First introduced to people on a global scale during the 2014 Summer Olympics in Beijing, Formula E racing combines the perfect mixture of motorist competition, elite electrical vehicle manufacturers, and international attendance. Described as international street racing with fully-electric single-seater vehicles, Formula E races have been sensational for five years. Jean-Eric Vergne won the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, defending his title from the year prior, on Sunday, July 14th.
Photo Credit: Financial Times
The best drivers in the world, grouped into 10 teams, meet on the track in the finest cities around the globe like Hong Kong, Paris and Rome. Thousands of people, including many celebrities like Irina Shayk—first Russian model to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated—gathered in Brooklyn to watch the DS Techeetah driver take the championship from Robin Frijns, the Envision Virgin Racing driver who crossed the finish line first during the 13th and final race of the 2019 season.
Photo Credit: gettyimages.com
How did this happen, one may ask? Formula E racing follows a standard points system. During the span of seven months, 13 races take place in cities located on five different continents and the top 10 drivers are awarded points calculated by an FIA sanctioned system. Depending on whether the driver comes in 1st to 10th place, accumulating either 25, 18, 15, 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, or 1 point for each race, with the possibility of receiving three additional points for securing a place in the Julius Baer Pole and one additional point for driving the fastest lap of the race. Starting the race with an advantage in the points table over his competitors, Vergne down for only needed to come in the top 10 to become the first back-to-back champion in Formula E history.
Photo Credit: DS Techeetah
Although the scoreboard made it easy to predict the 2019 Formula E champion, the race itself turned out to be an exciting competition. “I’ve just told Robin that him puncturing my tire in Paris cost me the title. I was only 17 points behind, leading the race,” exclaims Sebastien Buemi, who earned 119 points for his team, Nissan E.Dames, taking second place in the standings. Lucas di Grassi, driving for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, and Mitch Evans, representing Panasonic Jaguar Racing, shockingly slammed into the barrier only 4 turns from the finish line. After failing to score any points during the last 3 races, Robin Frijns surprised spectators by making his way to the front of the race. Frijns displayed relief after crossing the finish line first when, later, he told viewers “I’m happy this season is over, and I could wrap it up on a high note so that we can prepare better for the next one.”
True to Frijns’ statement, drivers and manufacturers took a moment to celebrate the winning scores during an awards dinner in New York City, but are eagerly focused on the upcoming ABB FIA Formula E Championship in Ad Diriyah on November 22 & 23. To learn more about Formula E racing and how it is not only an entertaining competition but also contributes to efforts slowing down climate change, visit – www.FIAFormulaE.com.
Photo Credit: electrive.com
