The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, more commonly known as Formula E, is an open-wheel single-seater motorsport championship and the highest class of competition for electrically powered single-seater racing cars.

History

The idea for a city-based, single-seater electric car motor racing championship was conceived by the President of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Jean Todt, and was presented to politicians Alejandro Agag and Antonio Tajani on the 3rd March 2011.

Formula E’s founding mission was for it to race through the streets of some of the most iconic cities in the world – with a grid consisting of the best racing drivers and teams in motorsport – to show what sustainable mobility was capable of, with the aim of driving electric vehicles to the forefront in a race for a better, cleaner environment.

Regulations

The Formula E Championship is currently contested by 22 drivers and 11 teams as of the 2024 season.

The sport features electric-powered race cars that are similar in design to the hybrid-drive cars of Formula One. 

Practice

All practice sessions in Formula E are 30 minutes long, with the first practice session generally taking place on Friday afternoon, whilst the second takes place on Saturday morning – although in Monaco both sessions are held on the Saturday morning. During these sessions, the drivers are allowed to use the full qualifying power output.

On “double-header” weekends, an additional practice session takes place on the Sunday morning.

Qualifying

Qualifying typically takes place later on in the day and lasts approximately one hour. Under the current format, the drivers are split into two groups based on their position in the Championship – those in odd-numbered places go into Group A, whilst those in even-numbered places go into Group B. The only exception is the first race of the season, where each team can nominate one driver into each group.

Each group gets a 10-minute session to set a fastest lap at 300kW, in which the top 4 of each group advances through to the “duels” stage, where the drivers face off head-to-head at 350 kW over a quarter-final, semi-final and final.

The winner of the final lines up on pole, with the loser of the final in second, the losers of the semi-final in 3rd and 4th, and the losers of the quarter-finals in 5th to 8th place according to the times set in their respective sessions. The rest of the grid are placed alternatively with those in the pole-sitter grid in the odd places and the other group in the even places. 

Race Format

Formula E, like most other major motorsport series, currently has races that have a certain lap distance set. Also, for every four laps that are spent under full course yellow of the safety car, an additional lap of racing is added to the race length.

From Season 1-4, Formula E had a lap distance set, with pit-stops to swap cars halfway through as the batteries lacked the capacity to last the whole race. However, from Season 5, the race was set to 45 minutes plus one lap, as the introduction of the Gen2 car that year meant that pit stops were no longer necessary due to the battery now lasting the full race.

Formula E started out in 2014-15 racing solely on street circuits, with many built as temporary circuits (e.g. Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit). The first race on a dedicated racetrack was held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico in the 2017-17 season, albeit heavily shortened compared to the one used in Formula 1’s Mexican Grand Prix.

The first-ever Formula E race held on a full-length race track configuration of a circuit designed for other racing leagues was the 2023 Portland ePrix at the Portland International Raceway.

Point Scoring

Points are awarded to the top ten drivers using the standard FIA system (25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1). The driver that secured the pole position is also awarded 3 points, whilst the driver setting the fastest lap (if they finish in the top ten) additionally receives 1 point (2 points during the first two seasons). In addition, for season six and seven (2019-21), the driver achieving the fastest lap during group qualifying was awarded 1 point.

The championship consists of both a drivers’ and teams’ championship. The driver’s end of season total is made up of a driver’s best results, whereas the team’s total is made up by counting both drivers’ scores throughout the season.

Fanboost

For Formula E’s first eight seasons (2014-22), fans could vote for their favourite driver via the official website or app to potentially provide the teams with an extra power boost which could be activated by pushing the overtake button.

Voting would begin three days before the event and close after the first 15 minutes of the race. The five drivers with the most votes received an extra power burst that could be used in a 5-second window during the second half of the race. Since the 2023 season (Season 9), Fanboost was discontinued.

Attack Mode

In Season 5, a feature known as Attack Mode was introduced, in which drivers received an additional 25 kW (35 kW in Seasons 6 and 7) of power by driving through a designated area of the circuit off the racing line.

The duration of the boost mode and the number of boosts available were decided by the FIA shortly before the race to reduce the time the teams had to find the optimal strategy. All attack modes had to be activated at the end of the race but did not need to be used up. If there is a full course yellow period or a safety car, attack mode is not allowed to be activated.

The Attack Mode format was changed in Season 9, as instead of changing the number of times the drivers had to drive through the activation zone during the race as well as the duration each boost would last, the drivers would now get a combined 4 minutes of Attack Mode to use, that would be used in 2 activation periods throughout the race.

During the first activation period, drivers would have to choose their Attack Mode activation time ‘strategy’, where they could either pick from having 2 2-minute attack mode periods, a 1-minutes then 3-minute period, or vice versa. From the 2023 Jakarta E-Prix, it was lengthened to a combined 8 minutes.

