Formula E’s new exciting era for the 2024/25 season is already not going as smoothly as they would have liked.
Season 11 of the all-electric series will see the introduction of the Gen3 Evo car; the most technological advanced car Formula E has ever seen.
Not only will the new machine be the fastest car in the championship’s history, but it will also be the fastest accelerating car in a championship governed by the FIA.
Despite the excitement, there has been some issues plaguing FE and the FIA going into the season, particularly with the extremely delayed ‘attack charge’ format.
And with the season opener in Sao Paulo fast approaching, teams and drivers are just getting more sick of the idea the more they hear of it.
Nissan team principal Tommaso Volpe says ‘nobody wants’ the ‘attack charge’ format in Formula E
Simply, the idea behind the ‘attack charge’ format is fast-charging pitstops during a race, with the introduction of 600kW charge boosters.
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However, the system is yet to appear in a race with it being hit with several problems. The teams will only get one charger each, which is problematic in itself as it could compromise the second car if they are forced to stay out another lap behind the first car, and even more so if the charger proves unreliable.
According to a report from The Race, the teams getting one booster per car is ‘not an option’, as it is ‘not part of the original deal’ and costs approximately £300,000 per unit, so doubling that cost is a ‘non-starter.’
The format has been tested at both races and private tests, with it being believed that DS Penske, Jaguar, Nissan and Porsche have run successful tests. However, a ‘specific amount of evidence of successful charges is a contractual obligation before the technology is signed off’, which has led to a mandatory test being set out before the 2024/25 season begins.
With these ongoing issues, teams’ interest in the format has plummeted. In a recent meeting between FE teams and manufacturers, there was a 9-1 vote against it being implemented.
Speaking about the ‘attack charge’, Nissan team principal Tommaso Volpe gave an honest verdict on the matter: “Even just purely speaking from the PR narrative perspective, it has been around with uncertainty for so long that, in a way, it’s lost momentum, and some people just don’t want to hear about it anymore.”
“Our position has always been the same: as long as this is not 100% tested and validated, of course nobody wants to have it in the race.
“So I think because it’s taking so long to validate it – and we might be close to that – because the process was so long, somehow it left everyone with the bad thoughts of ‘is it going to be too disruptive? Is it working?”
The 2024/25 Formula E grid is almost filled
As the opening race of the season in Sao Paulo nears closer, the 2024/25 FE grid is nearing completion with most teams having their driver line-ups locked in.
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ERT are the only team yet to confirm their drivers, but it is anticipated that Sergio Sette Camara and Dan Ticktum will remain with the team for Season 11.
ERT had been in discussion with released Nissan driver Sacha Fenestraz, but it now looks to be all but over for the French-Argentine driver, who only managed 26 points last season.
Sette Camara and Ticktum are set for a third consecutive season with the struggling ERT team, who have only managed to score 65 points between them in the previous two seasons.