enews FOR THE FIRST TIME BUEMI AND DA COSTA STORM TO VICTORY 26-page special Formula E goes South America

Transcription

1 January nd volume Number 002 enews FOR THE FIRST TIME BUEMI AND DA COSTA STORM TO VICTORY 26-page special Formula E goes South America The big Formula E Social Media Analysis Pros and Cons: Minimum pit stop time Energy Recovery in Formula E Formula E testing in Uruguay GET CHARGED! How Qualcomm revolutionises our understanding of battery charging

2 Editorial BLANK PAGES - LET S WRITE SOME GOOD ONES Happy new year everyone! Half of January is already gone and 2015 does not feel very new to me anymore but yet I am still highly motivated is going to be a great year, at least I am convinced of this. So you can see that my early year s optimisn still hasn t passed. enews release dates enews enews enews Miami eprix Long Beach eprix enews The Big European Special enews Monte Carlo eprix Berlin eprix enews London eprix enews The Big Formula E Season Review is the year when Formula E finally makes its way to Europe and to e-racing.net s and my hometown - Berlin. We seriously cannot wait to have the electrifying Formula E buzz over here and thanks to our high-running motivation we will present you with a content-packed Europe Special edition of enews which will be released in time for the Monte Carlo eprix. But the European Special is not the only suprise we have in store for you. When we are all still drying our tears about the first Formula E season of all time ending, we will give you the amazing oppertunity to travel back in time and experience it all again - in our big Formula E season review A small secret shall be uncovered already: you can look forward to more than 100 pages. Isn t this quite something? Until then we will keep you updated on the action with our monthly issues of enews which will be released on the 2nd Friday of every month from now on, following some schedule problems with some of the races. This time we take you back to Punta del Este and Buenos Aires, the two South American Formula E rounds. Furthermore we will have a look at Formula E s founding partner Qualcomm and their technology. Also included in this issue is the first part of our big Social Media analysis which evaluates the team s activity on twitter, facebook and co. The first part focuses on Buenos Aires eprix-winning team Amlin Aguri and Andretti Formula E. This and much more will hopefully keep you entertained until enews 003 is out. Let s rock this year together, The 2015 Berlin eprix - we cannot wait! Edition notice Editors Antonia Grzelak, Laurence Thorn, Renate Jungert, Topher Smith, Bethonie Waring, Stefan Ruitenberg, Shaun Snape Editor-in-chief Antonia Grzelak Layout Antonia Grzelak, Laurence Thorn Photos FIA Formula E Media, Qualcomm Copyright All rights reserved. No part of this epaper may be reproduced, copied, modified or adapted, without the prior written consent of the author, unless otherwise indicated for stand-alone materials.

3 08 02 Contents Column 03 CONTENTS 03 Column 04 SPECIAL 06 Punta del Este race report 10 Punta del Este driver ratings 14 Punta del Este eprix in tweets 15 Results Punta del Este eprix 16 Punta del Este test 18 Buenos Aires race report 22 Buenos Aires driver ratings 26 Buenos Aires eprix in tweets 27 Results Buenos Aires eprix 28 Championship Standings 30 Get charged: Qualcomm 34 Tech Corner: Energy Recovery 36 Pros & Cons: Minimum pit stop time 37 The Social Media Analysis 40 The impact of Formula E on SUFST 41 The Formula E App review 42 Formula E and sustainability 43 Sparking the next month To write or not to write? The first ERN column In which you will find a bit of rambling about myself, and a lot of rambling about the fine points of how to write a column and what to write about. (In other words, here is your preview for our latest feature.) So, here we are, this is your second-in-command speaking. The name is Jungert, Renate Jungert, and as deputy editor-in-chief of ERN I have received the glorious, glamourous task of writing a wonderful column about the curiosities of our favourite Formula E to keep you, our dearest readers, entertained. Or something like that, anyway. All jokes aside, this column-writing thing proves to be tricky when you do it for the very first time. It sure sounds easy enough in theory. You write, you try to be witty and funny and entertaining. Emphasis on trying. Or hoping and praying in my case, because my sense of humour is made entirely of sarcasm, self-deprecation, and bad internet memes. Anyway hopefully you re writing away merrily, and the scary blank page staring back at you from your computer screen will have disappeared soon. So much for theory. In practice however, you ll encounter a stumbling block of considerable size right at the beginning Namely, the question of all questions: What do you actually write about? That age-old trick of writing about what to write works only once, sadly. So, let s have a look at the electrifying eccentrics of our favourite Formula E series. We had many controversial curiosities since the beginning of the season: the Fanboost has split up the fanbase and caused a lot of debate amongst generally everyone involved or watching. The Sound of E was something to get used to for everyone coming in from Formula 1 (though the new ear-friendly V6 turbo engines might have made the transition slightly easier). The safety car is such a regular guest on track, we might just start writing about its adventures. We ve got sweet social media banter to keep track of, and the occasional technical teething problem and electric gremlin to comment on Long story short, we are well-provided with weapons for a victory over the evil blank page. And if there is anything else you wish to see featured in the ERN column, write me an at r.jungert@e-racing.net, the arsenal can t get big enough! Yours, Renate

4 04 South AMERICAN SPECIAL SOUTH AMERICAN SPECIAL 05 FORMULA E GOES SOUTH AMERICA Our enews 002 special focuses on races on Punta del Este and Buenos Aires. We take you back to the action and Sebastien Buemi and Antonio Felix da Costa s first wins in the series, making it four different winners in four races. Also, we will have a closer look at the Formula E test in Punta del Este, following the breathtaking eprix in Uruguay.

5 06 Punta del este Punta del este 07 Sebastien Buemi celebrates his victory Sebastien Buemi takes his first victory while Lucas di Grassi increases championship lead The third time is the charm: After two difficult weekends for the French team, e.dams-renault won the Punta del Este eprix with Sebastien Buemi. Nelson Piquet Jr. (China Racing) experienced an eventful race and crossed the finish line in P2 while championship leader Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT) secured his third podium position in a row as he took P3. Editor Antonia Grzelak Photo credit FIA Formula E Media 25 C, sunshine and the beach Formula E hosting city Punta del Este in Uruguay definitely made an impression on the series fans with its stunning scenery and the challenging track. The fantastic location, the previous thrillers in Beijing and Putrajaya and the uniquely talented starting grid granted Formula E an early Christmas present as the eprix was completely sold out. Furthermore he starting grid held a lot of excitement as Formula E newbie Jean-Eric Vergne (Andretti Formula E) took poleposition earlier in the day. China Racing s Nelson Piquet Jr. and the pole-setter from the previous rounds Nicolas Prost (e.dams- Renault) followed the Frenchman. Once again, Mahindra Racing driver Bruno Senna was not able to shake off his bad luck and after qualifying P8, the Brazilian was downgraded to P20 as his team worked at the car less than five minutes before the start of qualifying. He joined an illustrious pack at the back as Jerome d Ambrosio (Dragon Racing), Sam Bird (Virgin Racing) and Matthew Brabham (Andretti Formula E) all were not able to set a lap time in qualifying and had to start from the back. Just a few minutes ahead of the third race of the season, the three lucky Fan- Boost winders were announced: This time it would be Vergne, Salvador Duran and Nick Heidfeld who would be able to use the extra boost to their advantage. When the lights went out it was Piquet Jr. who took the lead after an impressive start while polesitter Vergne struggled a bit and had to line up behind the Brazilian. The duo was followed by the e.dams-renault pair Buemi and Prost with Venturi s Nick Heidfeld right behind. Going into the first corner it looked like championship leader Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT) might take fourth place yet the Brazilian had to cut back and was right behind Jaime Alguersuari (Virgin Racing) at the end of lap one. The battle for sixth position was entertaining the spectators for quite a while as the Spaniard and di Grassi showed amazing wheel-to-wheel racing but it was di Grassi s teammate Daniel Abt who was the centre of attention: The talented young German once again suffered from technical issues that caused him to drop back through the field. Again it seemed unlikely for Abt to score any points so he tried to secure the fastest lap of the race to leave Punta del Este with two championship points. In front of the field Vergne was pressuring Piquet Jr. but the Once again the drivers showed close racing from the beginning

