services across Asia.

The group’s technological leadership and continuous strive for innovation allow it to maintain the highest standards in product development, customer experience service and build a leading domestic racing car R&D industry chain enterprise.

Formula E now set to use full Monaco GP F1 layout after all - The Race

Formula E will use the full Monaco Grand Prix circuit next month after protracted negotiations over precisely which configuration the fourth Monaco E-Prix would be held on were resolved.

The track that will be used for the May 7 race is understood not to feature any route modifications to change the length of the circuit significantly.

It is believed that at one point these were being insisted upon by the FIA to ensure no direct or accurate comparisons could be made with F1.

The Race detailed last month some of the areas it was believed the Formula E, the FIA and the Automobile Club de Monaco were looking at.

One of these was suggested to have been an additional loop around the Portier section of the track but this has been discounted.

With very few other areas unable to be sufficiently modified it has been decided to largely use the same configuration of the classic 2.074-mile track, although some subtle reprofiling of Saint Devote, the harbourside chicane and the final Anthony Nogues corner could still theoretically be implemented for next month’s race.

The majority of the Monaco circuit was resurfaced last week and it is understood that the attack zone area for the E-Prix is initially planned to be located at the Grand Hotel corner, which was formerly known as the Loews hairpin.

This has been especially broadened for where drivers are expected to activate their boost as they drive over special transponders.

Formula E has previously stuck to a short version of the Monaco circuit using a tight corner at Saint Devote onto a lead road through to the F1 escape road at the chicane. A hairpin then fed back on to the short straight before the Tabac right-hander.

Sebastien Buemi told The Race earlier this year that he believed any comparisons between Formula E and F1’s outright pace is now superfluous to the broader challenges and messaging of the new world championship.

“It’s nice to show improvement, so that next time you go there you will be quicker in the Gen3 car [in 2023],” he said.

“Today Formula 1 is faster than it’s ever been. But is the show actually much better than it’s ever been?

“I don’t know. I don’t think the show is necessarily related to the speed of the car.

“Of course, you want the cars to be faster, but is it really a must? I don’t know.

“I think that what you want to see is a nice, interesting race.”

An FIA spokesperson told The Race that the track “will be revealed in due course to teams according to the usual process.”

This is usually two weeks before the event although the recent Valencia configuration was issued to teams with three weeks to spare.
Marrakesh race now unlikely

As suggested by The Race last month, Formula E is set to lose its planned Marrakesh race which is scheduled for May 22.

Deputy CEO and co-founder of Formula E Alberto Longo told The Race that Marrakesh “at the moment is not looking good”.

This is because Morocco is planning to tighten restrictions in the country from next Tuesday onwards when the holy month of Ramadan begins.

Morocco has reported more than 499,000 COVID-19 infections with 8865 deaths but is considered to be one of the most dynamic vaccination countries on the African continent presently.

8.3 million doses of vaccine for a population of 36 million people have been administered since vaccinations began in January, according to national statistics.

“Probably we will end up not going there in May because of COVID,” said Longo.

“The race was planned to be right after Ramadan, and there are going to be some [additional] measures imposed by the government, which are going to strengthen [the restrictions].

“They have asked us to reconsider and maybe to re-formulate at this stage.”

Jaguar signs up for Formula E's Gen3 era - The Race

Jaguar has registered with the FIA as a manufacturer for Formula E’s new Gen 3 rules era, which will begin at the end of 2022.

The decision means all bar Mercedes, BMW and Audi of the present grid of FE manufacturers has signed up for the new rules, which will mean faster and lighter cars competing in races that will use fast charging infrastructure.

The Race revealed last week that Mercedes is yet to sign up as a manufacturer and has thus missed last week’s technical working group meeting where initial CAD data of the new rules was made available from key suppliers Williams Advanced Engineering, Spark Racing Technologies and new tyre provider Hankook.

Jaguar’s signature for the new rules was confirmed to The Race by team principal James Barclay, who described the milestone as “good to be focused on moving forward.”

“At this point in time, we’re not ready to announce the wider plan, and that’s partly because we’ve only in recent terms, in February, actually announced our ‘Reimagine’ strategy,” Barclay told The Race.

“So while we’re doing that, we also need to finalise the wider details, what that strategy actually means, and importantly our future motorsport plans and how they will play a role in that.

“That will come at a later point, so we can’t say too much for now.

“But it’s good to be focused on moving forward with our development of the Gen3 car, and obviously time is of the essence to be on track with that.

“Getting CAD data, being able to to start to work out your packaging on the new car, how it’s going to be different to this current car, how different is the packaging requirements and does that require a rethink in some areas, all that is actually really kind of critical.

“As always time is of the essence and trying to catch back on that can be very difficult.”

A long-term future in Formula E is now likely for Jaguar Racing so it can follow Jaguar’s recently announced new strategy centred on exclusively making electric road vehicles.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) unveiled the programme, which is to be known as the ‘Reimagine strategy’ in February when it emphasised a “true sustainability” message for all future Jaguar models.

Jaguar joined Formula E in December 2015 after purchasing the licence vacated by the Trulli team, which ceased competing after the first two rounds of the 2015/16 campaign.

It made its debut at the inaugural Hong Kong E-Prix in 2016 and went on to secure its first points at the 2017 Mexico City E-Prix.

It then claimed a first pole at the 2018 Zurich race before scoring the first of its three wins with Mitch Evans at the 2019 Rome E-Prix.

Penske Autosport and NIO333 are believed to have also attended last week’s TWG meeting, meaning that of the current teams that might participate in the Gen3 era only Mercedes was not given an invitation.

Audi and BMW have already announced they will be pulling out of Formula E before Gen3 begins.

Formula E and FIA reveal full calendar for 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship

The Season 7 calendar is set to host more races than ever before in a single season, comprising of 15 races in eight cities, covering three continents.

The final set of races to be announced starts with a new location for the all-electric racing series, with the Puebla E-Prix in Mexico on June 19 & 20. The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has moved location from the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City which has previously hosted five Formula E races, because the circuit is still a temporary field hospital.

New York City will play host to Rounds 10 & 11 of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with the all-electric Gen2 cars racing in Red Hook, Brooklyn, set against the Manhattan skyline on July 10 & 11.

Formula E then returns to Europe for the London E-Prix using a unique indoor/outdoor track at the ExCeL London on July 24 & 25 for a double-header event, before heading to Berlin for the season finale double-header on August 14 & 15.

The Marrakesh E-Prix and Santiago E-Prix, scheduled for May 22 and June 5 & 6 respectively, have been removed from the calendar this season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Events in Santiago, Sanya and Seoul will be rescheduled for Season 8, with fans in attendance.

Formula E will continue to monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and is in constant communication with its community of teams, manufacturers, partners, broadcasters and host cities.

All calendar updates depend on travel restrictions, as well as local government protocols and are subject to FIA approval.

Alberto Longo, Co-Founder and Chief Championship Officer of Formula E, said: “It’s a massive achievement by all to release the full calendar for this season. The calendar includes the most races we’ve held in one season and shows our continued commitment to create a momentum-building schedule that fans and audiences across the world will follow.

"Four double-header events in Puebla, New York City, London and Berlin are going to set the scene perfectly to crown Formula E’s first official FIA World Champion.”

FE planira napraviti Konkord Sporazum po uzoru na F1, što možda može biti dobro za nas u smislu konzistetnosti mjesta gde ćemo pratiti utrke ali isto tako se gotovo sigurno ukidaju službeni strimovi na društvenim mrežama.