Bright sparks

Formula E prepares to take its next major step

The Gen2 Formula E that will come on stream for the start of season five of the FIA championship this autumn doesn’t look like a racing car as we know it. But does that matter? Of course not. Formula E was conceived to break the mould and to appeal to a new generation of fans. So there’s good reason why the machine unveiled in March shouldn’t look traditional.

The most important thing, says BMW Motorsport director Jens Marquardt (below), is that the car “looks fast”. And the boss of a manufacturer that will join the series in 2018/19 reckons that the Spark SRT05e, developed in conjunction with Dallara, fits the bill.

He feels we shouldn’t be concerned about the lack of a conventional rear wing. “That’s not the point,” he says. “It’s good that it doesn’t have a big rear wing. I think the car will have downforce enough.”

Formula E isn’t about downforce numbers, and shouldn’t be. It’s about EV technology being paraded in competition in the heart of the world’s big cities.

Formula E founder Alejandro Agag points out that the goal of the series was to “break the mould and challenge the status quo, bring a revolution to motor sport”. He says that the Gen2 car “represents that revolution”.

That’s because the practice of drivers swapping cars mid-race will be phased out for season five.