Written by Jacob Awcock, Edited by Umut Yelbaşı
The inaugural Jeddah E-Prix kicks off this week, but upon Formula E’s arrival to the Middle East, there will still be challenges and hurdles for the series to jump over before the lights go out for the first time on Saturday.
Drivers facing a brand new circuit
Arriving at a brand new circuit is never easy for any driver. Learning which way the track goes, when to brake, when to turn - they face a multitude of tasks already. When they race in Formula E, however, the challenges multiply due to the nature of their series.
80% of the circuits on the current calendar are street circuits, which are famously trickier than purpose-made racing circuits. Making their way around the tight bends means drivers have to be extra alert when navigating street circuits.
Jeddah proves no exception to this, as the 3.001km circuit twists its way around the seaside town with the drivers having to kiss the barriers at every corner. Formula E prides itself in challenging its 22 drivers and the compact nature of the Jeddah Corniche circuit will do just that for these elite drivers.
With 19 corners and five straights, four of which end in chicanes, wheel-to-wheel action is likely but running two abreast into these chicanes may prove challenging. Contact between battling drivers is something the teams will look to avoid, but it may prove inevitable in some cases.
We know the track from Formula 1, but the circuit will exclude part of the first and second sectors of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit we’ve seen. The Formula E drivers will run through the first chicane and will be greeted by a hairpin sending them onto the back straight, just after turn 20.
Thursday’s rookie practice will allow the teams to gain valuable circuit information, but both Free Practice sessions will prove even more critical for the drivers in learning the new circuit and getting to grips with the series’ latest location.
The introduction of Pit Boost
Shortly after the Mexico City E-Prix, Formula E gave the green light for the brand new Pit Boost system to be introduced for the Jeddah E-Prix.
The new system features an in-race pitstop where cars will stop for 30 seconds to receive a 10% energy increase (3.85kWh) via a 600KW ultra-fast energy boost in the pitlane. It will be mandatory for all drivers to use in one of the races in double headers.
Sacrificing track position for the extra 10% boost will make overtaking more likely and drivers will run closer throughout the race. Slower drivers will run out of position towards the rear of the field, but it's how they recover this lost ground during the race that will make the E-Prix so much more exciting.
Teams have already been given the race information for Jeddah, which includes the Pit Boost window and details about its deployment, which are separate from the existing Attack Mode rules.
Pit Boost will provide a whole different complexity to E-Prix’s, giving teams a much more important role to play in the strategic elements of the race.
With Jeddah being a double header, the system will only be needed twice across the two races, but its impact on the races will be monumental and mistakes will undoubtedly be made.
Ahead of the inaugural Jeddah E-Prix, drivers and teams alike will have a lot to figure out. The brand new circuit along with the debuting Pit Boost means Jeddah is poised to be one of the most exciting E-Prix’s this season.
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