Detailed analysis: Overview of all adjustments to Formula E's sporting regulations for 2024/25

Following the meeting of the World Motorsport Council, the FIA has published the complete Sporting Regulations for the 2024/25 Formula E season. In addition to some adjustments regarding the new four-wheel drive, there will be a number of other rule changes in Formula E in the coming season. e-Formula.news has checked all the changes and gives you a comprehensive overview ahead of season 11.

Every year, the FIA makes adjustments to the regulations in order to react to new circumstances, changes in procedures or to incidents. Due to the introduction of four-wheel drive in the Gen3 Evo cars, some adjustments were necessary this year. The following changes to the regulations for the 2024/25 season deserve a mention.

Article 6: Formula E World Championship

From next season, the FIA will organise a Manufacturers' World Championship, which will replace the manufacturers' classification introduced last season. As in 2024, only the two best-placed cars of a manufacturer in each race will score points for that championship. In contrast to last season's Manufacturer's Trophy, the bonus points for pole position and the fastest race lap in the top ten do not count towards the Manufacturers' Championship. The cars of a manufacturer that do not score any points are also excluded from the classification, while the cars of the other manufacturers move up.

An example to illustrate this: if the Jaguar works team and customer team Envision Racing finish in the top four positions ahead of the two Porsche works cars, Jaguar will receive 43 points in the manufacturers' championship (25 for victory, 18 for second place) and Porsche 27 points (15 for third place, 12 for fourth place), even if Porsche only scores 18 points for the team championship at the same time.

Article 16: Incidents

A driver only has to serve a time penalty of five or ten seconds in the pits when he enters the pit lane for a pit stop. Previously, he would also have had to serve this time if the field had been led through the pits behind the safety car. This has already happened in the past when recovery work had to be carried out on the start-finish straight.

The stewards now also have the right to convert an already imposed time penalty or drive-through penalty into a grid penalty for the next race if a driver finishes outside the top 10 or has even retired from the race.

Article 17: Protests & appeals

Just like a protest, a fee of 2,000 euros must now also be paid when submitting a request for a review of a decision by the race stewards.

Article 20: Driving

Accelerating the car is now only permitted by means of the power pedal. Under the old wording of the regulations, it would have been permitted to use an automatic starter activated by the driver via a button on the steering wheel.

Article 22: Testing

The FIA reserves the right to lift the current restrictions of a maximum of 25 kWh of energy and 110 kW of power during demo runs in the future and to set other energy and power limits if this is of great interest to the championship. The Goodwood Festival of Speed (GFoS), a traditional hill climb in southern England that attracts up to 200,000 visitors every year, is explicitly mentioned as an example in the regulations.

If, after an incident during a test, the impact warning light on the car lights up, indicating that the vehicle has been subjected to high forces in a collision, the driver no longer has to be taken to the race track medical centre. This is now at the discretion of the race director, the chief race doctor and the medical delegate. The latter will decide on the most suitable place and time for the examination to be carried out.

Article 23: Pit lane

Under no circumstances is it permitted to use the all-wheel drive of the vehicles in the pit lane.

Article 25: Tyres & tyre restrictions during the events

Deflating tyres, i.e. letting the air out and then re-inflating them, is prohibited. According to information from e-Formula.news, the teams could significantly reduce the tyre temperature, for example between qualifying duels, by releasing the warm air and replacing it with cool air.

From the start of an event, there is now a parc-ferme for all tyres. The tyres must remain permanently under the control of the FIA. The teams may only access the tyres at certain times to collect them and bring them to the pits under the supervision of an FIA scrutineer.

45 minutes before the first session of the day, the teams may collect the tyres, within 20 minutes after the end of the last session or the opening of the parc-ferme after the race, they must return them. If teams fail to do so, they will be penalised by the race stewards and may even be disqualified.

Teams are only allowed to cover one complete set of tyres (two front and two rear tyres). These covers are only permitted in the area where the tyres are stored in the pits and in the new tyre parc-ferme.

Article 27: General requirements for cars & personnel

In order to save costs, a team may apply to the FIA for manufacturer's staff to support the team at a location other than the team's "remote garage".

Not only the user manuals, but also catalogues and guides from FIA nominated suppliers must now be followed at all times during the competition. A list of the relevant documents will be announced by the stewards before each event.

Article 28: Spare cars, engines, batteries & gearboxes

From now on, seals may only be removed with the authorisation of the Technical Delegate. All parts specified in the Technical Car Passport must remain sealed and must always be available for inspection until the season finale

The reference that a car may only use one software version during an event has been deleted.

Article 32: Free practice

In Shakedown, when power is limited to 110 kW, only the powertrain on the rear axle may be used.

The free practice sessions will be extended from 30 minutes to 40 minutes per session. In addition, a different duration of a free practice session may now be set under special circumstances.

The use of four-wheel drive is subject to the same regulations as the use of 350 kW mode, whereby no more than 50 kW may be delivered to the front engine and this may deliver a maximum of 60 Nm of torque.

During the starting exercises at the end of a free practice session all-wheel drive may be used.

Article 33: Qualifying

All-wheel drive may also be used in the duel phase of qualifying, the restrictions are identical to those in free practice.

If no driver achieves a lap time due to an accident or violation of the track limits, neither driver will reach the next round of the duel phase.

Article 36: Starting procedure

When driving onto the starting grid, four-wheel drive may not be used and drivers may not use more than 300 kW.

In the event of a rolling start behind the safety car, no four-wheel drive may be used.

During a standing start, whether at the beginning of the race or after a safety car phase, drivers may activate all-wheel drive if they are in their starting position. Here too, the maximum power is limited to 50 kW. However, unlike in free practice, the front motor is allowed to deliver up to 200 Nm of torque. The maximum amount of energy for the front motor per start process is limited to 250 kJ (equivalent to around 0.07 kWh).

As soon as the power output of the front motor falls below 5 kW and the vehicle's speed exceeds 110 km/h, the all-wheel drive must be deactivated.

Article 37: Racing

In the race, all-wheel drive may be used in attack mode. However, it is now also permitted to use the maximum power of 350 kW at a standing start. In attack mode, however, the front motor may deliver a maximum torque of 60 Nm.

It is prohibited to activate the attack mode when yellow flags are waved in the bend or section of the track where the attack zone is located.

Article 38: Safety car

During a safety car period, cars may only turn into the pit lane for four reasons: either because the safety car is leading the entire field through the pit lane, because a car wants to use the attack charge, because of a tyre change or to have work carried out on the vehicle.

Article 40: Interruptions to the race

In the event of a race interruption, teams may now carry out any work on the vehicles that is authorised on the parc-ferme, with the exception of fitting a battery cooling system.

Article 41: Resumption of the race

Even after an interruption of the race, all-wheel drive may not be used if there is a rolling start.