Why Formula E Drivers are SO AGGRESSIVE!

Formula E races are mad, and the drivers are SUPER aggressive. In one race this year there were 190 overtakes - there are huge lunges, loads of wheel banging and lap long battles.

But what makes it possible to overtake so much, and why are the drivers SO aggressive?

Formula E is now on its 3rd generation of car. They have about 470 BHP, that’s about half of F1, but with significantly less downforce and drag than an F1 car, they can still get up to 200 mph. And for a car that runs on treaded tyres, that’s a lot.

#formulae #motorsport #ad

[ajejebrazov]

Just some details about telemetry: drivers can see data on their steering wheel displays and can communicate them via radio to the engineers.
But the radio comms are open, so not a great idea to publicly tell your data, so drivers limit the comms and use cipher codes.
Btw that's the reason the displays are pixeled in the pov cameras: to avoid engineers can read them from tv

[nbomb]

Actually FE ran a race on a track just recently, on Portland International Raceway, and it set a new record for overtakes, with over 400 overtakes on the track.

[Rdebo_]

the proper real old school racing in modern world without sound.

[turboothest]

The Formula E Races I spotted in this video:
2022 NYC E-Prix
2016 London E-Prix
2023 Berlin E-Prix
2023 Diriyah E-Prix
2023 Jakarta E-Prix
2019 Santiago E-Prix
2016 Punta del Este E-Prix
2015 Monaco E-Prix
Circuit Layouts at 1:03 are for:
2020 Mexico City E-Prix / TOP LEFT
2015-2023 Berlin E-Prix / TOP RIGHT
2019-2020 Santiago E-Prix / BOTTOM LEFT
2021-2023 London E-Prix / BOTTOM RIGHT
Let's keep going
1:10 Track map of the circuit in the 2023 Cape Town E-Prix
2021 Diriyah E-Prix
2021 London E-Prix
2023 Rome E-Prix
2021 Berlin E-Prix
2014 (in the 2015 season) Beijing E-Prix
2023 Hyderabad E-Prix
2023 Mexico City E-Prix
2023 Cape Town E-Prix
2023 Monaco E-Prix
2022 Berlin E-Prix
2022 Diriyah E-Prix
2017 (in the 2018 season) Hong Kong E-Prix
2016 Mexico City E-Prix
2019 Marrakesh E-Prix
2020 Reverse Berlin E-Prix
2023 Portland E-Prix

[laletemanolete]

Damn, I didn't know FE teams relied on the TV broadcast to know how much energy there is left in the car!!!!

[soundscape]

As someone who doesn't know much about Formula E I greatly enjoyed this video. Thanks!

[dustinabigan]

Feels like the driver aggressiveness pretty much boils down to the energy part and how limited the energy of all the cars actually is. That pretty much means you can't spend too much time behind another driver, especially when the main way you can make use of said energy is both overtaking at the right time then crossing the line with the bear minimum energy needed so that you don't get disqualified. It's going to be interesting to see how FE racing plays out once energy density in batteries increases and the sport considers mid-race recharging.

[shianeruu]

I'm finally coming back to Formula E now that fan boost is gone. Hopefully they can develop the car enough for them to race in proper race circuits

[Scott_Graham]

I went to the race in Portland this year. First time FE has raced on a permanent road course. So many overtakes. It was fantastic.

[toxicch.]

I feel like a lot of fe critics dont understand that fe is closer to tintop racing than it is open wheelers. Aside from the obvious fact that they have no cockpit, the general rigidity of the cars makes it easier and safer to go side-by-side without risking as much damage, making moves you'd expect to see in GT, touring cars, etc.

[armathyx]

This along with NASCAR changes (dirt roads, different tracks) is a good direction for racing. A bit of unpredictability makes it so much more fun to watch than F1 races where it's always the same car brands and drivers winning.

[theinnercircle]

The overtakes and defending reminds me of online races in F1 games 😂

[willouxdu]

1:56 Nah, bro just wanted to kill the competition

[gnralkim]

If you want to finish in 1st, you have to finish first.

[karelpgbr]

I love how “old DTM” Formula E is, it’s so cool to watch and I want to see one of the races live

[mgsPWlover]

This is the best argument I've heard for getting into Formula E for fans of other motorsports

[WungoBungo]

Best advertisement for Formula E I’ve ever seen!

[jedlin]

Generally they changed design of front of gen 3 cars, because gen 2 closed-wheel design encouraged touring-cars-style battles way too much

[KelsomaticPDX]

I unexpectedly saw the FE race in Portland this year with some surprise free tickets. I knew almost nothing going in but DAMN, they were aggressive and there were so many overtakes. I didn’t love everything about it but it was incredible to watch the battles.

[Andy__]

It's important to note also that as the cars are very similar in terms of performance, you cannot rely on the superior performance of your car eventually giving you an overtake. The right overtake or defence at the right time is very important.

The number of overtakes is mostly due to the low downforce allowing close following, similarity in car performance, and strategy that doesn’t allow you to lead from the front for the whole race and in Gen3 specifically encourages you to sit in the pack for a while.