Attack Charge

A new feature known as Attack Charge was set to be introduced in Season 9, however this was delayed due to the need to solve issues with the Gen3 car’s newer batteries. In Attack Charge races, the teams will be required to do a mandatory 30-second stop to recharge the car’s batteries, and the stop will unlock two enhanced attack mode boosts.

Previous Championships

2014-15 – Season 1

The inaugural season of Formula E consisted of 11 races held across 10 different host cities: Beijing (China), Putrajaya (Malaysia), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Long Beach (United States), Miami (United States), Monte Carlo (Monaco), Berlin (Germany), Moscow (Russia), and finally London (United Kingdom) where the final two rounds of the championship took place.

Over the course of the season, there were 7 different race winners: Sebastian Buemi (x3), Sam Bird (x2), Nelson Piquet Jr. (x2), Antonio Felix da Costa, Nicolas Prost, Jerome d’Ambrosio, and Lucas Di Grassi.

The championship was decided with the last race in London, where Nelson Piquet Jr. became the first Formula E champion, by only a single point ahead of Sebastian Buemi. The team championship was decided on the second to last race, with e.Dams Renault winning ahead of Dragon Racing by 232 points to 171 points – with Dragon Racing surpassing ABT in the final round of the season.

2015-16 – Season 2

The second season of Formula E began in October of 2015 and ended in early July of 2016. The calendar consisted of 10 races in 9 different cities: Beijing (China), Putrajaya (Malaysia), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Mexico City (Mexico), Long Beach (United States), Paris (France), Berlin (Germany) and London (United Kingdom) where the final two rounds of the championship took place.

Over the course of the season, there were 5 different race winners: Sebastien Buemi (x3), Lucas di Grassi (x3), Nicolas Prost (x2), Sam Bird, and Jerome d’Ambrosio.

After 10 rounds, Sebastien Buemi won the championship by just two points over Lucas di Grassi after setting the fastest lap in the final race. A controversial crash caused by di Grassi, saw both title contenders out of the final race, before they returned to the track in their second cars in an attempt to claim the fastest lap – which Buemi successfully achieved. Renault e.Dams retained their Teams’ Championship title.

2016-17 – Season 3

The third season of Formula E began in October of 2016 in Hong Kong and ended in July of 2017 in Montreal. The calendar consisted of 12 races in 9 cities: Hong Kong, Marrakesh (Morocco), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Mexico City (Mexico), Monaco, Paris (France), Berlin (Germany), New York (United States), and Montreal (Canada).

Over the course of the season, there were 5 different race winners: Sebastien Buemi (x6), Lucas di Grassi (x2), Sam Bird (x2), Jean-Eric Vergne, and Felix Rosensqvist.

ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport driver Lucas di Grassi secured his first Drivers’ Championship in the season finale race in Montreal, some 24 points ahead of defending champion Sebastien Buemi – who missed the two New York City races due to a calendar clash with his World Endurance Championship commitment. Whilst neither of their drivers won the drivers’ title, Renault e.Dams secured their third consecutive Teams’ Championship, ahead of ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport and Mahindra.

2017-18 – Season 4

The fourth season of Formula E began in December of 2017 in Hong Kong and ended in July of 2018. The calendar consisted of 12 races in 10 cities: Hong Kong, Marrakesh (Morocco), Santiago (Chile), Mexico City (Mexico), Punta del Este (Uruguay), Rome (Italy), Paris (France), Berlin (Germany), Zurich (Switzerland), and New York (United States).

Over the course of the season, there were 5 different race winners: Jean-Eric Vergne (x4), Sam Bird (x2), Felix Rosenqvist (x2), Daniel Abt (x2), and Lucas di Grassi (x2).

Jean-Eric Vergne clinched the title with a race to spare in New York by finishing fifth whilst title rival Sam Bird failed to score enough points to keep the fight going into the final race of the season. After a difficult initial first half of the season, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler improved in the second half and passed Techeetash at the final race to claim the teams’ championship by two points.

2018-19 – Season 5

The fifth season of Formula E began in December of 2018 in Saudi Arabia and ended in July of 2019 in the United States. The calendar consisted of 13 races in 12 cities: Diriyah (Saudi Arabia), Marrakesh (Morocco), Santiago (Chile), Mexico City (Mexico), Hong Kong, Sanya (China), Rome (Italy), Paris (France), Monaco, Berlin (Germany), Bern (Switzerland), and New York (United States).

Over the course of the season, there were 9 different race winners: Jean-Eric Vergne (x3), Lucas di Grassi (x2), Robin Frijns (x2), Antonio Felix da Costa, Jerome d’Ambrosio, Sam Bird, Edoardo Mortara, Mitch Evans, and Sebastian Buemi.