6 08 Punta del este Punta del este 09 Frenchman s hunt for the leader found a sudden end in lap four as Virgin Racing driver Sam Bird caused the first Safety Car phase of the race. The Putrajaya race winner made a driving error and hit the kerbs, which forced him into the wall. With his car completely damaged, Bird had to retire from the race and was highly disappointed with his own performance. Clearly benefiting from the Safety Car was rookie Vergne who already used more energy than his competitors by this point. With the Safety Car on track he could save some of his battery life yet remain close to race leader Piquet Jr. However the Andretti driver was not able to pass the Brazilian in front. Thanks to the intense battle for the lead Buemi was able to catch up on the leading pair and was putting pressure on the Frenchman ahead. While Vergne complained about not being able to use his FanBoost, Antonio Felix da Costa (Amlin Aguri) caused the second Safety Car phase: The Portugese hit the wall and stopped on track afterwards. Frenchman s hunt for the leader found a sudden end in lap four as Virgin Racing driver Sam Bird caused the first Safety Car phase of the race. The Putrajaya race winner made a driving error and hit the kerbs, which forced him into the wall. With his car completely damaged, Bird had to retire from the race and was highly disappointed with his own performance. Clearly benefiting from the Safety Car was rookie Vergne who already used more energy than his competitors by this point. With the Safety Car on track he could save some of his battery life yet remain close to race leader Piquet Jr. However the Andretti driver was not able to pass the Brazilian in front. Thanks to the intense battle for the lead Buemi was able to catch up on the leading pair and was Sam Bird caused the first Safety Car Lucas di Grassi kept his lead Amlin Aguristruggled in Uruguay Jean-Eric Vergne impressed putting pressure on the Frenchman ahead. While Vergne complained about not being able to use his FanBoost, Antonio Felix da Costa (Amlin Aguri) caused the second Safety Car phase: The Portugese hit the wall and stopped on track afterwards. The Safety Car came in in lap eleven but the restart did not chance to current drivers positions. Yet a few moments later, Vergne finally managed to get passed Piquet Jr. who started to really struggle as Buemi was also making a move on the China Racing driver. By this point on of the most impressive performances came from the second Andretti driver Matthew Matty Brabham. After problems and hitting the wall in the earlier session, he had to start the race from P19 and with about half the race distance covered was driving in a striking seventh place. However the Australian-American was nearly taken out by Stephane Sarrazin who like before in Free Practice spun after hitting the kerbs and nearly hit Brabham and Mahindra Racing s Bruno Senna. Senna as well as Brabham had shown a fantastic performance so far but hit the wall following Sarrazin s incident. Luckily for the Brazilian he could get into his second car just a few moments later during the mandatory pit stop. With Sarrazin s car stranded on track, the Safety Car made his way onto the track for the third time, which many drivers took as a welcome invitation to change their cars. Surprisingly it was Heidfeld who came out in the lead after all the drivers were back on track in their second cars. The German did not lead for long though as he used more than the maximum power and therefore had to serve a drive through penalty. As a result, Buemi took the lead ahead of Vergne who managed to stay in front of Piquet Jr. after cutting the chicane. When the Safety Car in again just a lap later the Formula E penalty-fest started: After Heidfeld had already received a penalty for using more than the maximum power, e.dams-renault driver Nicolas Prost got a drive through penalty for the same infringement. A few minutes later another drive through penalty was handed to Michela Cerruti (Trulli Formula E) for exceeding the pit lane speed limit. It was a sad end to a truly fabulous performance by the Italian who started P16 and was fighting for P10 when she received her drive through. With one penalty already served, Heidfeld was told once again to drive through the pit lane as the German did not respect the minimum pit stop time of 64 seconds. But Heidfeld was not the only driver who obviously could not wait long enough to get back on track as d Ambrosio received a drive through penalty for the The drivers and fans were stunned by the amazing scenery same reason. While the penalties were handed out and served, Vergne was still battling Buemi for the lead and whether the Frenchman could win quickly became a question of battery. Vergne already came close to the battery s energy limit in his first stint and the second stint was no different. Behind the leading duo, championship leader Lucas di Grassi was putting Piquet Jr. under pressure and once again it looked like the Brazilian might be one of the podium guests. Veteran Jarno Trulli was in P5 with just a few minutes to go and like in good old Formula 1 days the Italian could hold all his competitors right behind him. With the Trulli train holding up Matty Brabham most of all, the Andretti driver made a move on the Italian but lost control over his car and crashed into the wall. Therefore Brabham s race was over and once again the youngster could not travel home with points in his bag. With his car on track, the Safety Car had to come out for the fourth time and with just four laps to go. Luckily the stewards were able to remove his car quickly and with two laps to go the drivers could give it their best shot one more time. Vergne used his FanBoost on Buemi right after the start-finish straight and got really close to the Swiss, who had to cut a chicane to not collide with the Frenchman as he struggled with his car s handling. It would not be a proper Formula E eprix though if there would not be a last minute shocker: Going into the last lap of the race, Vergne lost power and like Daniel Abt in the beginning of the race dropped back and out of the top- 10. Carefully avoiding any more lock-ups that would cause him to cut a chicane Buemi completed his last lap and won the Punta del Este eprix ahead of Piquet Jr. who managed to keep di Grassi behind him. Trulli finished in P4 followed by Senna, Prost, d Ambrosio, Servia and Heidfeld who managed to bounce back after his two penalties in the second half of the race.

7 10 Punta Del este Punta del este 11 THE PUNTA DEL ESTE EPRIX DRIVER BY DRIVER Editor Laurence Thorm Photo credit FIA Formula E Media Lucas di Grassi (ABT Formula E) - 7 A quieter race from the championship leader than the first two, however kept up his record of finishing on the podium in every round so far, and extended his lead at the top of the table. Started 6th but lost that to Alguersuari on the first lap, and spent the early portion of the race trying to re-pass the Spaniard. He was not able to do so until the pit stops, cutting the first chicane on one occasion. However he found himself in 4th after the stops shook out and Heidfeld had served his penalty. Chased Piquet Jr for 3rd place for much of the second half of the race, setting fastest lap on lap 25. This became the battle for 2nd on the penultimate lap after Vergne s retirement. Didn t quite have enough to overtake his fellow Brazilian and had to settle for 3rd. Jean-Eric Vergne (Andretti Formula E) - 8 A stunning debut for the recently released Toro Rosso F1 driver, taking a barely believable pole position on his debut and running in the top positions for the whole race before bad luck at the end. Didn t make the best start from pole, hindered by being on the dirty side of the grid, and found himself behind Piquet Jr early on. After the second safety car restart, he was able to pass the Brazilian and take the lead. However the Frenchman s inexperience in these cars would show leading up to the stops, as he used more energy than his rivals and would stop one lap earlier than most. As a result, he was 3rd after the stops, behind Heidfeld and Buemi. After Heidfeld s penalty, found himself in 2nd behind Buemi, and threw everything at the Swiss driver to try and pass. Unfortunately suffered a suspension failure two laps from home and had to retire. Jérôme d Ambrosio (Dragon Racing) Another solid race from the Belgian to add to his performances in the first 2 rounds, continuing his record of being one of only three drivers to score points in every race so far. Only able to qualify 19th after hitting the wall, d Ambrosio had a strong opening portion of the race, running 14th by lap 3. The early stages of the race were then spent battling with Matthew Brabham and Antonio Garcia over the lower midfield places, up until the pit stops. Came out of the pits in 7th place but this was due to not obeying the minimum pit stop time, so was eventually penalised with a drive-through penalty that dropped him to 10th. The retirements of Vergne and Brabham ahead meant the Belgian would finish 8th in the end, a good finish considering his grid position, but it could have been even better if not for the penalty. Oriol Servia (Dragon Racing) Like team-mate d Ambrosio, the Spaniard has now scored points in every Formula E race after his 9th position on the streets of Punta del Este. Starting 11th, the IndyCar veteran took 10th position early on after Abt suffered from technical issues, and held this position in the early stages. An exciting battle with Sarrazin and Brabham followed, with the American-Australian briefly getting ahead only for Servia to get the place back. He would then stop on lap 15, dropping towards the back of the pack, and spent the 2nd half of the race moving his way back through the field, showing a cool head to avoid crashes in front of him, whilst benefitting from those who took penalties ahead. By the end, Servia was up to 9th position, a deserved points position that rewarded his consistency. Both Dragon Racing drivers have impressed this season with their sensible driving to bag points at every round. DRIVER OF THE RACE Sam Bird (Virgin Racing) - 4 A weekend to forget for the British driver, crashing out of the race early on and losing ground to Lucas di Grassi in the title race. Disappointing practice positions of 17th and 10th were followed by a crash in qualifying, caused by hitting some debris on track. This meant Bird starting right towards the rear of the grid, and needing a big recovery drive to get some points. However he was passed by Brabham on the first lap and, despite passing Duran, never really got going and crashed out at turn 1 on the fourth lap. The Putrajaya race winner therefore took no points from the round in Uruguay, while title rivals Buemi (25) and di Grassi (15) both scored heavily. A much better round in Buenos Aires is required to get the talented British driver s title charge back on track. Matthew Brabham (Andretti Formula E) A stunning race from the Andretti rookie, with the youngest driver in the field putting a very strong performance despite ending his race in the wall. A crash in qualifying meant starting from the back, but the man in the #28 car passed Sam Bird on the first lap and found himself in 15th by lap 6. Further overtaking moves would put him up in P12 by the 11th lap, almost in the points already. A thrilling battle with Sarrazin and Servia followed for the lower reaches of the points, Brabham showing superb reactions to avoid Sarrazin s car as the Frenchman spun right in front of him. He then passed Jarno Trulli, but was re-passed in the pits and found himself 9th. After the stops, passed Alguersuari for P8 which became P6 after penalties ahead. Tried to pass Trulli for P5 but unfortunately lost his car and crashed out. Showed tons of potential despite the late crash. Karun Chandhok (Mahindra Racing) - 6 A weekend to forget for the popular Indian driver, who followed up strong points finishes in the first two rounds with a disappointing 13th in Uruguay. Started 10th and passed Abt for 9th early on, a position that he would run in for most of the early stages. On lap 12, however, he would hit a kerb and damage his car, causing him to drop down the order and even be lapped as he changed his car. After the stops shaked out, he unlapped himself and drove a consistent second half of the race, but was too far back to challenge for points and finished in 13th after various drivers in front of him either retired or took penalties. In Buenos Aires next time out, he will hope to return to his strong early season form, as he undoubtedly has a lot of pace in these cars. Nelson Piquet Jr. (China Racing) After showing strong pace and potential in the first two Formula E races, Piquet Jr was able to hook it all up over a race distance - and avoid any bad luck - and get the podium finish he deserved in Uruguay. He was feeling ill before the race but took his second place slot on the grid and made a fantastic start, passing poleman Vergne for the lead - although helped by being on the cleaner side of the grid. After the first safety car, made a strong restart and held Vergne off. However after the second restart, he was unable to keep the Frenchman behind and was passed on lap 13. On lap 15, was passed by both e.dams drivers, and entered the pits in 4th place. Also came out of the pits in 4th, but inherited 3rd when Heidfeld was penalised and 2nd on the penultimate lap when Vergne retired. Stéphane Sarrazin (Venturi Formula E) - 5 A disappointing weekend for the experienced Sarrazin, with spins in both qualifying and the race costing him any chance of points. Started 13th after his qualifying error, and was up to 9th by lap 13 after a strong opening phase and a pass on Oriol Servia. Aggressively stopped Matthew Brabham from getting past later on that same lap, perhaps too aggressively. Passed Jarno Trulli for P8 on the following lap and yet again had to defend from Brabham. This time, defended too aggressively and ended up spinning out of the race and causing a safety car. Promising pace from the French driver once again in these cars, but a driver with his level of experience should show a cooler head in the races in order to pick up the points that his speed deserves. Disappointing weekend in the end and will hope for a lot better in Buenos Aires. Daniel Abt (ABT Formula E) Another Formula E race, more bad luck for the young German. Once again he showed very strong pace considering his status as one of the most inexperienced drivers in a strong field, but as in Putrajaya he was struck with technical issues and was not able to show his full potential. Started 9th after a committed qualifying lap that involved clouting the wall, Abt s car ground almost to a halt on lap 2 due to technical gremlins. He managed to get it going again but was at the back of the field by this point. He did his best to catch back up to the rest of the pack, but his car would stop yet again on lap 14, at which point he made his pit stop to switch cars. His second machine was much kinder to him, and allowed him to set fastest lap at least for two points.

