2020–21 Formula E World Championship
The 2020-21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is due to be the seventh season of the FIA Formula E championship, a motor racing championship for electrically powered vehicles recognised by motorsport's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for electric open-wheel racing cars.
With the 2020–21 season, the championship will officially become a FIA World Championship, joining Formula One, the World Endurance Championship, the World Rally Championship, and the World Rallycross Championship.
The facelift of the Spark Gen2 car called the Gen2 EVO, was originally scheduled to debut in this season, but was later delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]
Teams and drivers
Driver changes
- Sam Bird and Virgin chose to part ways at the end of season six. He moved to Jaguar, replacing James Calado.[12]
- Nick Cassidy joined Virgin to replace Sam Bird, after driving for them in the 2020 Rookie Test in Marrakesh.[2]
- Felipe Massa left Venturi after two seasons with the team.[29]
- René Rast was promoted to permanent driver for Audi. He had competed in the previous season's final six races in Berlin, replacing a dismissed Daniel Abt.
- Pascal Wehrlein joined TAG Heuer Porsche, replacing Neel Jani.[25]
- Alexander Sims left BMW i Andretti Motorsport to join Mahindra Racing, replacing Jérôme d'Ambrosio, who left after 2 years with the team.[21] Sims was joined at the team by fellow Brit Alex Lynn.[22]
- Norman Nato joined ROKiT Venturi Racing, replacing Felipe Massa.[28]
- Jake Dennis joined BMW i Andretti Motorsport, replacing Alexander Sims.[19]
- Jérôme d'Ambrosio left Mahindra Racing and retired from competitive racing to become Venturi deputy team principal.[30]
- Sérgio Sette Câmara was signed by Dragon / Penske Autosport on a permanent basis, after competing in the final six races of 2020 for the team.[6]
- Tom Blomqvist replaced Ma Qinghua at NIO 333.
Calendar
A first provisional calendar for the 2020–21 season has been announced in June 2020.[31] In October, the calendar was altered with the races in Mexico City and Sanya postponed from their original dates in February and March respectively, while a second race was added to the season opener in Santiago in January.[32] No reason was given for the change.[33] On 28 January FIA Formula E published a revised calendar for the first part of the season [34] with the addition of Formula E's first race on a permanent race circuit to take place at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, the return to the calendar of the Marrakesh ePrix which was originally set to be discontinued, and the cancellation of the Season 7 running of the Paris ePrix due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic. Formula E also confirmed the events scheduled for Sanya and Seoul will not take place as originally scheduled, with a decision on these events and the remained of the calendar to be announced in the spring.
| Round | ePrix | Country | Circuit | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Confirmed | ||||
| 1 | Diriyah ePrix |  Saudi Arabia
|
Riyadh Street Circuit | 26 February 2021 |
| 2 | 27 February 2021 | |||
| 3 | Rome ePrix |  Italy
|
Circuito Cittadino dell'EUR†‡ | 10 April 2021 |
| 4 | Valencia ePrix |  Spain
|
Circuit Ricardo Tormo†‡ | 24 April 2021 |
| 5 | Monaco ePrix |  Monaco
|
Circuit de Monaco†‡ | 8 May 2021 |
| 6 | Marrakesh ePrix |  Morocco
|
Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan‡ | 22 May 2021 |
| 7 | Santiago ePrix |  Chile
|
Parque O'Higgins Circuit‡ | 5 June 2021 |
| 8 | 6 June 2021 | |||
| Provisional | ||||
| TBA | Berlin ePrix |  Germany
|
Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit | TBA |
| TBA | London ePrix |  United Kingdom
|
ExCeL London[N 4] | TBA |
| TBA | Sanya ePrix |  China
|
Haitang Bay Circuit | TBA |
| TBA | Seoul ePrix |  South Korea
|
Seoul Street Circuit† | TBA |
| TBA | Mexico City ePrix |  Mexico
|
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez | TBA |
| TBA | New York City ePrix |  United States
|
Brooklyn Street Circuit | TBA |
| Cancelled | ||||
| N/A | Paris ePrix |  France
|
Paris Street Circuit | N/A |
† – Subject to circuit homologation
‡ - Subject to ratification by the FIA World Motor Sport Council
Calendar changes
- The Rome and Sanya ePrix are due to return to the calendar, as their 2020 races were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Paris race was also due to return, but was again cancelled due to the pandemic.[36]
- The Diriyah ePrix has been moved from November to February. It will be the first Formula E race held at night.[37]
- The Monaco ePrix is due to return to the calendar, as it is held every 2 years. For the first time, the full circuit will be used.[38][39]
- The Santiago ePrix was to become the first round of the season as a double-header, being held behind closed doors.[32] However, the round was later postponed in December 2020 owing to increased COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom.[40] It was re-scheuduled to June, still a double-header.[36]
- The Valencia ePrix is due to make its debut on the calender; taking place at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, which had previously hosted pre-season testing for Formula E.[36]
- The Seoul ePrix is due to make its debut on the calendar. The race had been included on the 2019–20 calendar, but was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Berlin ePrix will become a single race event once more after holding the final 6 races of the 2019–20 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The London ePrix is due to return to the calendar after a 5-year absence. It will be held around the ExCeL arena in London. It was originally included on the 2019–20 calendar, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The New York City ePrix will become a single race event for the first time. It was meant to become a single race event in 2020, but the race was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Regulation changes
Technical regulations
- Manufacturers will now only be able to modify powertrain components once over the next two seasons as part of an extended homologation period, with teams having the option to either introduce a new powertrain for the 2020–21 season for a two-year runout or continue with their current systems for next season before homologating a new set-up for a single season the year after.[1]
Footnotes
- ^ NIO 333 is the powertrain manufacturer, not NIO the car company.[8][9]
- ^ a b Nissan e.dams[17] and DS Techeetah[14] opted to start the season with their 2019–20 powertrains and will introduce new models later into the season.
