Thread by @aurahack

- Formula E Intro Thread

The new @FIAFormulaE season is underway and I thought I'd make a quick thread summarizing the sport for anyone interested in picking it up. There's a lot to love and now's a great time to jump in, and here's why! ⬇⬇

- What is it?

Formula E is the all-electric sister-sport to Formula 1. The cars race on circuits located in walled-off city streets, the goal behind that to promote the power and potential of electric cars and the environment-conscious technology that powers them.

- How is it different than F1?

For one, Formula E is a contact sport. While not actively encouraged, the cars are made resilient enough to withstand the VERY frequent bumps and scratches. The tight, closed-off city streets leave little room for error. Sometimes, it's total chaos

- Yikes!

I know! Formula E's rulebook is much less strict about defining "how" drivers can race like F1, meaning drivers can actually -fight- for positions. Every opportunity is taken, which often means risking your entire race for it.

- Are they all, like, rookies or something?

Nope! Some are former F1 winners, others are from 24Hr of LeMans, some are from IndyCar, others from international racing—there's a huge diversity of backgrounds which keeps everyone on their toes. No one is "too" experienced in FE.

- How do the top drivers not just win all the time?

Formula E's qualifying is split into four groups determined by the current driver standings, with the top drivers going out first. This means drivers with fewer points get better track conditions, and can set faster times.

- That doesn't seem fair.

By F1 standards, no, but it means the raceday lineup is never the same, and drivers' performance for the season overall is much more important than in one race. It makes every position matter, and keeps everyone fighting like they're in the top 3.

- Aren't some teams just better than others?

Yes, but not by much. The one thing Formula E is stricter on than F1 is car regulations. A large portion of Formula E development is fixed, meaning the playing ground is relatively level and engineering expertise determines advantages

- How can they do better in a race?

Mario Kart IRL.

No, really. They have boost pads on the track. Drivers are required to driver over the "ATTACK MODE" twice in a race, giving them a 4-minute boost to their car. The top of their car glows when it's on.

There's also boosts awarded through Twitter.

- What

#FanBoost, baby. Before every race, they tally the 5 drivers who trend highest using that hashtag. They then get a 5-second, one-time boost of energy that can get them a free overtake in the right conditions.

- That's insane.

IT'S GREAT. Since the cars are electric, they can also adjust the energy on the fly. Conserving energy is key. You can adjust to give your car extra speed if you need to defend or overtake, but you might also run out of energy at the end of the race.

- Do they show more interesting view of the race?

As of this year, they have cameras INSIDE THE DRIVER'S HELMETS. You see exactly what they see and it's the craziest thing I've seen in motorsports it's extremely cool.

- Are the races long?

Nope! Each race is 45 minutes + 1 lap, meaning when the timer hits 0, the driver in the lead will trigger the final lap when crossing the finish line. This ensures every race is the same length but that energy strategy varies based on track conditions.

- Is it easy to watch?

VERY. All races are uploaded for free on YouTube the week after they air, here: youtube.com/channel/UC-DuR…

The English commentary by @Jack_Nicholls and @dariofranchitti is great, funny, and they explain a lot for newcomers.

It is worth adding that the English commentary team also featured the commentary of @bobvarsha, who has recently been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. He's an incredible talent and has been a blessing to the sport. You can help his battle here. gofundme.com/f/supporting-b…

- You really like Formula E huh

IT'S SO GOOD. The things I outlined above add up to a sport where everyone is going 100% at all times. There's never a down moment—it all balances itself to always have something going on and it makes for constant battles and constant drama.

Motorsport at its finest is the ability to build narratives over a season, into multiple seasons, and having those narratives born in every race. Formula E is full of them and it's been the most fun I've had watching cars race... maybe ever.

- Is it dumb, sometimes, but like in a good way?

It has reaction gifs.

- Ok!! I'll watch!!

HELL YEAH YOU WILL. You can watch here, where the first two races of the year are already posted.

youtube.com/playlist?list=…

You can also catch up on older seasons, which are all there and archived. Have fun!!