"Never thought dynamics would change that much" - Is Formula E's all-wheel drive Attack Mode too mighty?

"It was a real eye-opener to see how far forward you can get with it," admits Mitch Evans after he came from last on the grid to win the season opener in Sao Paulo - something that has never happened before in Formula E! One reason for his success was his perfect (and lucky) use of the Attack Mode, which suddenly became a game changer thanks to the new all-wheel drive technology. Has Formula E gambled away?

In the past two years, Attack Mode had almost lost its significance. Drivers and teams regularly described it as a "chore", as the Gen3 car was unable to transfer the extra 50 kW of power to the track. The difference between race mode (300 kW) and Attack Mode (350 kW) was therefore almost non-existent.

Formula E has upgraded its technology with the new Gen3 Evo car. Thanks to the new all-wheel drive in Attack Mode and softer Hankook tyres that offer more grip, a difference is visible again - and what a difference! "Even if you're a few seconds behind, you can make up for it in three or four corners. That's how big the pace advantage is!" says Antonio Felix da Costa.

The Porsche driver, who finished the Sao Paulo E-Prix in second place, describes his perspective during the race: "We were consistently in the top four, but when the first Attack Mode phase began, I think I even dropped out of the top 10 because people simply passed me in Attack Mode. I have to analyse that in more detail now."

Evans: "No experience with such a contrast yet"

Race winner Evans also admits: "None of us had any previous experience of racing with such a contrast. So we first had to learn how to deal with this new Attack Mode. But the team guided me well. It was an eye-opener how far forward we could get with it."

The first ever all-wheel drive GEN3 Evo ATTACK MODE did not disappoint!

From P8 - P1 in less than 2 laps ? What a charge from Nick! ?#SãoPauloEPrix ?? pic.twitter.com/YQuAQHLoZv

— Jaguar TCS Racing (@JaguarRacing) December 8, 2024

Although Porsche had prepared for precisely this situation, Felix da Costa also admits: "We had to improvise a lot and adapt." His conclusions from the first race with all-wheel drive: "You have to be clever about how you use it and make sure that you don't get stuck behind someone you're not actually fighting directly. You just have to stay patient: The time will come when you activate it yourself."

Hui: "Crucial in every race this season"

Dan Ticktum also knows: "With the all-wheel drive, Attack Mode is now very powerful." His team principal at Cupra Kiro, Alex Hui, explains: "The new all-wheel drive in Formula E has completely changed the use of Attack Mode."

"That, together with the new softer tyres from Hankook, has added an additional strategic element this weekend that will be crucial in every race this season," Hui is certain.

Comment from Timo Pape: Attack Mode better than letting someone pass

"I said it before that the racing dynamics would change. But I never thought it would change that much," says Felix da Costa. He's not the only one. There has been a lot of discussion in recent months about the new Pit Boost and how much the fast-charging pit stops could change the races. Hardly anyone has talked about the Attack Mode - at least not with concern.

After the Sao Paulo E-Prix, however, the question has to be asked: is the new Attack Mode too strong? It was even more difficult than usual for fans to understand which drivers were actually fighting for victory. In the first two Gen3 years, this was a major criticism regarding the much-cited "slipstream battles". By the way, slipstreaming was no longer a topic at all on Saturday, although the track in Sao Paulo with its long straights would have been a prime example of this.

This very track character also made it easy for the drivers to overtake in Attack Mode. There are much tighter tracks to come - such as the next round of the season in Mexico - where overtaking is likely to become more difficult, even with four-wheel drive. Then it could depend even more on the overtaking skills of the drivers.

It is also a fact that Attack Mode finally lives up to its name again. It is used for attacking and actually reminded me of the famous star item in Mario Kart - especially as the LEDs on the car now finally flash pink and light blue when activated. Perhaps a little less contrast would provide a little more clarity. But these nuances can hardly be controlled with a view to long-term tyre development.

A short-term solution could possibly be to increase the power in race mode to reduce the difference to four-wheel drive (although this would also have an impact on other things). But does anyone want that? Let's wait and see how big the difference is on other tracks. I try to look at it like pit stops in Formula 1. There are shifts in the field, too. However, fans can still follow the action and know who is actually fighting for victory.

In Formula E, of course, there are two mandatory activations per driver - in a much shorter race. Can this chaos be controlled to some extent? Perhaps with fixed Attack Mode windows in which all drivers have to activate. Especially as it can be assumed that the teams will save their second Attack Mode until the end of the race in future - Jaguar and McLaren showed why on Saturday. But if everyone has the same amount of power again, they would no longer be able to attack.

The revised Attack Mode has introduced a new strategic element to Formula E that most people have underestimated. It makes for a lot of overtaking, which I preferred to letting someone pass as we've seen in the last two seasons - because the overtakes on Saturday were initiated by the attacker himself. In this respect, I'm positive for the time being and hope that the chaos will be a little less in the coming races. The only remaining question is what the powerful Attack Mode will look like in combination with the Pit Boost, which will be used from the Jeddah E-Prix onwards...