Formula E is nothing like F1. A guy called Nico, who’s nowhere near as good as his dad was, ruins a race with an uncecessary crash, denies all responsibility and then admits it was his fault…

But in other areas, the new series is either a culture shock or a breath of fresh air, depending on your perspective. Dance music music in the background (but then some would say you need it with all these Es) and a ‘Fan boost’, reality TV style. And swapping cars? My alternative suggestion was that since it was on ITV, they could plug the cars in to recharge during ad breaks, but that didn’t seem to get very far.

Turn up the volume

The elephant in the room was always going to be the lack of noise. As a hardcore racing fan it’s hard not to hate the thundering silence/electric whine. But what was more noticeable on the grid was the lack of fans, at least in close proximity. Beijing isn’t exactly short on people, so where were the packed grandstands?

The racing wasn’t bad. Montagny’s aggressive overtaking was crucial to the show. Street circuits are rarely easy to overtake on and Beijing is a bit of an oddball (some parts wide, some parts narrow). The difference between circuits is perhaps the biggest reason not to make your mind up completely after only one race.

I have to say that the speed differential vis-a-vis other single seater categories – the top speed is about 25% lower even than GP3 – is very noticeable. My sense is that this is that it’s somewhat intentional in order to make use of city centre circuits (some uniquely available to Formula E due to the lack of noise). Apart from the natural commercial benefits to this, it also has the potential to draw in fans that wouldnt go all the way to a racetrack.

New horizons

Formula E seems to want to branch out to new demographics as much as it is to new technology… Having visibly more women (both drivers and in general), the inherent environmental angle and quirky features like the “EJ”, the fan boost and the car swapping, will certainly help this green-tech startup reach beyond the testosterone-fuelled, petrolhead under-40 stereotype.

For what it is, Formula E is great and I’ll continue to watch it. It’s a testbed for technology and for ideas that would be too risky to try in F1. It had its share of drama. And giving us racing fans something to watch during the winter, like A1GP used to, should be applauded. Just keep your expectations realistic – F1 is the pinacle of motor racing, and that’s not about to change.