8 12 Punta Del este Punta del este 13 THE PUNTA DEL ESTE EPRIX DRIVER BY DRIVER Jaime Alguersuari (Virgin Racing) The Spaniard had a successful race based on consistency and sensible driving, finishing in exactly the same 5th position in which he started. Made a good start to hold that position into the first turn, but lost out a few laps later to the rapid Heidfeld to run 6th. Kept this position all the way to the stops, battling hard with di Grassi on multiple occasions. Lost out in the pit-stop sequence, dropping to 9th, but worked his way up the field as drivers in front of him took penalties or retired. Involved in a close battle with Trulli and Brabham towards the end of the race, inheriting a position when the American-Australian crashed out, but couldn t pass Trulli towards the end and settled for 5th place. A solid, consistent performance from the former Toro Rosso F1 driver, bringing home solid points for Virgin. Nicolas Prost (edams Renault) A quiet race from the Frenchman that nonetheless resulted in some solid points for 7th position at the end. Started 3rd but lost out to team-mate Buemi into turn 1, probably hindered by starting on the dirtier side of the grid. Ran 4th for most of the opening stint, passing Piquet Jr for P3 just before the stops. Came out of the pits in 5th, which became 4th after Heidfeld was penalised, and battled with di Grassi over this position for several laps. However it was then announced that he had received a drive-through penalty for using too much power. After taking the penalty, found himself down in 10th, but was able to recover to 7th by the end of the race to take 4 points to add to his tally. He will be disappointed with the penalty, especially as his team-mate showed the car had winning pace. Nick Heidfeld (Venturi Formula E) - 7 Another eventful race for the German resulted in his first Formula E points. Started 8th and got up to P6 on lap 1 with a blistering start, before getting P5 from Alguersuari on lap 3 thanks to FanBoost. He kept the top 4 honest up until the stops, where he emerged at the head of the field. However, this was due to the Mönchengladbach native breaking the minimum pit-stop time. A resulting penalty dropped him down to 14th, just behind Antonio Garcia, with Heidfeld overtaking the Spaniard a few laps later. But then another penalty was announced - Heidfeld had used too much power so had to take yet another drive-through. This put him back behind Garcia once again, and he chased the Spaniard down in the late stages. He passed Garcia at the finish line on the last lap, using FanBoost, taking 10th and the final point by just seconds. Michela Cerruti (Trulli Formula E) - 7 After two tough weekends to start her Formula E career, the popular Italian had a much better time of it in Punta del Este, however was still left asking what if? after the race, having finished just outside the points after taking a penalty. She started 16th and despite being passed by Bruno Senna early on, kept up a consistent pace up to the stops and found herself in 11th, just outside the points, after the pit stop sequence had shaken itself out. She was showing strong pace and looked like challenging for her first points before news filtered through that she had received a drive-through for speeding in the pits, having braked a little too late before the pit entry line. She thus dropped down to 15th, which became 12th by the end. A promising performance by Cerruti, who was not far away from her first Formula E points. Salvador Duran (Amlin Aguri) A tough debut for the Mexican, who was announced as a late stand-in for Katherine Legge who had a prior commitment. Considering he had not driven a single seater in four years, Duran did a good job in his debut weekend, finishing the race despite technical issues. He was also a recipient of FanBoost, showing the popularity of the Amlin Aguri team. Starting 15th, Duran was down in last position after the opening lap, and spent the opening stages getting used to his new machinery. At the pit stops, he unfortunately suffered a technical issue with his second car after switching to it, which cost him valuable time in the pits and led to him being lapped. He would make it to end of the race several laps down, keeping out of trouble and learning the car. Antonio Garcia (China Racing) A promising and solid debut from the Spanish driver in Punta del Este, the GT racing veteran having taken team regular Ho-Pin Tung s seat for this round as the Dutch-Chinese driver had a prior commitment. Garcia had a tough time of it in practice, making a few driving errors as he learnt the car and circuit, but bounced back in qualifying to post a decent debut time of 15th. He would have a very consistent if unspectacular race, keeping his car on track at all times and not falling victim to the same errors that befell other drivers. His GT experience really showed in this race, as he paced himself to the end and ensured he was in with a chance of points in the last few laps. However, Nick Heidfeld would heartbreakingly pass the Spaniard at the line on the final lap, with the aid of FanBoost. Antonio Felix da Costa (Amlin Aguri) A disappointing race day for the young Portuguese, who retired from the race early on with a technical issue. Set the 13th time in qualifying despite brushing the wall and made a decent start, holding onto a strong midfield position for the first seven laps, however even from the start of the race he was struggling with a technical issue, which got worse and worse as the race went on. On the seventh lap he disappointingly had to park the car and retire. He has showed good pace in these cars so far, despite missing the first race in Beijing, so it is a shame that he had to retire so early on in Uruguay before showing what he could really do. da Costa has a lot of raw talent so will be hoping for more luck in Buenos Aires next time out. Sebastien Buemi (edams Renault) - 8 In the third Formula E race, the Swiss driver finally fulfilled his potential and stood on the top step of the podium. But it wasn t easy - the World Endurance Champion was made to work hard for his win, and made several mistakes towards the end of the race, which meant this was not the perfect performance. He lined up 4th on the grid but immediately made up one place into turn 1, overtaking team-mate Prost for P3. He chased second placed Jean-Eric Vergne for the first portion of the race, getting close to the Frenchman several times but not being able to pass. After the stops, found himself second behind Heidfeld, but the German got a penalty putting Buemi into P1. Had to hold off Vergne in the late stages, and was fortunate not to be punished for twice cutting chicanes, as the Frenchman retired. Jarno Trulli (TrulliFormula E) The Italian veteran scored not only his first points in Formula E, but also the first points for the popular Trulli team, with an impressive performance on the streets of Punta del Este. Started 7th after a strong qualifying performance but lost a position to the fast-starting Heidfeld to lie in 8th, a position he held for much of the early stages thanks to some dogged defending. He lost this to Sarrazin on lap 15, but after the pit stops shook out found himself in 7th position. Aggressively chased d Ambrosio for 6th place after the stops but was not able to pass, however after both Prost and d Ambrosio received penalties, moved up to 5th. Lived up to his reputation by hanging onto the position with some masterful defending, not allowing any of the chasing pack past, and was rewarded with a well-deserved 4th position after Vergne s late retirement. Bruno Senna (Mahindra Racing) - 8 After two races without points in his Formula E career, Bruno Senna finally burst onto the scene and showed the potential many expected of him, capturing a fantastic 6th place finish from the back of the grid. Having qualified 8th, his famed bad luck struck once more as he was put right to the rear of the grid following a penalty. However, rather than let his head drop, the Brazilian worked his way effectively up the order. He was already 12th by lap 15, making several bold overtaking moves and showing a cool head at the same time. Hit the wall on lap 16 avoiding a spinning Sarrazin, and was very fortunate that he was able to pit to change cars under the resulting safety car, and didn t lose much time as a result. After various penalties and retirements, he moved up to a deserved 6th position.

9 14 Punta del este Punta del este 15 Editor Renate Jungert Photo credit Twitter THE RACE IN TWEETS PUNTA DEL ESTE EPRIX IN NUMBERS TWEET OF THE RACE

10 16 Testing 08 Testing 17 PUNTA DEL TESTE After taking pole position yesterday in his first ever Formula E qualifying session, Jean-Eric Vergne continued to show his strong single lap pace, going quickest in the morning session of the post-race test in Punta del Este. All Formula E drivers and teams have stayed back at the track for one more day, to complete valuable testing ahead of the rest of the season. Editor Laurence Thorn Photo credit FIA Formula E Media In a session punctuated by numerous red flag interruptions, the drivers took to the track to gather data and try out different setups on their cars, and thus the times shouldn t be taken too seriously as each team was running through a different program. However it is still an impressive performance from former Toro Rosso F1 driver Vergne to lower his personal best around this tight and twisty seaside circuit by half a second. He is the only driver who has dipped under the 1 minute 14 second mark at this track so far. His competitors have three hours this afternoon to put this right, before the teams pack up and return home for Christmas ahead of the next round in Buenos Aires in January. Behind Vergne and di Grassi, Jaime Alguersuari (Virgin Racing) continued to show strong pace by setting 3rd fastest lap of the morning, after topping free practice 2 yesterday and finishing 5th in the race. Mahindra team-mates Bruno Senna and Karun Chandhok occupied the next two spots, with Jarno Trulli continuing to show strong form for his eponymous team in sixth place. The top ten was rounded out by Stephane Sarrazin (Venturi), Sebastien Buemi (e.dams Renault), Daniel Abt (Abt Formula E)and Michela Cerruti (Trulli Formula E), continuing the impressive showing from the Trulli team. Nelson Piquet Jr, 2nd in t h e race yesterday, was 11th for China Racing ahead of Venturi s Nick Heidfeld, Virgin Racing s Sam Bird and Antonio Garcia (also of China Racing). Rounding out the top 15 was Jerome d Ambrosio (Dragon Racing), who yesterday kept up his consistent start to the season with a third consecutive points finish, despite a penalty. Rounding out the order were e.dams Renault s Nicolas Prost, Antonio Felix da Costa (Amlin Aguri), Matthew Brabham (Andretti Formula E), Oriol Servia (Dragon Racing) and Salvador Duran (Amlin Aguri). The most laps in the session were covered by Stephane Sarrazin with 47, while Matthew Brabham completed just 12 laps for Andretti after stopping out on track. Venturi s Stephane Sarrazin capped off a successful 2014 for Formula E, setting the quickest time in the final timed session of the year - the afternoon session of the postrace test in Punta del Este on Sunday. After a 7th quickest time in the morning session, the Frenchman topped the timesheets in the afternoon with a new track-record time of 1:14.649, and was one of five drivers to dip underneath the 1 minute 14 second mark. Following him were yesterday s race winner Sebastien Buemi (e.dams Renault), second place finisher in the race Nelson Piquet Jr. (China Racing), Sarrazin s Venturi team-mate Nick Heidfeld and championship leader Lucas di Grassi (Abt Formula E). In a session where drivers and teams aimed mostly on setup and battery usage, the lap times should not be taken into account too much, but late in the day a lot of drivers went out to set some quick laps so the times began to tumble. All in all, 1st to 11th in the order were separated by less than a second. Following the top 5 were Nicolas Prost (e.dams Renault), Sam Bird (Virgin Racing), Antonio Felix da Costa (Amlin Aguri), Karun Chandhok (Mahindra), Antonio Garcia (China Racing) and Dragon Racing s Jerome d Ambrosio. Chandhok s Mahindra team-mate Bruno Senna was in 12th, one and a half seconds off Sarrazin, and was followed by Oriol Servia (Dragon Racing) and Jarno Trulli (Trulli Formula E). Trulli s team-mate Michela Cerruti was in 15th followed by Jaime Alguersuari (Virgin Racing), Salvador Duran (Amlin Aguri) and Daniel Abt (Abt Formula E). China Racing drafted in Argentine racer Esteban Guerrieri for the afternoon session, sharing the #88 car with Antonio Garcia. Guerrieri was 19th fastest as he got to grips with the car. The next Formula E race will take place in Buenos Aires, the home city of Formula Renault 3.5 race winner Guerrieri, so he could be in contention for a race drive there. Results Punta del Este Test

