Formula E’s 2023 season comes to an end this weekend with the final two races of the calendar: back-to-back days in London.
The motorsport world’s only circuit to be raced both indoors and outdoors sees FE’s finest head to the docklands in the east and the ExCel arena, where not just two individual race winners will be crowned but also the new driver and team champions.
For a British-based team it’s a home race, of course, which makes it an even more important race than usual for McLaren. And the expectation is that the atmosphere will play a massive part in making it a successful weekend for all involved, once sporting rivalries are set aside.
“One of the keys is the indoor-outdoor aspect at the Excel. That’s unique in motorsport and really lends itself to Formula E. With the crowd inside you get the atmosphere like nowhere else,” team boss Ian James told the Independent ahead of the weekend races.
“Back in Season 4 or so, Formula E had great racing but the real event atmosphere, something unique, but we lost that during Covid and it was difficult to recapture. What we see now in the past 12 months is a resurgence of that USP and London is one of the races which showcases that very well indeed.
“We’ve got Tinie Tempah playing, the fan experience is phenomenal - and the great racing with Gen3 ticks a lot of boxes. And I’m biased as a Londoner but to have the finale in such a great city is amazing.”
McLaren made a great start to the season, but faded somewhat as others caught up after getting used to their new Gen3 cars.
One Brit who has maintained good form almost throughout the season though is Jake Dennis: the Avalanche Andretti driver, born in Nuneaton, is top of the driver standings heading into the last two races and has an incredible chance to lift the world championship title on home soil.
He has a good record too, having won the first of last year’s two races at the Excel to add to his podium-topping display in 2021. Manage the same again this year and he’s likely to be lifting the 2023 season trophy itself.
“It’s great. The event itself: Monaco and London are the best. The pre-show, the lighting, the media activities and everything for the fans - it’s so cool being inside too,” he told the Independent earlier this season.
“I always get goosebumps when I’m watching the show prior to the race - it’s a big performance and then 30 seconds later you’re racing! It’s quite unique. Formula E do a really good job of that. It’s nice that it’s the final location, not just because it’s my home race but because it’s one of the best. It’s the right decision to have London as the last event.”
The decision to have London last has gone down well in most quarters, with other teams similarly effusive about the atmopshere, the fan experience and the indoor-outdoor challenge.
NIO drivers Dan Ticktum and Sergio Sette-Camara, meanwhile, feel that London is “theoretically is one of the tracks we should most look forward to”, despite struggles elsewhere this season.
But areas which remains up for debate are both the lack of overtaking opportunities compared to other circuits on the calendar, and the fact it’s a double-header - in itself a double-edged sword for a championship still in growth mode.
Porsche team boss Florian Modlinger, while noting that a first experience of inclement weather during the race could provide a new element, feels that’s an option to improve in future.
“From the crowds, the spectators, you can hear them cheering in the indoor part. We’re really looking forward to it, it’s a mega event. It’s very special because it’s half indoor, half outdoor. We’ve never had it raining either - that would be really exciting because then you get half the track wet, half dry - that’s a challenge you don’t get on other race tracks,” he said.
“It’s a huge event for Formula E and the atmosphere is fantastic. But consider the track: I’m a fan that if it goes to the title that the drivers’ impact should be more pronounced, how they can fight. Compare it to Cape Town for example: high-speed corners, late overtaking: I would love to see a track from that characteristic. From London’s pure track layout it doesn’t have this and that could be better for the season final, but the complete package, the huge event and crowds - it’s impressive.”
Likewise, Envision boss Sylvain Filippi explained he sees both sides of the argument, between getting more attention each weekend and retaining the prestige of a single event.
“Last year was great and this year is even bigger. Our friends and family, the fans, the sponsors - it’s a huge event for us commercially and for the team. It’s a massive event and the double-header gives us a bit more bandwidth. So adding another race allows more people to see the show. It’s a necessity because there’s a demand.
“The track is really unusual, tight and narrow so qualifying will be really important. This track it’s quite like Monaco. It’s not easy to overtake so we put a lot of emphasis on qualifying and make sure we do well there.
“In an ideal world I prefer single-headers because you have a weekend winner and it’s clear. But we want as many races as possible for the fans and we’re not in a place to have 18 or 20 single-headers in different cities around the world. Our job is so much more complex than other championships - almost every time we race we have to build everything: carriages, circuits, everything. So a few double-headers makes sense.”
Those potential changes, those challenges to overcome, are for the future.
And whether London’s docklands race provides the very best circuit of the year or not, there are few places which can match it for atmosphere and enormity of event. On a weekend when the greatest prizes of all are handed out, perhaps that’s ultimately what matters the most.
:: Watch the 2023 Hankook London E-Prix on Saturday 29 July & Sunday 30 July live on Channel 4 at 17:00 BST.
