In 2022, the two races already held at the end of July at the same venue were more successful for Stoffel Vandoorne than for Jean-Eric Vergne, who was pushed off the track by another competitor.
On his way to his first world title (then with Mercedes), the Belgian driver had finished second and then fourth on the most specific track of the entire calendar. After the lanes of Battersea Park, Formula E has moved to ExCeL London, an XXL-sized exhibition centre, for 2021.
Built on the banks of the Thames in the Newham district, this venue, whose building is over a kilometre long, hosts all kinds of events on the former docks of the Royal Victoria. Inaugurated in 2000, it was the venue for the 2012 Olympic Games with a variety of events (wrestling, boxing, table tennis, weightlifting, etc.) but had never hosted a motor race. Formula E has achieved this feat, made possible by the electric nature of its single-seaters.
A new edition in the pipeline
Buoyed by the popular success of the last two editions, two races will once again be held at ExCel London on 29 and 30 July. Just 2.14km long with 22 bends, the course is unique in that around 25% of it is indoor, which equates to almost 600 metres. The cars enter the building via an access ramp, where they find a different kind of circuit, with changing grip on the abrasive resin-coated surface.
This is particularly important in the event of precipitation, when the cars have to cope with two different types of circuit on the same tyres as there are no rain tyres in Formula E. With new cars and new tyres, Hankook replaced Michelin at the start of the Gen3 era, what will happen this year in the event of bad weather? This is typically a situation where the experience of the drivers will pay off, and where the veterans of the discipline, such as Vergne Sebastien Buemi or Lucas di Grassi could make the difference.
For Buemi, who must secure points for Envision Racing in the race for the constructors' title in front of his employer's home crowd, the pressure will be on. But for Vergne and di Grassi, there could be more of a spectacle against a backdrop of end-of-season performance. With the two titles still up for grabs, what will be the outcome of this final where Jaguar, Porsche, Envision and Avalanche Andretti will be giving it their all? And how will DS Penske, who has been a regular fixture this season, referee the game? The answer will come this weekend.