11 18 Buenos Aires Buenos Aires 19 BUENOS SOPRESAS Cool da Costa wins confusing Buenos Aires thriller The Buenos Aires eprix will surely become one of the races in Formula E s history that we will still talk about in 20 years. During the exciting race the leader kept changing, drivers ended their races in the wall and Amlin Aguri s Antonio Felix da Costa kept his cool and could climb on to the top step of the podium. He was flanked by Nicolas Prost (e.dams-renault) and Nelson Piquet Jr. (China Racing). The While the teams and drivers were preparing for the 35 laps ahead, the three winners of the FanBoost were announced. Unsurprisingly Jean-Eric Vergne (Andretti Formula E), Bruno Senna (Mahindra Racing) and Nick Heidfeld (Venturi) were granted the extra boost as the three former Formula 1-drivers are among the most popular drivers in the field. All eyes were on pole-setter Sebastien Buemi (e.dams-renault) though when the red lights went off and the Swiss pulled away from his chasers. The fanboosted Heidfeld took P2 when he overtook Virgin Racing-driver Jaime Alguersuari coming out of the first corner. The leading trio was followed by Sam Bird (Virgin Racing), championship leader Editor Antonia Grzelak Photo credit FIA Formula E Media Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT), da Costa and Vergne and delighted the thousands of fans at the track with very close fights for positions. For the first time there was no Safety Car during the first five laps of the race and even though the drivers were not giving each other any big chances to overtake, the race developed without any interruptions or crashes. In lap seven, di Grassi was able to pass Alguersuari for P3 and directly put the fastest lap on the tarmac and closed the gap to Heidfeld in front. Further back at the end of the top-10 d i G ra s s i s teammate Daniel Abt was right behind Karun Chandhok (Mahindra Racing) and made a move on the Indian. Yet the German hit the brakes a few moments too late so that Chandhok was able to repass him. The action then returned to the top 3 where di Grassi was right up Heidfeld s tail. With a rather optimistic overtaking manoeuvre the Brazilian caught Heidfeld and was therefore second. The move did have its negative effects on Heidfeld s car though as the slight clash with di Grassi seemed to have done some damage to the German s car. Following this Heidfeld was then also passed by the two Virgin s of Bird and Alguersuari and had to fight hard to keep da Costa behind him. Only a few minutes after that overtaking manoeuvre Chandhok caused the first and only Safety e.dams-renault experienced a mixed eprix Marco Andretti made his debut As usual, we saw a lot of overtaking and some last minute shockers Car phase of the race. The Indian s suspension failed and forced him into the wall where he had to abandon his car. Many drivers used this opportunity to come into the pits to change into their second cars. One lap after most of the field the leading trio Buemi, di Grassi and Heidfeld, who managed to regain his third position due to Bird and Alguersuari pitting, also decided to swap cars. Leaving the pits, Buemi took the lead ahead of di Grassi and Heidfeld again whom Da Costa and Bird closely followed. Meanwhile Senna and Nelson Piquet Jr. lost a lot of valuable time as the red lights kept them from leaving the pit lane. Bird was in a similar situation a lap earlier yet the Brit disobeyed the order to stop and left the pits even though the red lights were on. Therefore Bird had to serve a Antonio Felix da Costa kept his cool and won his first epric

12 20 Buenos Aires Buenos Aires 21 Virgin Racing experienced a difficult weekend tions. However his fellow countryman Prost was charging through the field as well. The e.dams-renault-driver nearly became a victim of a driving error by Daniel Abt, who hit Alguersuari and also slightly touched Prost. Luckily both were able to continue their races while Abt could not shake off his bad luck and had to leave his car on track. drive through penalty and lost his solid fifth position. On track the Saftey Car was still out and caused confusion as Chandhok s wreck was already cleared. The stewards then allowed the lapped drivers to unlap so that the Safety Car could catch race leader Buemi. When the green flag was finally waved, Buemi could stay ahead of di Grassi and Heidfeld. However the Brazilian was only waiting for a mistake from the Swiss in front and was rewarded only a few seconds later when Buemi hit the wall and therefore had to retire from the race. Di Grassi took the lead and was pulling away from Heidfeld behind him but just like Chandhok the Audi Sport ABT-driver was in bad luck. His suspension broke and like the Indian before he had to end his race in the wall. and Nicolas Prost (e.dams-renault). Di Grassi s teammate Abt was in P6 and closely followed by Piquet Jr., Oriol Servia (Dragon Racing), Salvador Duran (Amlin Aguri) and Senna. It looked like Heidfeld would finally beat his odds and win his first eprix but a sudden drive through-penalty for speeding in the pit lane forced him to give over the lead to Amlin Aguri s youngster da Costa. Even though the Portugese showed an impressive performance in front, Jean-Eric Vergne was the centre of attention during the last four laps. The Frenchman was right behind Alguersuari and overtook the Spaniard with an aggressive manoeuvre, starting his chase of da Costa. Nevertheless it found an abrupt end when a driver error cost Vergne to loose a few posi- Once again, Formula E attracted many fans Following the accident, Prost was able to overtake Alguersuari and secured a fantastic second position while the Spaniard also lost his third place to Piquet Jr. in the end and crossed the finish line in P4. Impressively Bruno Senna managed to finish right behind him in P5 which comes as a surprise following the earlier hold-up in the pit lane. Vergne, Bird, Duran, Heidfeld and Servia completed the top-10. Britain s most beloved Formula E driver Bird also set the fastest lap and therefore gained two extra points which brought him closer to di Grassi in the championship. Lucas di Grassi is still leading the championship with 58 points, just ten points ahead of Sam Bird. Sebastien Buemi follows in P3 with a five point-gap to the Brit. After the race, it was announced that Duran had been excluded. This moved Heidfeld and Servia up to 8th and 9th respectively, while Stephane Sarrazin (Venturi) was promoted into the points in 10th. Trulli and Cerruti once again suffered from bad luck Amlin Aguri celebrated a successful weekend in Buenos Aires Alejandro Agag s series is a huge success so far While a highly frustrated di Grassi was on his way to the pits, Heidfeld took the lead ahead of da Costa, Alguersuari, Vergne