After the first race in New York City, Jean-Eric Vergne won his second Formula E championship, becoming the first driver to win more than one championship title, and a back-to-back championship title. Techeetah won their first constructor’s championship.

2019-20 – Season 6

The sixth season of Formula E began in November of 2019 in Saudi Arabia and ended in August of 2020 in Germany. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the championship was suspended in March of 2020 and all scheduled races were eventually cancelled. The season was completed in August with six races at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit in Berlin on three different layouts – a race on the reverse layout, a race on the normal layout, and a race with a new extended layout – with two races each.

Over the course of the season, there were 10 different race winners: Antonio Felix da Costa (x2), Daniel Abt, Oliver Rowland, Alexander Sims, Pascal Wehrlein, Stoffel Vandoorne, Mitch Evans, Sam Bird, Lucas di Grassi, and Nico Muller.

Antonio Felix da Costa claimed his first championship title with two races left of the season, whilst DS Techeetah became team champions for the second time in a row.

2020-21 – Season 7

The seventh season of Formula E began in February of 2021 in Saudi Arabia and ended in August of 2021 in Germany. Due to having met the criteria of having four manufacturer competitors and races on three continents since the 2015-16 season, the Formula E Championship was granted FIA World Championship status.

The calendar consisted of 15 rounds in 8 cities: Diriyah (Saudi Arabia), Rome (Italy), Valencia (Spain), Monaco, Puebla (Mexico), New York (United States), London (United Kingdom), and Berlin (Germany).

Over the course of the season there were 12 different race winners: Nyck de Vries (x2), Jake Dennis (x2), Lucas di Grassi (x2), Sam Bird, Jean-Eric Vergne, Stoffel Vandoorne, Antonio Felix da Costa, Edoardo Mortara, Maximilian Gunther, Sam Bird, Alex Lynn, Norman Nato.

Nyck de Vries claimed the first Formula E World Champion title, whilst Mercedes-EQ won their first teams’ championship title in their second year.

2021-22 – Season 8

The eighth season of Formula E began in January of 2022 in Saudi Arabia and ended in August of 2022 in South Korea. The calendar consisted of 16 rounds in 10 cities: Diriyah (Saudi Arabia), Mexico City (Mexico), Rome (Italy), Monaco, Berlin (Germany), Jakarta (Indonesia), Marrakesh (Morocco), New York (United States), London (United Kingdom), and Seoul (South Korea).

Over the course of the season there were 9 different race winners: Mitch Evans (x4), Edoardo Mortara (x4), Nyck de Vries (x2), Pascal Wehrlein, Stoffel Vandoorne, Nick Cassidy, Antonio Felix da Costa, Jake Dennis, and Lucas di Grassi.

Stoffel Vandoorne claimed his first Drivers’ World Champion title, whilst Mercedes EQ won the Teams’ Championship for the second time in a row, before bowing out of the Championship series – selling their entry and assets to McLaren.

2022-23 – Season 9

The ninth season of Formula E began in January of 2023 in Mexico and ended in July of 2023 in the United Kingdom. The calendar consisted of 16 rounds in 11 cities: Mexico City (Mexico), Diriyah (Saudi Arabia), Hyderabad (India), Cape Town (South Africa), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Berlin (Germany), Monaco, Jakarta (Indonesia), Portland (United States), Rome (Italy), and London (United Kingdom).

Over the course of the season there were 7 different race winners: Nick Cassidy (x4), Mitch Evans (x4), Pascal Wehrlein (x3), Jake Dennis (x2), Jean-Eric Vergne, Antonio Felix da Costa and Maximilian Guenther.

Jake Dennis, driving for Avalanche Andretti Formula E, won his first-ever World Championship with just 1 race to spare in London. Envision Racing became the new Teams’ Championship, claiming the title at the final race, ahead of their engine supplier, Jaguar TCS Racing.

2023-24 – Season 10

The tenth season of Formula E began in January of 2024 in Mexico and ended in July of 2024 in the United Kingdom. The calendar consisted of 16 rounds in 10 cities: Mexico City (Mexico), Diriyah (Saudi Arabia), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Tokyo (Japan), Misano (Italy), Monaco, Berlin (Germany), Shanghai (China), Portland (United States), and London (United Kingdom).

Over the course of the season there were  different race winners: Antonio Felix da Costa (x4), Pascal Wehrlein (x3), Oliver Rowland (x2), Nick Cassidy (x2), Mitch Evans (x2), Jake Dennis, Maximilian Guenther, and Sam Bird.

Pascal Wehrlein, driving for TAG Heuer Porsche, won his first World Drivers’ Championship at the final race of the season. Jaguar TCS Racing took their first World Teams’ Championship and also won the inaugural Manufacturer’s Cup.