Formula E: Everything you need to know about this weekend’s London race
This weekend in London, Formula E – the world’s first fully electric car championship – brings top-class racing back to the capital for the first time in more than 40 years.
The London ePrix is being staged at Battersea Park over two days, with qualifying and the season’s penultimate race on Saturday and the final round – a potential championship decider – on Sunday.
Formula E is similar to Formula One, but with fully electric engines, making it a lot more environmentally friendly. The series aims to generate interest in electric vehicles and promote clean energy.
The 2.9km, anti-clockwise Thameside circuit has been designed by British architect Simon Gibbons, a Formula One circuit planner who also designed the rowing and canoeing venue for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
It uses the existing perimeter roads of the park and will see the drivers tackle a mixture of fast straights, high-speed bends and challenging braking zones.
The London circuit in Battersea Park (Source: FormulaE.com)
Three drivers go into an exciting world title showdown still in contention to become the first ever Formula E world champion.
Among them, Nelson Piquet Jr – the son of racing legend Nelson Piquet –tops the drivers’ table with 17 points, but ex-Formula One racers Sebastian Buemi and Lucas Di Grassi could still overtake the Brazilian.
The race also features English driver Sam Bird of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Racing team, who will be hoping for home advantage in pursuit of his second pole position of the season.
Formula E consists of 10 teams, each with two drivers, who race on temporary city-centre circuits.
The inaugural 2014-15 season started in Beijing in September, before races in cities such as Moscow, Miami, Berlin and Monaco, and now, its climax around the former carriageways of Battersea Park.