13 22 Buenos Aires buenos aires 23 THE BUENOS AIRES EPRIX DRIVER BY DRIVER Editor Laurence Thorm Photo credit FIA Formula E Media DRIVER OF THE RACE Lucas di Grassi (ABT Formula E) The championship leader showed exactly why he is at the top of the standings in Buenos Aires, with the wily veteran putting in a classy performance to lead the race before being cruelly robbed of any points by a suspension failure. Qualifying just 5th, di Grassi drove like a man possessed in the early laps, getting 4th from Sam Bird on lap 2 before dispatching Jaime Alguersuari for 3rd six laps later. Set the fastest lap in pursuit of 3rd placed Nick Heidfeld on lap 10, although this would later be beaten. Finally passed Heidfeld with a forceful move on lap 14, entering the pits in 2nd place behind Buemi. After the restart, he put so much pressure on the Swiss that he hit the wall, letting the Brazilian through into the lead. Four laps later, di Grassi s suspension would fail, forcing him to retire from the race. Jean-Eric Vergne (Andretti Formula E) Another strong performance from the Frenchman after his sensational debut in Uruguay last time out. Not quite as spectacular this time from Vergne, qualifying and finishing 6th, but he could have had a podium if not for an overheating battery, and he at least picked up his first points in the series. Made a strong start to maintain his 6th position early on, before being passed by da Costa on lap 8 and dropping to 7th. Vergne held this until the stops, where he was jumped by Prost and slipped down to 8th. Eventually used FanBoost to pass his countryman and then closed in on Alguersuari. Made a forceful move on the Spaniard and was running 2nd late on, before an overheating battery dropped him down to 6th. Another strong performance from Vergne as well as another what if. Jérôme d Ambrosio (Dragon Racing) - 5 After three consecutive points finishes, the 4th eprix would not be so successful for d Ambrosio, as he had to start from the pitlane due to a technical issue and was never really in the race after that, finishing outside the points. The Belgian was supposed to line up 18th on the grid after suffering from car issues during the qualifying session, but was unable to take up the place so started from the pits. Moved up to 19th on lap 1 after Michela Cerruti s spin but was unable to move up any further until the pit stops started. Tried to make a late stop and gain track position, but was unable to move up the field and ran last after the pit sequence. Eventually lapped after a very tough race. He will hope to have a clean weekend in Miami next time out and to get back into the points positions once again. Oriol Servia (Dragon Racing) The Catalan driver put in another consistent performance to grab two points for his Dragon Racing team after a fairly quiet race. Started in 13th and held this position constantly until the pit stops, neither gaining or losing ground to his competitors. However he was one of the main winners of the pit sequence, moving up to 10th even before Sebastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi retired from the race, which put him 8th. Passed by the two penalised drivers Sam Bird and Nick Heidfeld on the last two laps and finished 10th on track, moving up to 9th when Salvador Duran was excluded after the race. As both di Grassi and team-mate Jerome d Ambrosio were unable to score, the Spanish veteran is now the only man to have finished inside the top ten in all 4 of the eprix so far, an impressive feat. Sam Bird (Virgin Racing) - 7 A much better weekend for Bird after scoring no points in Punta del Este. However, a drive through penalty for leaving the pits under a red light ultimately restricted the British driver to a 7th place finish. A good start from P4 on the grid allowed him to hold this place in the early stages, before di Grassi made his way past and dropped Bird to 5th. Just before the stops, Bird was able to pass Nick Heidfeld for 4th, a position he would hold into the pits. Lost time in the pits due to the safety car and then left under a red light, which would hurt him later. Showed great pace in the closing stages to pass da Costa for 3rd and then pressure Heidfeld for the lead, but alas had to take drive through for his earlier misdemeanour and could finish no higher than 7th. He will be disappointed with the penalty. Nelson Piquet Jr. (China Racing) - 8 Another impressive drive from the Brazilian after his second place last time out in Punta del Este, meaning he has made two trips to the podium in the two South American races. This was made even more spectacular by the fact that he didn t even know he was on the lead lap, as he revealed after the race. Could he have finished even higher if he knew? Starting 9th, he spent the first half of the race up holding this position until the stops. After everyone had pitted, Piquet started to move up the order, passing both Duran and Servia to put himself into a strong points position. Following the incidents in the last few laps, the Brazilian was able to move up to 3rd, just behind Prost. Piquet will hope to keep up this strong form in the next few rounds and could become a dark horse championship contender. Marco Andretti (Andretti Formula E) - 5 An average debut for the 3rd generation American, as he was unable to match the strong debut weekend that team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne had put in last time out in Uruguay. IndyCar veteran Andretti put his car 14th on the grid and would make a decent start before being passed by both Salvador Duran and Bruno Senna on lap 4, dropping down to 16th. Jarno Trulli would also get past on the next lap, leaving Andretti down in 17th place, and he would hold this until lap 15 when Ho-Pin Tung was able to knock him down to P18. Restarted 17th after the pit stops and safety car, and spent most of the 2nd half of the race maintaining position. Trulli got back past on lap 30, having lost out in the pits, but retired the next lap so Andretti reclaimed the place. Marco would finish a lap down. Stéphane Sarrazin (Venturi Formula E) - 6 A quiet race from the French veteran that would ultimately finish in success when he was elevated to 10th, and the final points position, after Salvador Duran s postrace exclusion for an energy infringement. Started 11th but was passed by Daniel Abt on lap 1 and ran in P12 for most of the early stages of the race, rising to 11th after Chandhok s accident on lap 15. Lost out on the pit stops, dropping to 17th before moving up the order, first getting ahead of Ho-Pin Tung and then making up positions as other drivers such as Buemi, di Grassi and Trulli had problems. 11th on track became 10th post-race, meaning Venturi score their 5th point of the season. However both Sarrazin and the team will hope for more points in the races to come, with the Venturi cars not yet getting the finishes that their pace deserve. Karun Chandhok (Mahindra Racing) A frustrating day for the popular Indian, who saw his race ended by suspension failure when running in a solid P10. After qualifying in 10th, Chandhok would make a good start and spend the first portion of the race maintaining that position, staying inside the points and hoping to challenge those drivers ahead of him later in the race. Alas, that was not to be, as his suspension suddenly failed on lap 15, causing him to retire from the race after hitting the wall hard. A clearly frustrated Chandhok took to Twitter after the race to vent his anger, tweeting the following: Bloody rear right suspension failure! Can clearly see on replay it s collapsed before I hit the wall...ridiculous! Didn t even touch a wall. His pace has been good so far this season, so he will hope for better luck in Miami in two month s time. Daniel Abt (ABT Formula E) - 6 Yet another promising race from the young German but, unlike some of the previous races this season, this time Abt made a mistake that made sure he did not score the points he deserved, as opposed to having mechanical issues or bad luck. Started 12th and moved up to 11th on lap 2 after passing Stephane Sarrazin. He would maintain 11th for most of the opening stint, moving up to 10th after Chandhok s accident. Made up a place in the pits and restarted 9th after the safety car, and continued to move up the order as others had issues. In the last few laps, was involved in a big podium fight with Vergne, Alguersuari, Prost and Piquet Jr, unfortunately locking up his brakes and hitting Alguersuari while trying to pass Prost. Forced to retire due to suspension damage.

14 24 Buenos aires buenos aires 25 THE BUENOS AIRES EPRIX DRIVER BY DRIVER Jaime Alguersuari (Virgin Racing) - 8 A strong points position for Alguersuari, just outside the podium places, and he would have been on the podium if not for being hit by Daniel Abt in the closing stages. The Spaniard started in 2nd position but was passed by a hard-charging Nick Heidfeld on the second lap, and dropped down to 3rd. He held this until lap 7 until Lucas di Grassi made his way past. Alguersuari would then hold P4 until just before the pit stops when he re-passed Heidfeld. However he lost time on the stops due to the safety car and would restart in 6th position. Keeping clear of incidents, he was up to 3rd with just a few laps remaining when Vergne aggressively forced his way past. However after Vergne began to slow, the cars behind started to catch up - unfortunately this led to Abt hitting Alguersuari, robbing him of a podium. Nicolas Prost (edams Renault) - 8 What started out as a quiet race for the Frenchman turned into a frantic one a few laps from the end, with Prost managing to secure 2nd place after a crazy end to the race. Starting 7th, he would be passed by Antonio da Costa early on but was able to hold onto his 8th position with some consistent lap times for the first half of the race. After the stops, was able to jump countryman Jean-Eric Vergne for 7th, and was then right in the thick of a battle with Vergne and Jaime Alguersuari for 6th, 7th and 8th - which became the battle for 4th once Buemi and di Grassi had retired. Vergne was able to get past on FanBoost but Prost stayed close to the cars ahead and was rewarded on the last few laps, with Heidfeld and Bird receiving penalties, Abt hitting Alguersuari and then Vergne s car overheating. Nick Heidfeld (Venturi Formula E) Another Formula E weekend, another eventful race for Nick Heidfeld. After putting in an excellent qualifying lap to line up 3rd on the grid, the German made a fantastic start and passed Alguersuari for 2nd at the first corner of the race. From there, he would chase the leader Buemi in the early stages and get very close to the Swiss driver without being able to make a pass. He would eventually drop back and be passed by di Grassi, and both Virgin cars of Bird and Alguersuari, in quick succession leading up to the stops - although he was able to re-pass Bird just before stopping. He came out the pits in 3rd and would inherit the lead after Buemi and di Grassi both crashed out, only to be hit with a pit-lane speeding penalty which put him 9th by the end, promoted to 8th after Duran s exclusion. Michela Cerruti (Trulli Formula E) After a strong weekend in Punta del Este where she was close to the points, Cerruti will be disappointed with how Buenos Aires went. Qualified 17th ahead of Bruno Senna, Jerome d Ambrosio and team-mate Jarno Trulli, however on lap 1 she would spin and be passed by all three of the drivers behind her. With her race effectively over already, she pitted early for her 2nd car and attempted to put in some quick laps. Lapped due to the early pit stop, she was unable to progress any further and would retire on lap 20. Cerruti was running just outside the points in Uruguay before receiving a penalty and was looking to continue that strong form in Argentina. Now she will hope the Miami eprix in March brings her better luck, as will team-mate and team boss Jarno Trulli who was also unable to finish in the Argentine capital. Ho-Pin Tung (China Racing) Returning to the series after missing Punta del Este through a prior commitment, Tung qualified 15th for the third race in a row - consistent but not yet matching the pace of team-mate Piquet over a single lap. At the start of the race, the Dutch- Chinese driver maintained that position for a few laps before dropping behind both Salvador Duran and Bruno Senna on lap 3. Jarno Trulli was also able to get past on the next lap, dropping Tung to 18th. He would maintain this position up until the pit stops, where he managed to make up a few places. Stayed ahead of Andretti and d Ambrosio in the closing stages and finished on the lead lap in 12th position, which became 11th post-race. Finished close to the points, but didn t really show the pace required to finish in the top 10 if it had not been for incidents ahead. Antonio Felix da Costa (Amlin Aguri) - 8 A sensational first Formula E win for the Portuguese youngster, which owed a lot to consistency and maturity - something several of his more experienced competitors lacked. Qualified a decent 8th and passed Nicolas Prost for P7 in the opening stages, then set about 6th place Jean-Eric Vergne. Made a bold move to pass the Frenchman on lap 8 and continued to push on from there. After the pit stop period, emerged in 4th place, inheriting 3rd and then 2nd when Buemi and di Grassi crashed out respectively. Conceded 2nd place to a hard-charging Sam Bird but the Brit had to serve a drive-through penalty, and when Heidfeld had to do the same two laps from home, da Costa would inherit the lead and go on to take his first win in the series. An impressive, mature performance from da Costa, and a first win for the popular Amlin Aguri team. Sebastien Buemi (edams Renault) Buenos Aires started out strongly for the Punta del Este race winner, with Buemi continuing his strong South American form. Top of both practice sessions as well as qualifying, Buemi made a strong start to lead from pole. Nick Heidfeld would close in on him and challenge for the lead, but Buemi was able to defend strongly and keep first position while title rival Lucas di Grassi made his way up the order behind. When the safety car came out, Buemi retained the lead ahead of di Grassi. Following the restart, di Grassi pressured Buemi, trying everything to get past for the race lead. In the end, the pressure told - Buemi hit the wall, damaging his suspension and causing him to retire from the race - a disappointing end to a promising weekend. He will need to turn his strong pace into more consistent results. Jarno Trulli (TrulliFormula E) - 5 Not the best weekend for Jarno or his eponymous team, as the Italian veteran was unable to repeat his form from Punta del Este and could not score points again. After a crash in qualifying, his car was rebuilt with help from the Amlin Aguri team who provided their spare car. Trulli started last, making up early positions as Jerome d Ambrosio started from the pits and team-mate Michela Cerruti spun. Passed Tung and Andretti to run 16th until the pit stops. Gained a few places and ran 12th after the safety car restart, showing promising pace, but suffered from engine issues on lap 30 and was forced to retire from the race. After scoring the first points for both himself and the team in Uruguay last time out, he will hope for a repeat in Miami, and will want to move on from this race as quickly as possible. Salvador Duran (Amlin Aguri) After a solid but unspectacular debut weekend in Punta del Este, the Mexican had a more impressive second race in Argentina. Started 16th and, after passing Tung on lap 3 and Andretti on lap 4, ran in a strong 14th for the next few laps. Bruno Senna would get past on lap 8, with Duran not seeming to defend too vigorously against the Brazilian. He would hold 15th until the pit stops and came out in 11th, turning out to be one of the big winners of the pit stop phase. Piquet Jr. would get past on lap 25, with Duran again not defending too staunchly, but he would benefit from drivers ahead of him having issues to finish 8th on track and seemingly score his first Formula E points. However, after the race it was announced that he had overstepped the 28kWh energy limit and was excluded from the results. Bruno Senna (Mahindra Racing) - 8 After qualifying in just 19th, the only way was up for the popular Brazilian - and indeed he would move up through the field and finish in a strong 5th place. After making up a few places in the opening laps, Senna would make a very opportunistic move on debutant Marco Andretti, sneaking past after Salvador Duran had already put the rookie out of position. Senna would them himself pass Duran and go into the pit stop phase in 14th position. After the stops, he would find himself in the same 14th place, and made up some positions as cars ahead retired or took penalties. He had dropped behind Duran again during the stops but re-passed the Mexican on lap 30, and made his way past a slowing Jean-Eric Vergne on the last lap to claim an impressive 5th position.

