A series like Formula E gains its uniqueness from racing cars where they belong. It has an identity like no other — racing on street circuits, tackling the raw nature of the ground of the biggest cities across the world. The promotion of wheel-to-wheel action stems from the make of street circuits. Jaguar TCS Racing driver Mitch Evans expresses how the electric cars are made for these circuits.
“I love street tracks just from a personal point of view… I feel like street tracks are what this car is really designed for.”
What Is a Street Circuit?
Temporarily built on existing city roads, street circuits are known for their design adaptation. Whilst tracks like Silverstone are permanent and away from urban life, street circuits celebrate urban mobility. The acceptance of a street circuit in different cities takes a while, with the FIA being responsible for safety standards.
Whilst it does feature a lot of the public buildings, there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes to ensure these circuits are ready. The installation of barriers, grandstands for fans, garages for the teams and track markings takes weeks to put together, but once formed, we have our street circuit.
So, this begs the question, do street circuits make or break Formula E?
Straight to the Fans
As an up-and-coming sport, Formula E banks on being greener. Whilst other racing tracks require a journey to get to, street circuits are more accessible to the public. Being within the city, local fans can rely on public transport on race days. Walking, cycling, and public transport — they promote a friendlier ecosystem. Less pollution emitted into the air reinforces Formula E’s priority: race clean and race green.
Additionally, a large footfall in big cities makes advertising for race weekends at street circuits a lot easier. With signs almost everywhere, the public are subconsciously taking in the event. With high visibility in these big cities, a long-lasting impression is made, even on those who do not watch the sport.
Outracing the Streets
Despite street circuits being a big selling point for the series, the GEN4 Era approaching may start to bring some difficulties to the future signings of street circuits. The safety procedures that the FIA must adhere to mean for narrow roads and manipulated corners, which could argue a potential problem.
The GEN4 will be the fastest car yet for the all-electric sport, with new adaptations seeing the car to be slightly bigger than the GEN3 era. With more power on extremely bumpy roads, can drivers pull the true potential of the car? Will we see less overtaking due to smaller roads and bigger cars? With less room for mistakes, it will be interesting to see how suitable the GEN4 cars are to street circuits.
Environmental Risks vs the Race Crafts
There are some environmental risks that will affect the cars on track. The imperfections of the roads can cause accidents during race weekends, which could shape the weekend results, drastically changing both the drivers’ and teams’ championship. A pothole that can’t be fixed until after the race weekend can be a hindrance to drivers battling for the title. With the pressures to perform, any minor mistake on an unpredictable track is the last thing the team needs.
What Do the Drivers Think?
The unpredictability of a race day on a street circuit strikes excitement for Formula E drivers. On many occasions, drivers have celebrated how exhilarating it is. However, they also remind us of the high-stake nature of race days, especially with fan pressures. Antonio Félix da Costa comments on the precision drivers must have on street circuits. He expresses that there are skillsets that drivers must have to be successful on street circuits and cannot rely solely on the car.
“Racing on street circuits is a completely different challenge. There’s very little margin for error. The walls are very close, and every corner is a potential risk. But that’s what makes it so thrilling. You can’t just rely on raw speed; you need to be smart, patient, and precise.”
Permanent vs Street Tracks
Despite the unforgiving nature of street circuits, Formula E drivers have expressed concern about the FIA’s decision to reduce the signing of street circuits. British talent Dan Ticktum confirms how street circuits are the heart of Formula E. When asked about moving away from street circuits, he states,
”I don’t like it personally” adding ”the series loses part of its identity when it strays from city streets.”
Whilst many drivers are big fans of street circuits because of the creative challenges they present, a large problem falls onto the scheduling of them. The lack of long-term commitments from the host cities equates to instability in the calendar. Race days on street circuits can be cancelled, and this ultimately affects the championship and, for those at the front of the standings, negatively. Former champion Sébastien Buemi highlights the troubles of street circuit contracts, stating
”What we need is stability… Having a change of calendar a few weeks before the race is not ideal.”
To conclude, street circuits are bigger than just tracks on a calendar, they are the heart of Formula E. With Formula E growing and adapting its features constantly, the sport will have to adapt to ensure that street circuits remain a focal point of the sport. The GEN4 era will truly test these limits. Will Formula E slowly move away from these circuits, or will we see it rise above the challenges?