“I wouldn’t put it in as a TBD with the date secured if I wasn’t extremely assured that we’re over the road already; at the very least technically over the road, if not contractually over the road. I’ve excessive confidence that it’ll go forward.”
As feedback go, these made by System E CEO Jeff Dodds again in June have maybe not aged the most effective with the passage of time and after yesterday’s calendar announcement.
When the original 2024-25 Formula E calendar was revealed, this author requested why a TBD remained on the calendar and simply how assured Dodds was {that a} race would in reality be introduced for the proposed 8 March date, thus making a 17-race schedule for the primary time.
Quick-forward 4 months and the most recent World Motor Sport Council assembly held on Thursday has confirmed that the upcoming System E marketing campaign will comprise of 16 races, with no venue discovered for the TBD slot.
On the face of it, 16 races at 10 totally different places, comprising of metropolis avenue and everlasting race tracks that additionally consists of the Homestead-Miami Speedway and a truncated version of the Jeddah circuit used by Formula 1 – each for the primary time – represents a various and robust providing. However there may be no lacking the chasm, fairly actually, that dropping a race in March has created as a two-month hole now exists between the double-header in Saudi Arabia and the standalone US outing.
What’s simply as regarding is that is the second 12 months in a row the place a race has been misplaced from the calendar. Again in January, it was introduced that the second running of the Hyderabad E-Prix would not take place throughout the 2023-24 season, because the newly elected native authorities, which had vehemently opposed the race, got here into energy. Even with contracts in place and the ramifications that will deliver, Indian officers backtracked, and System E was left with no alternative however to cancel the race.
Simply as was the case final 12 months, when the Hyderabad race was cancelled, System E may have a sizeable hole in its schedule within the upcoming season
Picture by: Mohammed Saad
In that occasion, a niche of six weeks was created, which understandably left drivers, groups and followers pissed off. Any momentum constructed from the opening rounds appeared to ebb away. Producing ‘noise’ has been each one among System E’s strengths and weak point, particularly since Dodds took the helm 18 months in the past.
For six months of the 12 months, races and the storylines produced by them have helped to create headlines and convey the all-electric championship to the world’s consideration. However for the opposite half of the 12 months when no racing takes place, the championship virtually appears to enter hibernation and be forgotten about by massive swathes of the motorsport universe.
Not having a race for 2 months throughout the season is definitely not going to assist with that, even when it permits groups extra time to get on high of the brand new Gen3 Evo machines.
A wide range of choices are on the desk, some extra probably than others, essentially the most outlandish of which may very well be a non-championship race
“None of us need to see that measurement of hole throughout the season,” McLaren crew principal Ian James tells Autosport. “Will we use it to our benefit? After all, we’ll do no matter we are able to to proceed to develop and in a means, it’s a possibility to be taught from the primary occasions that we’ve had with this new [Gen3 Evo] automotive and new strategy.
“So we received’t waste any alternative that comes by way of that, however would we relatively be racing? After all, we’d.”
System E organisers have been fast to spin the information concerning the lack of a seventeenth race on Thursday, boasting concerning the 16 confirmed races and insisting that “work is already below technique to construct and preserve engagement with followers all season lengthy, with extra particulars to be introduced within the coming months”.
It amounted to a obscure assertion, partly attributable to issues nonetheless being very a lot up within the air about an as-yet-unannounced occasion that might be held on the initially slated TBD date. A wide range of choices are on the desk, some extra probably than others, essentially the most outlandish of which may very well be a non-championship race.
Will the yet-to-be confirmed occasion quantity to greater than a fan meet-and-greet?
Picture by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Pictures
Given F1 looked at the idea with regards to an all-rookie race on the finish of the present season, it’s not past the realms of chance that System E would look down the identical route. The championship is already internet hosting an all-female session on the final afternoon of Valencia pre-season testing subsequent month and providing those self same drivers the possibility to compete in a race, even when unofficial, definitely can be one technique to generate headlines.
All of this stays hypothesis, nevertheless, and provided that no appropriate venue was discovered wherever on the planet for a championship race, it could appear much more outlandish for a non-championship occasion to be held as a substitute.
The very fact of the matter is it might simply, and doubtless almost certainly, might be a fan occasion of some sort the place drivers signal autographs, pose for photos and discuss how a lot they’d relatively be racing. An alternative choice is an Esports occasion of an analogous ilk to these held throughout the Covid pandemic – which have been handled severely sufficient that Daniel Abt misplaced his drive with the works Audi crew when it emerged that he had employed a sim ringer to race on his behalf.
“Discussions have been ongoing [between Formula E and teams] about how we are able to guarantee we don’t lose an excessive amount of momentum, particularly from a championship perspective throughout that point,” provides James. “I’m assured we’ll discover a good answer for the followers and for the championship itself that can assist to make up considerably for the actual fact we’re not going to be racing on that day.”
As confirmed over the past decade, System E is just not afraid to go in opposition to conference and push conventional boundaries that included the introduction of initiatives corresponding to Fan Enhance, whereby followers might vote for a driver they want to see get an additional energy surge in racing circumstances.
It’s a fragile line, although, the place novel ideas may be applauded or seen as nothing greater than low cost gimmicks. The jury continues to be out on simply what aspect of the fence the 8 March occasion will fall on, however the backside line is there may be no actual substitute for a race, all of which implies System E’s second decade is off to a bumpy begin earlier than the season has even bought below means.
All championship observers will hope that the occasion constitutes a race of some kind, even a non-points affair
Picture by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Pictures