Season 8 of the all-electric ABB FIA Method E World Championship racing collection is ready to kick off this weekend in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. As ever, the collection continues to behave as one thing of a proving floor for improvements to “enhance the present,” and this season is not any completely different because of a brand new, “knockout qualifying” format.
It’s hoped that the brand new qualifying format will deliver much more pleasure to the Method E race weekend by persevering with to permit the most effective groups and drivers to showcase their velocity and talent whereas they jockey for monitor place, but in addition enhance the chance that any driver might “get it proper,” pull a lap out of the bag, and discover themselves ranging from the sharp finish of the grid.
The brand new qualifying format splits the sphere of twenty-two automobiles into two teams of 11 drivers every, decided utilizing their rating within the Method E Driver’s World Championship.
From there, every group of 11 “battles it out” at 220 kW to set quick lap occasions in a 10-minute session. The 4 drivers from every group with the 4 quickest single laps then progress to the “Duels” stage.
The Duels are simply what they sound like, pitting the ultimate eight Method E qualifiers in opposition to one another, one after the other, till just one stays (as proven, under). That successful driver takes the Julius Baer-sponsored Pole Place award, whereas the runner-up traces up second. The semi-finalists will line up third and fourth and the quarter-finalists between fifth and eighth, in response to their greatest lap occasions.
To my eyes, it’s a little bit of a multitude – however my baseline is the old-school IMSA sports activities automotive days the place you’d exit one after the other and jam out your laps and that was it. You bought what you bought. This appears needlessly difficult, however the head-to-head facet of the brand new format, ratified final Friday, ought to positively add to the present. And that, in the end, is the purpose.
“Our new qualifying format will showcase the groups and drivers head-to-head all through the season whereas nonetheless permitting any driver on their day to take pole place,” says Alberto Longo, the Chief Championship Officer and Co-founder of Method E, echoing that sentiment. “For our followers, the brand new qualifying format was designed to be intuitive, unpredictable, and entertaining.”
The groups appear into it
The Jaguar TCS Racing group – which narrowly missed out on successful the Season 7 Groups’ Championship, with 177 factors vs. Group Mercedes-EQ at 181 – put out a press launch earlier as we speak about being prepared and desirous to get Season 8 of Method E began, which appears to suggest that they really feel the qualifying format will serve their pursuits.
“At Jaguar TCS Racing there’s nice pleasure to be beginning season eight of the ABB FIA Method E World Championship. After such a aggressive season seven, we’ve got been working exhausting as a group to place ourselves in a robust place this season and we will’t wait to lastly go racing in our Jaguar I-TYPE 5 and begin the battle for World Championship,” says Jaguar TCS Racing Group Principal, James Barclay. “With a brand new qualifying format there are undoubtedly issues we’re going to be taught this weekend, however we’re wanting ahead to the lights going inexperienced as soon as once more.”
The ABB FIA Method E World Championship returns to Diriyah, and the historic desert environment of the UNESCO World Heritage web site for the fourth season, for a double-header weekend kickoff to Season 8. Click on right here to search out out how one can watch the races stay in your space.
Electrek’s Take
Season 8 is the final Method E season with the present automobiles, so subsequent season is all change, with new producers and new drivers coming in, and extra freedom to develop batteries among the many groups, which might result in a technical arms race. That mentioned, Method E has delivered constantly tight and thrilling races – particularly in season 7 – and season 8 seems to be like it would proceed that development.
Positively value watching.
Supply | Pictures: Method E, Jaguar TCS.
