Is it possible to capture the excitement of a Formula E race in a 5-minute video? For those who weren't there, here is the Rome e-Prix in a nutshell. Next stop, Paris on 27 April.
The victory of New Zealander Mitch Evans of the Panasonic Jaguar team. The duel with the DS Techeetah driven by André Lotterer. The evocative circuit winding through the streets and buildings of the EUR district. And that extremely long forced stoppage, just two laps from the start, caused by a pile-up on track that forced the competition to an interminable 47-minute halt. For those who weren't there, here is the best of the Rome e-Prix in a video full of twists and turns.
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The Rome leg of the e-Prix, which got off to a bad start with a major pile-up involving several cars and requiring a lengthy stoppage before racing could resume, was in effect a two-way contest between the DS Techeetah of André Lotterer and Mitch Evans in the Panasonic Jaguar, who won the race. And while the organisers have already confirmed the Rome e-Prix for the 2020 season, with teams and organisers already working on the next round of the Formula E championship, scheduled for 27 April in Paris, the sporting competition dedicated to electric cars continues to win over audiences and critics alike.
In Rome too, the teams' ability to manage the energy of the electric single-seaters proved decisive, with driving as attentive as possible to accumulating and regenerating energy — just as happens in everyday use of electric cars. The larger batteries, which this season increased from 200 to 250 kW, the improved performance (the electric single-seaters can reach 280 km/h and accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds) and the elimination of the mid-race car swap all require careful strategies to reach the finish without incident. The Formula E race in Rome was also marked by a minor controversy. Some images taken by spectators and shared online showed a number of electric generators. Generators that were not used to power the single-seaters competing in the race, that were often switched off, but that were nonetheless on standby in case of emergency, or to power various facilities located around the circuit. A controversy that in reality highlighted "only" one fact: electric mobility is credible only when it is "consistent" and when the energy powering it comes from renewable sources.
Regardless of the final standings, after the Rome e-Prix the fifth season of the Formula E championship remains very much open; so far, every race has been won by a different driver from a different team. After rounds in Asia, the Middle East, South and Central America, after the seventh round in Rome and after the upcoming Paris leg, Formula E will continue with races in Monte Carlo, Berlin and Berne, with the season concluding at the double-header in New York.
If you couldn't make it to Rome for the e-Prix, if you've never followed a Formula E race but electric mobility intrigues you, the moments described in the video were the most compelling of the race. And for those who were there, it will be a way to relive the best moments in their minds.
