Here is a round-up of Formula E news from the month of March:
1) Calendar Updates
This is another season of unpredictability for Formula E, which has forced organisers into a third calendar change this season. The announcement was made on March 27th that both the Rome and Valencia ePrix would become double-headers.
A statement from the championship explained that Formula E is continuing to “monitor the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and is in constant communication with its community of teams, manufacturers, partners, broadcasters and host cities”.
The Rome ePrix double-header will take place on the 10th and 11th of April. Series organisers have insisted the race would go ahead despite the country re-imposing a widespread lockdown, the situation exacerbated by a limited vaccine supply. The country has also announced a 5-day quarantine for EU arrivals to limit the effects of the third wave.
The second race is expected to have an earlier start time of 1pm to ensure a swift deconstruction of the circuit facilities, as the next round is just two weeks later. The inaugural Valencia ePrix at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo will take place on 24th-25th April, with the venue previously being used for pre-season testing.
These extra races have been announced because it is expected that the Marrakesh ePrix, which was dropped from the original calendar before being re-installed on the last update, will be cancelled. Morocco currently has a partial lockdown and extended its suspension of flights from the UK until April 10th, and the event was only included on the premise of allowing fans. The race on Circuit Moulay el Hassan is scheduled for 22nd May and will not be replaced if cancelled.
Here is how the calendar is expected to look like before the final batch of races will be announced in due course:
| Round | ePrix | Track | Dates |
| 1 | Ad Diriyah ePrix | Riyadh Street Circuit, Saudi Arabia | Friday 26th February 2021 |
| 2 | Ad Diriyah ePrix | Riyadh Street Circuit, Saudi Arabia | Saturday 27th February 2021 |
| 3 | Rome ePrix | Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR, Italy | Saturday 10th April 2021 |
| 4 | Rome ePrix | Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR, Italy | Sunday 11th April |
| 5 | Valencia ePrix | Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Spain | Saturday 24th April 2021 |
| 6 | Valencia ePrix | Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Spain | Sunday 25th April 2021 |
| 7 | Monaco ePrix | Circuit de Monaco, Monaco | Saturday 8th May 2021 |
| 8 | Santiago ePrix | Parque O’Higgins Circuit, Chile | Saturday 5th June 2021 |
| 9 | Santiago ePrix | Parque O’Higgins Circuit, Chile | Sunday 6th June 2021 |
| TBA | Berlin ePrix | Tempelhof Airport Circuit, Berlin | TBA |
| TBA | London ePrix | ExCeL London, UK | TBA |
| TBA | Mexico City ePrix | Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico | TBA |
| TBA | New York City ePrix | Brooklyn Street Circuit, USA | TBA |
| TBA | Sanya ePrix | Haitang Bay Circuit, China | TBA |
| TBA | Seoul ePrix | Seoul Street Circuit, South Korea | TBA |
| OFF | Paris ePrix | Circuit des Invalides, France | – |
| OFF | Marrakesh ePrix | Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, Morocco | – |
2) BBC to broadcast first Rome ePrix on terrestrial television
After shunning Formula E on the red button and the iPlayer, BBC announced on 1st April that the first Rome ePrix will be shown on BBC2. The coverage will start at 14:45 (BST) with the race starting just after 15:00.
This will be the third time that Formula E has been shown on terrestrial, having done so with the 2019 Hong Kong ePrix (to celebrate FE’s 50th race) and the Rome ePrix. The platform was due to show Rome again last season, but the race was cancelled due to the pandemic.
3) Nissan delays new powertrain
Nissan announced on 30th March that they have delayed the introduction of the new Nissan IM03 machine until at least the Valencia E-Prix on the 24th-25th April.
Along with defending teams’ champion DS Techeetah and the Dragon Penske Autosport squad, Nissan e.dams chose to wait until after 5th April this year to bring in a new powertrain, following a change to the homologation periods that only allows manufacturers to introduce one new powertrain over the next two seasons.
A brief statement from the team said:
“With the agreement of the FIA, we have rescheduled the debut of the new Nissan e.dams Gen2 Formula E powertrain due to a covid related delay of parts.”
“We would like to thank the FIA for their flexibility.”
This is a further setback for Nissan, who finished runners-up in the Team’s standings last year. The Japanese manufacturer had some considerable catching up to do after seeing their twin-motor configuration banned after the conclusion of Season 5 (2018-19).
4) Eindhoven edges closer to hosting a race
The Dutch city of Eindhoven has taken a step closer to hosting a Formula E, potentially as early as the 2021/22 season, after a key vote from government ministers.
In a letter sent to Formula E boss, Jamie Reigle, the ministers stated:
“We are convinced that the enthusiasm and commitment of the organising committee will ensure a successful event in a hospitable, safe and open atmosphere both for the participants and visitors.”
“On behalf of the Dutch government we would like to emphasise that we consider it an honour to host the Eindhoven E-Prix in The Netherlands.”
The letter was signed by Tamara van Ark (minister for medical care and sport), Cora van Nieuwenhuizen (minister of infrastructure and water management), Sigrid Kaag, (minister for foreign trade and development cooperation), Bas van ’t Wout (minister of economic affairs and climate policy) and state secretary Mona Keijzer.
According to Formula Eindhoven (leading campaign to bring Formula E to Eindhoven), a sporting event has never before received cross-departmental support in the way that the proposed ePrix has.
The Netherlands has seen an increasing presence on the Formula E grid following the success of Nyck de Vries (Mercedes) and Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin). The Dutch duo swept pole positions at the opening double-header in Ad Diriyah in February, de Vries won the first race whilst Frijns finished P2 in the second race.
5) Porsche and Nissan commit to Gen3; Mercedes miss deadline
Formula E saw a further two manufacturers confirm their commitment to Formula E for its Gen3 era beginning in the 2022/23 season. The last week saw Porsche and Nissan both commit to the new rules that will be in place until 2025/26.
FE’s new rules result in the creation of rapid pit stops, car power increasing to 350kW (470bhp) and lighter batteries which will see car weights reduce by 120kg.
The news follows the shockwaves of Audi and BMW withdrawing at the end of this season. Though, Gen3 still has a healthy number of participants after commitments from Mahindra and DS, whilst Dragon / Penske and NIO 333 have all indicated that they will sign up for the new era as well. They will be joined by McLaren, who have secured a tender to enter in 2022/23 after withdrawing as a technology partner to the series.
However, Mercedes missed the deadline of 31st March to confirm their participation. The team have stated:
“Whilst recent discussions relating to key topics such as the implementation of a cost cap for Formula E have been largely positive, there are still important details regarding the structure of the series which are in clarification.”
Mercedes are also undertaking an overhaul of the team at the conclusion of Season 7, consolidating operations to their Brackley site. The German team are expected to commit to Gen3, but will miss early access to some of the technology provided by Spark Racing Technology (chassis), Williams Advanced Engineering (batteries) and Hankook (tyres) for the new cars.
6) New Safety Car
In a similar deal to that between Mercedes and Aston Martin in F1, Formula E will have two different safety cars with the introduction of the Mini Electric. The deal was announced on 30th March and will see the Mini Electric Pacesitter appear at select rounds, dovetailing responsibilities with the BMW i8 Roadster, and will make its debut at the Rome ePrix double header next weekend.
The car has had a few modifications, notably being 130kg lighter than the regular Mini Electric. It will run the same 182bhp powertrain to accelerate to 62mph in 6.7 seconds, six tenths quicker than the standard car. The Pacesitter will also run the same Michelin front tyres as the Formula E cars.