- ^ Porsche will start the season with a new powertrain, but decided to carry over the name from the previous model.[24]
- ^ The circuit is designed as an indoor-outdoor venue, combining the ExCeL facilities and the surrounding public roads at Royal Docks.[35]
References
- ^ a b "FE delays Gen2 Evo car as part of new cost saving measures". www.autosport.com.
- ^ a b c "Envision Virgin Racing signs Nick Cassidy for season seven". 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
- ^ a b c "Teams lining up for the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship". Formula E. FIA. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Smith, Sam (29 October 2020). "Mercedes Launches its 2021 Formula E Package". the-race.com. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT - The Drivers". fiaformulae.com. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ^ a b "Sérgio Sette Câmara will compete for DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT in Season 7 of the FIA Formula E World Championship". DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT. 20 November 2020.
- ^ Smith, Sam (29 September 2020). "MAJOR TECHNICAL RESTRUCTURING AT NIO333 FOR 2021". The Race. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ a b c Smith, Sam (24 November 2020). "Blomqvist secures fresh Formula E chance for 2021". The Race. Retrieved 26 November 2020.
- ^ a b "NIO 333 and Oliver Turvey eye progress with new powertrain after 'impressive' test". Formula E. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
- ^ "NIO sign Ex-Andretti, Jaguar driver Blomqvist". Formula E Zone. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
- ^ a b "JAGUAR RACING UNVEIL JAGUAR I-TYPE 5 RACE CAR AHEAD OF NEW FORMULA E CAMPAIGN". Jaguar Racing. 27 November 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "Sam Bird to join Panasonic Jaguar Racing for season seven following mutual decision to part ways with Envision Virgin Racing". 14 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Lucas di Grassi and René Rast compete for Audi in the FIA Formula E World Championship". www.audi-mediacenter.com. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
- ^ a b Smith, Sam (9 November 2020). "DS Techeetah to start Formula E title defence with old car". The Race. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "Silly season: How is the 2020/21 Formula E grid shaping up?". fiaformulae.com. Retrieved 6 November 2020.
- ^ Kalinauckas, Alex (14 December 2018). "Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne's Techeetah contract extended". Autosport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ a b Smith, Sam (5 October 2020). "Nissan to start Formula E season with old powertrain". The Race. Retrieved 6 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Nissan e.dams confirms Sebastien Buemi and Oliver Rowland for 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship". FIA Formula E. FIA. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Jake Dennis joins Max Guenther at BMW i Andretti Motorsport for Season 7". fiaformulae.com. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ "BMW i Andretti Motorsport retains Max Guenther for season seven, whilst Alex Sims moves on to new Formula E challenge". FIA Formula E. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ a b "Sims joins Mahindra from BMW for 2020/21 Formula E season". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ a b Smith, Topher (25 November 2019). "Mahindra Racing completes driver line-up with Lynn signing". Downforce Radio.
- ^ "TAG Heuer teams up with Porsche as Title and Timing Partner". FIA Formula E. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ a b c "Final test for TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team ahead of season start in Chile". Porsche. 23 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "Pascal Wehrlein becomes regular driver for TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team". newsroom porsche. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
- ^ "INTRODUCING… ROKiT VENTURI RACING". Venturi. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- ^ Smith, Sam (5 November 2020). "Mercedes gives Venturi extra Formula E testing". The Race. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ a b c "Norman Nato joins Edo Mortara at ROKiT Venturi Racing for Season 7". Formula E. FIA. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
- ^ "Felipe Massa leaves ROKiT Venturi Racing". ROKiT Venturi Racing. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
- ^ Southwell, Hazel. "Jérôme d'Ambrosio retires to become Venturi deputy team principal". inside-electric.com. Inside Electric. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ "FIA publishes provisional 2020/21 Formula E calendar". FIA Formula E. 19 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Statement: 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship calendar update". Formula E. FIA. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ Smith, Sam. "Santiago Double-Header Among New Formula E Calendar Changes". The Race. The Race. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ www.fiaformulae.com https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/january/calendar-update-2020-21.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Smith, Topher (5 March 2019). "London Calling: British capital returns to calendar". Downforce Radio.
- ^ a b c "Second set of 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship races announced". Formula E. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ "Formula E Announces First Night Race". Auto Action. 25 November 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
- ^ "Monaco sets out plan for 2021 F1, Formula E races". www.motorsport.com.
- ^ "Formula E set to use full Monaco Grand Prix circuit layout in 2019". www.crash.net.
- ^ "Formula E season opener postponed amid UK COVID crisis". 22 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.