15 26 buenos aires buenos aires 27 Editor Renate Jungert Photo credit Twitter THE RACE IN TWEETS BUENOS AIRES EPRIX IN NUMBERS TWEET OF THE RACE

16 28 Standings Standings 29 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS AFTER 4 ROUNDS

17 30 qualcomm Qualcomm 31 QUALCOMM Driving the future with Formula E Editor Topher Smith Photo credit FIA Formula E Media, Qualcomm One of the core concepts of the FIA Formula E chamiponship is the innovative technology used by the teams. Unsuprisingly the series therefore partnered up with one of the most innovative technology companies on the market: Qualcomm. Our editor Topher Smith talked to Graeme Davison about Qualcomm s way to Formula E, their wireless-charging technology and the positive aspects of their partnership with the all electric series. What motivated Qualcomm to partner with Formula E? This is a fantastic story of how the heavens aligned and made things happen. We ve been dealing with a gentleman by the name of Lord Paul Drayson, he contacted us about four years ago because he had a vision of proving that electric vehicles could be a part of racing. Paul was taking the car that he ran at Le Mans about four or five years ago and was converting that to an electric vehicle, and he wanted to put wireless charging on it. When Paul did the land speed record for an electric vehicle a couple of years ago, that car was wirelessly charged using Qualcomm technology. We worked with Paul to put that technology on the vehicle, right from the very beginning of the project. Paul introduced us to Alejandro Agag, and said to us I think you guys have something you can do together. This is when Alejandro was just starting to come up with the idea of creating Formula E as a motor racing series. We actually realised that we have very similar visions of what technology can do, with Alejandro s vision of what Formula E could be, changing the perception of an electric vehicle, changing how fans interact with the motor racing series, changing the age group of the fans that interact with a major event, going down into the younger generations. This was part of what Qualcomm had in their vision of how technology was affecting and changing the world, and we realised this very early on. This was before Alejandro had a car and before any licence was granted by the FIA, but we could partner very closely with Formula E, and help them with their vision, but similar to all motorsport, if you are part of technology in the early parts of motorsport, you see that technology tested rapidly, and then that proven technology can ripple back into the areas where you want it to. So we saw Formula E as a fantastic area for proving lots of technology that could ripple down into the auto industry. How exactly does Qualcomm s wireless-charging technology work? It uses magnetic inductors, so in very simple terms there are four components you can think of. There s a bunch of electronics that use the power coming from the supply, then there is a magnetic loop which is a primary inductor called a base pad that is connected to that, and that sits on the ground. Then there is a similar antenna which sits on the vehicle, which is smaller and lighter, and there are some electronics which link into the battery and battery management system. What we do is take the 50 or 60 Hz mains electricity, we operate that to a slightly higher frequency and we did a lot of work choosing what frequency would be the most efficient, and wouldn t interfere with other electronic items within the vehicle or around the world. We found that frequency to be around 85 khz, so we produced an alternating magnetic field at 85 khz using the ground pad. When you put the vehicle in the magnetic field, you get very simple magnetics making a moving current, which passes into the vehicle. That s the most simplistic way of explaining it. The harder stuff is in the efficiency of getting all the flux to join between the two coils, as well as controlling heat, which is wasteful, and also controlling wasted flux. That s what we spent a lot of our time on, looking at the efficiency of how we build our magnetics. When do you think you will be able to integrate this technology in Formula E and also everyday lives further? We ve currently got the technology on the Formula E safety cars, so there s four vehicles provided by BMW to Formula E, two i8s and two i3s, and then Formula E brought those cars to us and asked us to put wireless charging on the safety vehicles. We did that as an integration programme with the systems from BMW. That s proven itself, we ve had it since the first race in Beijing. The great thing about that is when the vehicles need to be dispatched in the event of an accident, of which we ve had a few, the

18 32 qualcomm Qualcomm 33 safety vehicle has been fully charged and ready to go. It s sat above a charging pad, and it can then just accelerate out. There are no connections to disconnect, the driver doesn t have to get out and unplug the vehicle, he can literally just drive off and go. As soon as he has finished his duty he can bring the car back round, park it over the pad, and without getting out of the car it will immediately start charging. We have the technology on those four vehicles now, and we are looking at what will be required to put that charging onto the race vehicles. This is a project that has now started in earnest, we re looking into how to do it, but there was never enough time and the FIA rules didn t allow it for the first season. As we now go towards the second season and the rules are opening up a little bit more, it allows us to start looking at how wireless charging can go onto the race vehicles. That s an integration programme we are starting now. As to where it is in the rest of the auto industry, ever since we first went out five or six years ago, we ve been working very closely with pretty much every major car manufacturer in the world over. Every one of those car companies has been engaged with us at different levels, some of them quite advanced, but we re at the point now where we have moved away from proof of concept, we re going now in to a major prototyping round, and producing higher numbers of vehicles that will go through the standard quality and development cycle. That s the gating point of when we will see this technology out there, when you order your brand new car and tick your boxes, wireless charging will be one of those boxes. The gating point of that really is how fast the car companies can move through their prototyping into their full blown manufacturing run of the vehicle. That can usually take three to five years, depending on the vehicle and where they are in the cycle. I would say within the next five years we will definitely see the technology on cars that people can drive in the streets. How do you value the impact Formula E can have on the acceptance of electric vehicles worldwide? All the work that Formula E has done has proven that electric vehicles can be fun, quick and exciting, they can be race vehicles. We ve actually seen it for a lot longer than the first few rounds, maybe the year and a half running up to the first race, where ourselves and the other founding partners were working with Formula E to bring the series to fruition. We did so many tech events, articles and journalist briefings. It is quite interesting because of the similarity of our vision of how technology can change the future of mobile space, and one of the big mobile devices we re looking at is the vehicle itself. A lot of our exposure by working with Formula E is easing our communications with the auto industry, and also helps us on a lot of our other areas of technology that are starting to go into the auto industry. For example, the entertainment area with the music system and various digitisations of the dashboard, as we move away Have you already noticed a positive effect from your partnership with Formula E after the first few rounds? from dials and switches to more glass-type dashboards which require graphics drivers and lots of processing capability behind them. Then through to communications for the car, for things like vehicleto-vehicle communications, and also a safety environment where the vehicle recognises when it s been in a major accident. The driver might not be able to call the emergency services, and the vehicle itself will be calling for it. That is something that the EU has been moving up quite hard on, to get that mandatory. Qualcomm has been very positive in dealing with the EU over the last few years in providing a lot of the technology and hardware into that service. They ve shown it to a whole range of new people, and I think it s showing to people that electric vehicles are here, and the technology is proven, it s not something that s been dreamt up by a couple of people in a lab. You can actually go out and see these vehicles run and it is making people look at which electric vehicles are available to be purchased. From what we have seen of the marketing figures, and some of the analysis that Formula E have done, we ve actually have seen a positive impact on people changing their consideration of putting an electric vehicle into their garage.

