The 10 dates when everything almost changed in Formula E (2/2)

Season 3 / July 2017, New York and Montreal (USA and Canada)

Championship winner the previous season, Sébastien Buemi (Renault-e. dams) is the one to whom the title is promised again. After 7 races, he is the absolute leader with already 5 victories. But in parallel with its program Formula E, the Swiss is engaged in WEC with Toyota. However, for the two races in New York, scheduled for July 15 and 16, he must contractually participate in the 6 Hours of the Nürburgring in Endurance. Objectively, his team could have done without him and rolled his two teammates, Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima. But Pascal Vasselon, boss of Toyota Gazoo Racing, is uncompromising: all the starters must be there. Renault e-dams then replaces Buemi with Pierre Gasly for the two American races, and Buemi, credited with a 32-point lead over Di Grassi, only had 10 left when he arrived in Montreal, two weeks later for the grand final. Everything is still possible, but during the second free practice session, he violently leaves the track and seriously damages his car. He will qualify and start with his second car, before recovering his car n°1, just rebuilt, in the middle of the race. 4th at the finish, he will then be disqualified because his car did not respect the regulatory weight (877 kg against 880 kg). The next day, a racing event forced Buemi to return to the pits to replace a damaged wing. He will fail at the points gate and lose the championship during this catastrophic weekend. Montreal, which hosted the championship for the first time, will pay the price for zealous organization (too many blocked streets in the surrounding area, which generated numerous complaints from local residents) against the backdrop of an electoral battle. Denis Coderre, friend of Jean Todt, who had campaigned for a long time for the FE to come to Canada - he even went to Miami to meet the players of the discipline in season 1 - lost his mayor's chair a few weeks later and the new town hall will break the contract with Formula E, at the cost of heavy penalties.

Season 4 / June 10, 2018, Zurich (Switzerland)

Since 1955 and the tragedy that occurred at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, motorsport on circuits has been banned in the Swiss Confederation. A law that seems anchored in time and difficult to change. But in the land of private banks, fine watchmaking and chocolate, we also have a more developed business sense than elsewhere. Especially since the FE has two important sponsors: Tag Heuer, a brand of the LVMH group whose Jean-Claude Biver, friend of Alejandro Agag, heads the Watches division, and Julius Bär, a private bank based in Zurich. However, Agag has never hidden having used his connections to change the law. “It’s true that Jean-Claude Biver helped us a lot, the Spaniard told us on the sidelines of the race. By proposing to the Swiss Parliament to reconsider the question, while our discipline advocates clean travel and more particularly in urban areas, he opened a discussion which found a favorable outcome for us, because the permanent exemption put in place specifies that any sport circuit is now authorized provided that the cars used are electric. » On site, everything seemed perfect. Large wooden structures made up the stands, the surroundings of the lake were very beautiful, but... the city's notables had little enjoyment of the experience of not being able to enter and leave their homes as they pleased. The following season, the race moved to Bern, with organizers using another long-planned event in Zurich as an excuse. But after Berne, the FE left Switzerland, despite the efforts of sponsors, and the fact that the country changed its laws to allow it to come there. Unless it’s Switzerland that no longer wants the FE?

Season 5 / December 15, 2018, Ad Diriyah (Saudi Arabia)

While Saudi Arabia seeks to acquire a more sympathetic image, saying it wants to open up to the world and respond to environmental challenges, it sponsors major sporting and cultural events on a large scale. The FE is the first series to benefit from a contract which is rumored to be worth 30 million dollars over 10 years. During the 3 months leading up to the race, staff from Formula E Holdings went to the site to work with local officials and meet the population, something the country prohibited until recently. Alongside the race, there were even mixed concerts, which was a first in the country. We saw people crying with joy because this day was historic, some looking at the scene with amusement or caution because the situation was new. Coming back to the sport, it should be noted that this first race in Saudi Arabia was marked by low temperatures and heavy rain, to the point of delaying and then shortening the tests. A shame for one of the driest countries on the planet, and while for four seasons the FE had passed through the drops. But this time, the human side was at least as strong as the sport, and that is what should be remembered. Because if the policy of Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdelaziz Al Saud, more often called MBS, does not respect Human Rights, the fact of running there and shining the spotlight on the country allows discussions to move forward .

Season 5 / July 14, 2019, New York (USA)

In a new championship, it is not always easy to see the limits of the teams' ingenuity. Since the start of the series, it had been mentioned in the regulations that the number of electric motors on board the single-seaters was not limited, unlike the power authorized in the race. Few teams, however, used a device combining several engines, because although it provides advantages in terms of power available at low speed, it is handicapping due to its weight and cost. Until the Renault-e engineers. dams benefit from the transfer of workforce to Nissan-e. dams to develop a double machine capable of performance above the rest. So much so that everyone was convinced that Buemi and Rowland would be untouchable when the team was definitively reliable. The other teams then began to complain to the FIA ​​because, according to them, the Nissan double engine did not respect the technical rules imposed, namely that it put out more power than that authorized without this being seen in the data, thanks to “wild” energy storage in one of the two motors. Nissan-e.dams defended itself by explaining that it had informed the FIA ​​at each stage of its development, and that it had checked – and declared it compliant – its dual engine twice after the complaints. But, at the side of the track, the engineers of the plaintiff teams continued to take measurements, analyzed the behavior of the Nissan-e.dams, and maintained their accusations. The FIA, which perhaps lacked the elements or expertise to rule, found itself forced to play mediator and force the teams to find a “gentlemen’s agreement”. As the end of the season approaches, the FIA ​​announces a change to the regulations: the power unit must, from the following season, have only one engine. The plaintiffs obviously won the game, but with what compensation? In New York, during the last two races of the season, Sébastien Buemi seemed to be able to play spoilsport, achieving pole position and victory in the first of the two races. If the scenario was repeated the next day, Jean-Éric Vergne could have been deprived of the title that seemed promised to him. But on Sunday, the Swiss was less sharp on the track, settling for 3rd place. Honor was safe...

Season 6 / A Broken Ascent

The start of the season kept all its promises, with 5 different winners in 5 races. But, since February 29 and the Marrakech E-Prix (Morocco), the championship has been stopped due to a health crisis linked to the Coronavirus. At the time of writing, there is no way to say what date the next race will be, or even if the championship will resume this season. Because if Berlin may seem playable on June 21, will the country authorize members of the different teams, scattered across the four corners of the world, to cross its borders? And what about New York in July, or London, the place to host the race having now been transformed into a giant hospital? Formula E should communicate on the subject in May and, of course, the most important thing remains people's health. But if the season were to end there, it would be a real blow for everyone who has been working on this exciting project for years. Of course, the rebound could be strong for season 7. But will the manufacturers, particularly those at the back of the grid, have the desire and the means to continue? The domino effect of the Coronavirus has not yet revealed all its negativity…