Hong Kong ePrix: Presentation and Stakes

We shouldn’t start on alternating current this weekend.

It is now time for the 2017-2018 Formula E Championship to begin its series of 14 races spread across 11 different cities around the globe. With the scores reset following Lucas Di Grassi’s title, the stakes will be high for the various drivers and teams on the grid.

First, it will be necessary to see if the men in form are still the same with Sébastien Buemi and Lucas Di Grassi headlining with their teams Renault e.dams and Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler. It will also be interesting to observe if the teams Mahindra, DS Virgin, and Techeetah have closed the gap with the leading teams. Regarding the other teams, the most scrutinized will undoubtedly be Jaguar, which now has a year of experience behind it and has recruited the champion of the inaugural season, Nelson Piquet. This double ePrix will also be an opportunity to analyze the contribution of the newcomers to the championship as well as the stronger involvement of Audi and BMW.

The main changes this year are in the schedule, which will see races taking place for the first time in Santiago, Sao Paulo, Rome, and Zurich. Additionally, the available power of the race cars will increase from 170 kilowatts to 180 to provide a better sensation of speed between the walls of the different cities visited. Unlike previous years, no new parts of the race car will be open for development.

#FANBOOST is back! Get voting now for the 2017 FIA Formula E HKT Hong Kong E-Prix> https://t.co/m7PL3MzLme

Get voting now! ⚡️ #HKEPrix pic.twitter.com/dBwVnRrWlf

— FIA Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) 27 novembre 2017

The dawn of the championship rises over Hong Kong’s Port.

The 1.85-kilometer track that the cars will navigate during this double ePrix is located in the Central Harbourfront district of Hong Kong. The main backdrop of the race will be the International Finance Centre, the Ferris wheel, and the city hall.

The circuit features 10 corners and begins with a straight leading to a right hairpin which constitutes turn 1. The track then continues on a slightly right-bending straight to reach turn 2, which is a 90-degree right turn. The single-seaters will then navigate a left-right chicane forming turns 3 and 4. The next sector is much more winding and narrow, with turn 5 being a long right bend leading to a right hairpin (turn 6). Drivers will then turn slightly left at turn 7 before taking a 90-degree left corner (turn 8). The short straight then leads to a tightening right curve (turn 9), where the pit entry is also located. Finally, the Formula E cars will complete the lap with a fast right turn (turn 10) leading onto the start-finish straight.

Go for a virtual lap on the streets of Hong Kong, ahead of the 2017 FIA Formula E HKT Hong Kong E-Prix #HKEPrix @rFactor2 pic.twitter.com/i7WhRB3wKK

— FIA Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) 30 novembre 2017

The latest information to remember

Ma Qing Hua becomes reserve driver for NIO

The former Citroën driver in the WTCC (World Touring Car Championship) Ma Qing Hua has been announced as the reserve driver for the Chinese team NIO for the 2017-2018 season. This is not the Chinese driver’s first role in the championship, as he participated without much success in four Formula E races with the Aguri team during season 2 (a team whose license was bought by Techeetah) as well as three races last season with Techeetah, but again without any conclusive results.

Welcome 欢迎 to the NIO family @maqinghuaF1 👍 NIO Formula E Team Reserve Driver for Season 4 #BlueSkyComing – see Ma’s video on our Facebook page pic.twitter.com/qdNznkOULo

— NIO (@NIOGlobal) 23 novembre 2017

The partnership between Faraday Future and Dragon comes to an end

The Californian company founded in 2014 and specializing in new technologies, Faraday Future will no longer be the title sponsor of the Dragon Racing team starting next season. Faraday Future, which first sponsored the Long Beach ePrix in 2016, then partnered with the Dragon team just before the beginning of last season. However, after a disastrous season finishing in eighth place among the teams, the partnership has been terminated. This breakup occurs against the backdrop of uncertainties regarding the financial situation of the start-up and its patron. The company has also recently lost its competition director Nate Schroeder as well as its executive director Marco Mattiacci, a former director of Ferrari in F1.

The Global Advisory Committee is formed:

This structure was created with the aim of deciding the future directions that Formula E will take. However, this group is not intended to determine the future regulations of the championship, which remains the responsibility of the FIA, but rather the financial and media aspects of Formula E. The committee will be composed of personalities from various sectors. The leadership of the group will be entrusted to Christiana Figueres, who was instrumental in the signing of the Paris Agreement on climate change, as well as Alain Prost, who is co-owner of the Renault e-dams team. The other members of the committee include Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of Formula E, Charles Chao, President and CEO of SINA, Gerd Mauser, Marketing Director of Jaguar Land Rover and Chairman of Jaguar Racing, Martin Whitmarsh, director of the America’s Cup Land Rover BAR team and former Team Principal of the McLaren team, Marco Parroni, Global Sponsorship and Deputy Head of Marketing at Julius Bär (main sponsor of Formula E), as well as Lucas di Grassi, reigning Formula E champion and driver for the Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team.

The TV schedule

To follow the two races this weekend, there are plenty of options. You can choose between Eurosport 1, C8, and Canal+ Sport which broadcast the first race at 7:50 a.m. on Saturday and the second race at the same time on Sunday.