In all honesty, they’re just numbers though and the slightly slower top speeds don’t seem to have any impact on the quality of the racing! Street circuits The first comparison people tend to look for is speed, and while Formula E cars do accelerate at a similar rate to F1 cars, their top speed peaks at around 280km/h, roughly 70km/h less. While modern F1 cars use a V6 turbo-hybrid power unit (pairing an internal combustion engine with two electric motors), a Formula E car uses a fully electric powertrain that draws power from a battery that’s kicking out an impressive 250kW! The teams instead focus their R&D efforts on developing other parts of the car such as the powertrain, gearbox, and suspension, and it’s these elements, along with some incredibly advanced software, that sets one car apart from another in terms of performance.
Although visually the cars appear similar, this is simply because the chassis itself is homologated. It’s worth remembering that Formula E is NOT a spec series, as some seem to think. So what is Formula E doing that F1 isn’t to make all these manufacturers rush there to promote their green tech credentials? Let’s start with the cars themselves. In modern motorsport, and in the car industry generally, major manufacturers are no longer able to comfortably justify the enormous R&D costs required to compete in F1 when the future road relevance of the product they’re producing is fairly limited.Ĭonsumers today are more environmentally aware than perhaps any generation since mass car manufacturing began and with many countries planning to outright ban the sale of petrol and diesel-fuelled vehicles from as early as 2030, Formula E offers the perfect platform for global carmakers to promote the next generation of low-emission vehicle technology. So why, with the exception of Mercedes who compete in both, are these manufacturers focused solely on Formula E rather than chasing the exponentially larger global reach offered by F1.
#F1 2012 CAR COMPARISON SERIES#
Not bad for a series less than six years old! Road relevance
While F1 currently stages Grand Prix in 21 different countries (compared to the 12 countries that hosted an E-Prix last season), Formula E travels only to densely-populated cities that are actively fighting to counteract climate change and reduce air pollution.īy helping to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in these locations, Formula E has attracted some of the largest car manufacturers in the world, including the likes of Audi, BMW, DS, Jaguar, Mercedes, Nissan, and Porsche. Sustainabilityįormula E became the world’s first fully-electric international single-seater racing series when it launched back in 2014, and while F1 has the richer heritage (it’s been around since 1950), Formula E has grown to become one of the most important racing series in global motorsport.įounded by Spanish businessman and former politician, Alejandro Agag, Formula E’s goal is clear to promote the uptake of electric mobility and renewable energy solutions in major cities around the world. To understand the main differences between F1 and Formula E, first, you must understand the philosophy of which Formula E’s very existence is built upon. Formula E’s growing popularity has understandably led to many comparisons with F1, but the series that literally developed from an idea scrawled on the back of a napkin now has an important role to play in the future direction of modern motorsport. While they might appear quite similar to the casual observer, the two championships are in fact very different. A question we’re often asked what exactly is the difference between F1 and Formula E?