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September 18th, 2014

Inaugural Formula E race thrills Beijing crowd

 

By Jamie White – Head of Communications

 

Excitement is already building ahead of the second Formula E race, following last weekend’s inaugural opener.

Inaugral Formula E race thrills the Beijing crowd - Douglas Stafford Mystery Shopping

 

Beijing hosted the world’s first ever Formula E race, which featured ten teams of two drivers each weaving through a circuit around the city’s Olympic Park.

 

The race, which involves drivers all racing the same Spark-Renault SRT_01E engine cars, reached a dramatic climax when race leaders Nick Heidfeld and Nicolas Prost collided, sending Heidfeld’s vehicle flying before hitting a barrier.

 

Fortunately, both drivers walked away from the remarkable incident unscathed.

 

Prost, son of the four-time former Formula One champion Alain Prost, had been on course to claim the points only for the final-lap collision to hand victory to the Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi and Team Audi.

Inaugral Formula E race thrills the Beijing crowd - Douglas Stafford Mystery Shopping

 

Two British drivers – Sam Bird and Katherine Legg – finished in 12th and 16th place respectively.

 

The ten-stop international circuit, which attracted 75,000 spectators, is aimed to promote electric technology, while attracting new fans to the sport. Formula E can pack practice rounds, qualifying races, and the hour-long competition into a single day.

 

Fans were encouraged to use a program called FanBoost, which they could use to vote for their favourite drivers.

Inaugral Formula E race thrills the Beijing crowd - Douglas Stafford Mystery Shopping

 

The all-weather tyres are designed by Michelin and can last the whole race, meaning each Formula E car only receives 10 tyres for the race weekend, compared to Formula One’s 52.

 

Currently, one battery can’t last the whole race, so drivers must stop and change into a new car with the same Spark-Renault SRT_01E engine, halfway through.

 

With around $100 million in backing from Formula One veterans and notable names like Sir Richard Branson and Leonardo DiCaprio, the Formula E series has plenty of room for developing faster energy-saving cars.

 

Highlights of the race can be found here.

 

The Formula E race calendar:

  • Putrajaya ePrix, Malayasia. November 22nd.
  • Punta Del Este ePrix, Uruguay. December 13th.
  • Buenos Aires ePrix, Argentina. January 10th 2015.
  • Miami ePrix, USA. March 14th 2015.
  • Long Beach ePrix, USA. April 4th 2015.
  • Monte Carlo ePrix, Monaco. May 9th 2015.
  • Berlin ePrix, Germany. May 30th 2015.
  • London ePrix, United Kingdom. June 27th 2015