Can Formula E Overcome Second Season Syndrome

This article is part of the e-Generation series, produced in partnership with Renault

The world waited with bated breath as five red lights turned to green on a crisp Beijing afternoon last September. How would the FIA's first fully-endorsed foray into electric racing work out? Would the hastily assembled cars suffer unreliability? Would the introduction of FanBoost, a five-second power surge allocated to the three drivers who received the most votes on social media, detract from the spectacle? And would fans buy into the series' sustainable message?

By season's end, those predicting that Formula E would fail had changed their tune, with the on-track product generally proving superb. The combination of a basic aerodynamic package and skinny tyres meant the cars were a handful to drive and could follow one another closely, helping to produce seven different winners from 11 races, while the one-day city race format proved a hit with fans. Millions watched on TV as Nelson Piquet Jr. won the inaugural title by just one point on the streets of London – but the real challenge for Formula E is arguably only just beginning.

While not forgetting how far it has already come in a short space of time, Formula E must fix its eyes forward and avoid complacency if it is to continue to grow. One of the pitfalls of success is raised expectations; as such, the teething problems expected from a brand new championship won't be forgiven so readily second time around.

And for a series that prides itself on being at the cutting edge of technology, some evidence of electric vehicle development will be imperative. To this end, the series has obliged by opening up powertrain development to manufacturers. Following the testing Cold War over the summer, the scramble to see who has done the best job remains firmly up in the air heading to Beijing.

A shakeup to the qualifying format promises to add to the air of uncertainty. As before, cars will be split into four groups of five. But this season, the fastest in each six-minute session will progress to a Super-Pole finale, where the fastest five will run one-by-one to contest pole position and three bonus points. In-race FanBoost voting and an increase in the power output available in races from 150 to 170kW will also spice up the action.

So what else does Formula E need to work on? CEO Alejandro Agag has targeted improving the series' exposure, which should be helped by agreeing free-to-air TV deals with Eurosport in Germany – which will again host an ePrix at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport – and the Italian Rai network. In the UK, all the action will be shown live on ITV, with BT Sport signing up for a comprehensive highlights package[JW1] .

A more regular calendar will also help – gone is the two-month gap between Beijing and round two in Putrajaya which thwarted the chance to capitalise on Nico Prost and Nick Heidfeld's dramatic final corner accident – while a change to the regulations limiting the number of in-season driver changes to two per-car should see a more familiar cast of characters for the fans.

One further question remains, however. For all its success in attracting new fans – especially families with young children – by bringing the racing to the public where they are, Formula E has still to convince some purists to embrace its differences. But in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter? Series commentator Jack Nicholls doesn't think so; after all, Formula E isn't trying to copy Formula One.

"I thought the first season of Formula E was a lot stronger certainly than I anticipated – it was a proper motor racing series," says Nicholls. "After the first race or two, you get used to the fact that there isn't as much sound and you just enjoy it for the racing. I think this year people will be quite looking forward to it starting again because it was such a great season last year.

"I think there's a bit of a misconception that Formula E is only targeted at people who don't like motorsport, but that doesn't mean they don't care about existing fans. I found that one of the biggest pleasant surprises of season one was to visit the hardcore motorsport forums and see people who initially thought it was an absolute joke saying 'okay it's not a screaming V10, but the racing is very good, there are top quality drivers and I found it entertaining'. That's really all it can do.

"If it brings a new audience to motorsport then that's great, but if you come to watch Formula E, the reasons you're going to enjoy it is because there are top quality drivers racing wheel-to-wheel, risking themselves in the pursuit of being the best – just as you'll find in any other form of motorsport.

"I think season two will be an improvement, but I don't think it will be anything radically different because fundamentally what we saw last year was the best of Formula E: electric cars, city-centre street circuits, and entertaining racing. I don't think we're going to get anything other than that this year."

Speaking to Motorsport.com recently, Agag used the term 'consolidation' to describe his hopes for season two; by refusing to rest on his laurels over the off-season, he has given the series the best possible chance of doing just that. Naturally only time will tell, but early indications point to Formula E's quiet revolution gaining yet more momentum. And if it can get through the tricky 'second album phase', who knows what might be possible?