19 34 Tech Corner Tech corner 35 ALL YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT... ENERGY RECOVERY Editor Stefan Ruitenberg Photo credit FIA Formula E Media The main objective of Formula E cars is to go as fast as possible whilst maintaining a healthy limit on battery life - a very simply idea. The car in question is the Spark SRT-01E, a complex design of hundreds of electrical installations all over the car. But the main part of the car after the battery is the e-motor. An electric motor is a rotating machine which transforms electrical energy into mechanical energy to then be fully used To truly interest the public and inspire motorists to drive electrical vehicles, the series must be at the forefront of technology s evolution. Battery life is the biggest challenge to the adoption of electric vehicles, plus we must find better ways to harness it. Electricity after all is currently generated by fossil fuels, with renewable sources slowly punching their way out of the bag. Furthermore we have the issue of electrical conversion (AC to DC) which not only generates heat but expends energy as a consequence. This is one of the issues of harvesting and then storing energy, with a power converter placed between the MGU and battery literally giving up energy in this case. The rechargeable energy store system (RESS) as developed by McLaren High Performance engineering is quite simple. They have a Carbon Fibre shell which houses the cells, which are very tightly compacted inside. The batteries are Lithium ion cells which get hotter as power is used up which goes to the E-motor as well as in braking (ERS), where power/energy is collected when the brake disc meets the brake pads. Heat is given off and collected, with RESS working so the unit is water cooled. Hoses emerge from the bulkhead module and via a water pump which is towed down tightly on the left side pod. Williams Racing have been drafted in to developed some software too, as they monitor every individual cell in the battery and RESS. From the left rear of the RESS, two high power AC cables come out to control the electronics. These act like switches from DC power (from RESS) to the E-motor. McLaren supplies both of these from their Advanced Engineering Centre. Controlling the E-motor can be done under the driver s control via the pedal, as the electronics manage the torque output and ERS system - which can both be adjusted by the steering wheel. McLaren s E-motor sits in the aluminum bell-housing bolted to the back of the RESS. The AC motor connects to the inverter with three high power current cables, which are on top, coated in orange. This acts like a normal car s distributor as it sends power/energy to parts of the car. Data collection is by McLaren s electronics and software. The gearboxes are bolted between the bell-housing and the rear crash structure. Shifts are operated by a paddle on the wheel. The gearbox is used to keep the E motor a lot smaller, when can be driven aggressively to the box which makes the most noise as they pass with a high pitched noise coming from the motor. Now we come to the most important aspect of the cars - the motors. They are quite special and work with two spinning magnets. All magnets have a north and south to them. They are spun around and this produces power on a basic level. There is a full circle (FM) of magnets forming one giant one spinning the central one (CM) with a current being repeatedly injected between north and south. As it tries to catch the magnet, attraction is formed from the individual (FM) which spins the drive train through the gearbox and to the rear differential - which turns the rear wheels via the rear axle. A good advantage of this is that the motor can be used as a generator also - the same principles apply so they can regain (RE-GEN) power as the car brakes (ERS), in the same manner as current LMP1 and F1 cars. When the car brakes and slows down, it turns the axle leading back to the motor which is being turned with the energy going into it, so power is created freely and is sent back the batteries and can be used elsewhere in the lap. But we cannot say that this is KERS as it s not. All it will do is store electrical energy back into the battery pack. This only happens when the driver lifts off and applies the brakes. So when the accelerator pedal is pushed down, the computer system sends a message that a current must be added to the magnets which drives the car forward. When the driver brakes he will gain some power back to re-use again. All this is controlled by the ECU of the car which is tucked very snugly in the driver cockpit of the Dallara chassis. The RESS must be fitted rearward of the last bulkhead of the survival cell, defined by the line a-b-c-d where d is the foremost point on the car. Except for the capacitor in inverters/converters and for the auxiliary battery, the RESS is the only device that can store electrical energy in the car. The design of the RESS is free but it must be homologated. The RESS compartment must be made of a fire-resistant (according to the UL94 V0 standard), robust and RESS fluid tight material. This is a must for durability and safety. The maximum total power going out of the RESS is limited to 200kW. During a race this 200kW will be split between bottom power and push to pass power, with a maximum value of 67kW for the push to pass. The amount of energy that can be delivered to the MGUs by the RESS is limited to 28kWh. Braking regeneration will be added to this value based on a factor of 0.7 to take into account losses (1kW regen = 0.7kW released). Measurements will be taken on each DC branch of each power train. This will be permanently monitored by the FIA to reduce any teams squishing a small output from the cars in hope of an advantage. There were initially many concepts of ERS, with fly-wheel storage opted for as the best solution in early It was soon scrapped for being too heavy on the cars. It works from a spinning disc in the case, the flywheel, which stores the electrical energy, spinning at around 10,000 RPM. Think of it as a bigger version of the RAM on your computer spinning as it stores long awaited files. Other solutions were tried, such as a Flux Capacitor which works well and is now in fully functioning use. Considering it is the first ever Formula E season it has caught up with the technology which has been developed over 10 years in road cars. I soon see it at the forefront of the electric vehicle world, a vast playground for engineers to develop the industry and technology.

20 36 pros and cons Social media analysis 37 PROS AND CONS: MINIMUM PIT STOP TIME Editor Laurence Thorn and Topher Smith Photo credt FIA Formula E Media THE BIG SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYSIS Editor Renate Jungert Photo credt FIA Formula E Media, Twitter As we have already discussed, Social Media is a core element of the PR concept of Formula E. A big part of it is interaction with the fans, made possible by embracing modern technology and using social media to connect the paddock with the rest of the world. Of course, not only the series itself makes good use of all available opportunities. The Formula E teams have also taken to the internet to connect with fans all over the world and allow them to participate. Much has been written about the involvement of social media in Formula E s marketing and PR strategies. However, the activities of teams, which in fact play an elementary part in promoting and allowing fans close contact with the series, have not received as much attention. Therefore, ERN has decided to take a closer look at the social media use of the Formula E teams. CRITERIA Activity We will examine how often teams tweet, and take a look at the live coverage during race weekends. PROS After the Punta del Este eprix, there were a lot of dissenting voices on social media who were not happy with the mandatory pit-stop time in Formula E. Why, they asked, should there be a minimum time in a sport in which the aim is to be quicker than anyone else? Well, Formula E is not just about speed. It is also about safety. In motorsport, one of the key aspects of any series has to be the safety of not only the drivers, but also the pit crews and everyone associated with the sport. Drivers are well known for taking any shortcut possible in order to win. If you leave it up to a driver to make decisions, they will always take the quickest route everywhere. They are competitive after all. But when you put them in a situation where they must get out of one car, move to another, belt themselves in and then leave the pits, you encounter a situation where having no minimum time could be downright dangerous. What if a driver forgot to put their seatbelt on, in their haste to make it out of the pits first? Or didn t look out for their pit crew, and accidentally hit a team member in the garage? The results are not worth thinking about. Having a mandatory minimum time simply ensures that drivers can calmly and casually switch cars, belt themselves in, and leave the pits in safety. That is why this rule is a good one. CONS Any fan of motorsport who hears the words minimum limit should wince with agony over how those words go against everything racing stands for. Since the beginning of race-based competition the aim of the game has been to be the fastest. So when Formula E introduced the minimum pit stop limit, they went against the very foundations of the sport in which they pride themselves on. In the Punta Del Este eprix, Nick Heidfeld easily had the fastest pit stop time, and jumped into the lead of the race as a result. In any other category of racing, this would be praised as a work of genius. Not in Formula E. The German had been too quick, and was penalised for completing his pit stop under the minimum limit. So racing drivers are now being penalised for being too quick? Again, this goes against everything that motorsport was invented for. For many years in Formula 1 excitement has been provided when one driver jumps another through a faster pit stop, so why can t we have that same excitement brought over to Formula E, which is supposed to be Driving the Future of motorsport? It s one aspect of Formula E that needs some serious reconsideration if it is to be the driving force for the future of motorsport, and it cannot claim to be that driving force if it forgets the very foundations of the sport. In this new series, we will examine their activities, rate their social media appearance, and give you a detailed analysis. Firstly, we have asked ourselves: What makes a good and successful social media profile? What do we want to see on a team s profile? Since its far reach and fast communication are big advantages of social media, we want to be kept up to date with the latest news and developments. In addition, we do not only want to be informed, we also wish to see unique content that is not available in other media and follow the action as closely as possible. With all technical means available nowadays, we are not satisfied with only written articles, we are expecting pictures, videos, information and entertainment through different types of media. Last but not least on our wish list, another big part of social media is the chance to create interaction: We want to participate, voice our opinions and have them heard, and be rewarded for our support. We will analyse how the different teams fulfil these criteria, and rate their social media appearance accordingly: Up to 5 points will be awarded for each objective, depending on how well it is achieved. The number of reached points will be summed up for a total score so that teams can be compared and ranked easily. Own Tweets vs. Retweets vs. Replies Original tweets are of great importance to us, but Twitter is not just all about publishing. Therefore we are looking for a good balance between own tweets and interaction. Wide range of topics We do not want to read only news articles. We want to be informed, but also entertained. We do not want only facts. We want to get a sneak peek behind the scenes and follow the action as closely as possible. Interaction We will take a look at how often teams interact with their fans, and in which different ways. Multimedia After examining the content, we also check how it is presented: Is it mainly text, or are more types of media like images and video used as well? Unique content As it is extremely important to stand out, we will also pay attention to unique and special approaches of the teams.

