10
Formula E
Formula E’s time has come. In a few
days, at the Frankfurt Motor Show,
the car that will be lighting up 10
city centres all over the world from
2014 - including Rome - will be
presented officially to the press, but
the consortium behind this project
has already been at work for some
time behind the scenes.
Fans have already noticed the
futuristic, exciting design, which is
reminiscent of the Izod IndyCar. It
was developed by Dallara
Automobili for Spark Racing
Technology, and will see an initial
production run of 42 units. In this
issue Engineer Montanari brings us
up to date on the state of the
project and the collaboration with
the prestigious partners involved in
the operation.
In fact, the consortium includes
some of the biggest names in
European and world motorsports,
such as McLaren, who are supplying
the power unit, transmission and
electronics; Williams who are
providing the batteries; and Renault
who will be responsible for
integrating the systems.
The competition will involve 18
teams, three of whom have already
confirmed their participation:
Drayson Racing from the UK, China
Racing, and the Andretti Autosports
team, a legend of the American
racing scene. Formula E is a FIA
sanctioned competition and will be
organised by Formula E Holding,
which is run by Alejandro Agag (Ceo)
and Frederic Vasseur (president), but
above all it’s a preview of the next
decade of motor racing, when,
instead of being simple alternatives,
fuel consumption and zero
emissions are set to become
fundamentally important elements
in the racing world, as well as an
additional stimulus for innovation.
«Our single-seaters compete
successfully in many of the most
important championships all over
the world - declared Andrea
Pontremoli, MD of Dallara
Automobili – so we couldn’t pass up
the opportunity to be involved in
the exciting challenge of Formula E,
for this reason we are extremely
grateful to our long-standing
partner, Frederic Vasseur, for the
credit he gave us. We will use our
experience and know-how to
produce the best possible chassis,
guaranteeing high levels of
performance, reliability, ease of use
and safety. Safety is a particularly
important aspect and we are
working very hard together with FIA
and Spark to establish a new set of
safety standards for this innovative
new championship».
This commitment is reaffirmed by
Frederic Vasseur: «I can’t speak
highly enough of all our partners (in
the Formula E project, editor’s note).
I have worked together with them
throughout my career and we have
shared in their biggest successes in
traditional motorsports. The
consortium is committed to adding
this innovative project to that long
list of successes. Everything is
progressing well, we are in line with
the schedules and specifications that
we were provided with. After the
launch at the Frankfurt Motor Show,
the car’s first public appearance is
planned for October», and its debut
on the track, or rather… in town, is
already scheduled for 2014.