21 38 Social media analysis social media analysis 39 The Japanese team have taken to social media like a duck to water. Easily one of the most popular teams on Twitter, they have quickly wormed their way into the hearts of many fans through their cheeky and cheerful sense of humour. Amlin Aguri s focus clearly lies on an air of fun and entertainment, sharing exceptional banter with fans and rivals alike. In terms of brand awareness, Andretti has a head start due to running several sister teams in various American racing series. The teams share a Facebook page, but there are separate Twitter accounts that also interact with and promote each other. The American team is among the more active teams on Twitter, providing good information as well as the occasional banter with Amlin and Abt. Activity: 4/5 With an average of 15 tweets per day Amlin Aguri are among the busier teams, and especially during race weekends their coverage is very extensive. However, with this amount of tweets it can be difficult to keep track of things. Own Tweets vs. Retweets vs. Replies: 5/5 With 47% own tweets, 27% retweets, and 26% replies, own tweets and interaction are balanced fairly well. The retweets come from a good mix of Amlin drivers, fans, the official FIA feed, and news feeds, while most of the replies are written to fan accounts the one exception being rival Abt Formula E team, with whom Amlin share a lot of their infamous banter. Variation of content: 4/5 Amlin shares a wide range of content. The Twitter account is full of interaction and good banter, pictures with cheeky captions, and it also features many interviews as well as the occasional piece of more serious news... However, more behind-the-scenes material would be nice, and the news are buried easily under the rest but that is complaining on a very high level. Interaction: 5/5 This is where Amlin reigns supremely: Cheerful banter with the fans, a lot of promotion for the Fanboost (winning 3 out of 4 times, it seems to work well enough), and so many giveaways and competitions that we are surprised that we failed to win anything so far Could not get much better if they tried. Multimedia: 4/5 As mentioned above, there are lots of pictures on Amlin s Twitter account. And by that we mean more than you can shake a stick at. The team have a YouTube account too and they often share their videos as well as others from the official FIA Formula E account. The written word on the other hand falls a bit on the wayside. Unique features: 5/5 Apart from their one-of-a-kind tweeting style, Amlin also offers Twitter accounts in Japanese, Spanish, as well as Portuguese. They created their own meme, the #AmlinAguri Cat, and they are also the only team that follows fans back. Activity: 5/5 With an average of 11 tweets per day, Andretti are still on the high end of the spectrum. However, their low-key twitter style makes sure you are not overwhelmed and their live coverage is easy to follow. Own Tweets vs. Retweets vs. Replies: 3/5 42% retweets, 30% own tweets, 28% replies. Surprisingly, there is just as much interaction with fans as on Amlin s Twitter... with Abt Formula E team right on top of the list ahead of the fans. So much for occasional banter The amount of retweets however is very high, most of them coming from various news feeds. No, we do not approve of this write your own tweets. Variation of content: 5/5 Andretti share a lot of different content in all shapes: Informative tweets and videos, interesting interviews, news articles from different pages. Everything you need, right there in your twitter timeline even little sneak peaks of what s going on behind-the-scenes and who doesn t want to see those? So if you want some great insides, go ahead, Andretti is definitely the team to follow. Interaction: 4/5 As proven above, there is in fact a lot of interaction going on however, with Andretti s casual tweeting style it often goes unnoticed. Fans questions are answered, support is gratefully accepted, and you also have the occasional giveaway and competition. A big bonus: cheeky banter with Abt Formula E. Multimedia: 4/5 Text, image, and videos are well-balanced. Andretti share many of their pictures via Instagram, which makes it a bit difficult to view them on Twitter. Unique among Formula E teams, Andretti also posts little behind-the-scenes clips via Vine. Unique features: 5/5 As sneak peeks of the paddock are highly sought after, Andretti s Vine account is an excellent feature to give fans a special, exclusive view of the action. Other teams, take note. Conclusion: 27/30 Amlin are popular with good reason. Entertaining, funny, and interactive, there is little left to wish for. Conclusion: 26/30 A casual but funny tweeting style, a good mix of content, and a clear timeline a great overall impression.

22 40 SUFST App Review 41 DRIVING THE FUTURE WITH THE SOUTHAMPTON UNIVERSITY FORMULA STUDENT TEAM Editor Bethonie Waring Photo credit FIA Formula E Media What happens when a race car is no longer fit for purpose? When its days of speeding around corners and pulling sneaky overtakes are long behind it, the future looks bleak. The car could end up in the dump, or rusting away in a garage, never to see the light of day again. Their lives are over. Southampton University s Formula Student Team have put on their sustainability hats, lent by Formula E, and, as part of this year s business model, are looking to bring new life to old cars. As part of the Formula Student competition, teams are asked to create a business model where the main source of income is the sale of race cars. The criteria the teams are judged on includes a number of things and, although sustainability is one of these, this factor has, in previous years, been difficult to incorporate into plans that meet the more important judging point of being a successful business. Like last year, SUFST s business model for 2015 is focused on selling the cars to local racetracks. However, there have been some important changes to the business model, including the material of the car. This year, we looked into manufacturing the chassis from carbon fibre. Carbon fibre is extremely light, making it a popular material in cars and other vehicles. This lighter the car, the faster it goes. However, carbon fibre cannot be recycled or reused, and is therefore a poor choice of material from a sustainability point of view. This year, the team have opted to make more of the car from steel. Steel can be recycled: an essential part of this year s business model. After selling the car to race tracks, once the car is no longer fit for racing, SUFST s business can buy back the car as scrap metal. Though not all of the car would be made out of steel, with carbon fibre still being used in some areas for aerodynamics, the steel will be reused and recycled into the next generation of car. Not only does this make business sense an important aspect of any business model but it s sustainable too. In the future, SUFST plan on taking more steps to make the business plan environmentally friendly and sustainable. At present, all the materials the team have come across that meet the high performance standards as well as their new found sustainability ethos are far too expensive to keep the business competitive. In future, however, it is likely the price of these materials will come down as more research and development is put into sustainable living. One step at a time, the team are putting sustainable thoughts into actions. There are different ways to make motorsport more sustainable, and SUFST have been investigating these ways, working them into other areas of the motorsport world. The official FIA Formula E App is a helpful companion for the inaugural season of Formula E: free and available for ios and Android since the beginning of the season, the app provides you with all the information you need to know about the world s first electric racing series. In addition to driver and team profiles, event calendar, championship standings, rules, car specifications, and a TV guide, the app keeps you up to date with the latest news, videos, and images. The Social Hub allows you to get a quick and easy view of the series activities on Facebook and Twitter, and access to the Fanboost feature is included in the app as well. 360Racing is an interesting new feature contained exclusively in the FIA Formula E App in which the latest, revolutionary camera technology allows you all-around visual access to the world of Formula E. Currently there are two videos of car preparation and the track in Beijing available, but there is more to come in the future as there are plans to equip the Formula E cars with cameras and provide streams and videos of races. There is also a music section available, containing tracks exclusively created for Formula E as well as recordings of after race concerts and parties. Like in the 360Racing section there is little content at the moment, but more is expected as the season progresses. However, there are flaws: The app includes neither live timing, nor live streaming for every country. According to the app description in the Apple and Android app stores, live timing as well as telemetry data from drivers and cars will be made available in the future. Furthermore, while Fanboost and Formula E s social media activities are accessible, there are no embedded social media features that allow interaction or sharing of votes and content on your own social media. As a compilation of the most important facts about the series, the THE FORMULA E APP TO USE OR NOT TO USE? app is a practical guide to help you through the first season of Formula E. It is well-structured and easy to navigate, allowing you to quickly find all bits of information you will need during a race weekend, and the inclusion of news, videos, and images helps you to stay up to date. On the other hand, live timing is not available yet and live streaming is limited to certain regions, and while there are promising, creative features, currently there is little content to show for. However, there is more to come, and ERN will keep an eye on the development of the app.

23 42 SUstainability SPARking the next month 43 SAVING THE ENVIRONMENT WITH THE FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP Formula E isn t just great motorsport; it s a massive step forward in promoting the use of fully electric cars, which will in turn help combat the environmental issues we hear about regularly in the car world - carbon dioxide emissions from cars would be decreased dramatically if we all went electric. The biggest problem we have at the moment though is that although electric cars are environmentally sustainable, they aren t economically sustainable just yet, as the costs of creating the cells etc are too high in comparison to the amount of electric cars being sold. Formula E could certainly have a huge part to play in this, because we have seen many technological advancements in safety and performance of cars with the help of major motorsport series such as Formula One. The problem for electric vehicles is that no one has been working on electric cars in motorsport. Maybe within the next five years the technology advancements within Formu- la E will be apparent in electric cars that we, the general public, will be able to purchase, things such as battery life or even battery size could be worked and improved on by teams within the Formula E community. With the likes of Audi showing interest in joining Formula E in the future, who knows what other car companies will venture into the sport and take technology from there, into new cars. Further to this is social sustainability, with electric vehicles being a fair amount behind their petrol/ diesel counterparts in providing value for money. For example, a petrol powered car can be refuelled in a couple of minutes whereas a fully electric vehicle will take a couple of hours. For the general public this is a huge downfall, why would you want to spend the same, if not more, on an electric car that can t be used as freely as a petrol powered car? That in itself is a huge disadvantage of electric cars. Potentially a work around could be found though (charge the car overnight Editor Shaun Snape Photo credit FIA Formula E Media so it s ready to use in the morning). Not only is the charging a issue, but the range a battery powered car can go is considerably shorter - a typical petrol car can manage 300+ miles on a full petrol tank, whereas an electric car can manage less than half that distance, which is manageable if you re only going to be using the car for small trips, but if your day to day life is travelling long distances for work for instance, an electric car won t be a viable option. Going back to what was mentioned earlier, the technology used in Formula E has the potential to solve all these problems, especially as far as range is concerned - as soon there will be more freedom within the teams competing to modify the car s performance and try to get the best out of the battery. This will allow car manufactures to gain a insight into electric technology, and it certainly seems that within the next five to ten years we will see a huge change in Formula E, and the electric cars you and I will get to drive in the future. THE IDEAL FORMULA E CALENDAR SPARKING THE NEXT MONTH Much has been discussed about the Formula E calendar consisting of only street circuits, but what if there were to be a calendar comprising of a mixture of street circuits and permanent circuits? It is a question to be considered for future seasons. What we here at e-racing want to know is if you had the power to choose a 10 race calendar, which circuits would you go for? All you have to do is make a list of the top 10 circuits you would love to see Formula E visit and put them in your order of preference. From each list we will allocate a points system to each list we receive. From this we will put together a final list of top choices for Formula E circuits and release it in the February edition of enews! Please your lists to Topher Smith at t. smith@e-racing.net enews 003 The next issue of enews will be out on February 13th We will discuss issues such as FanBoost, the EJ and the penalty system in Formula E. Furthermore, we will take a look at the siltent assasin Oriol Servia who remains the only driver to finish in the points in every race.

24 next issue: 13th February 2015