Formula E

Paddock Whispers: News ticker on all the important Formula E paddock topics in Jakarta

Tobias Wirtz

Tobias Wirtz

FIA Formula E

Formula E contests its final single-header of the season in Jakarta this weekend. As always, you can find out what else is going on in the paddock in the Indonesian capital besides the track action in the latest edition of our popular series "Paddock Whispers". We will update this news ticker regularly throughout the weekend.

>>> Drone hunters in Jakarta

[20.05. | 17:55] Unusual security personnel could be seen in Jakarta today: Air Force soldiers with headsets and large electronic devices guarded the Formula E race track. Their task: to prevent drones from being flown over the race track from outside the grounds. The devices work by jamming, i.e. by overlapping the radio frequencies, the drone's communication is disrupted, causing it to crash.

>>> Filming at the Cupra Kiro team hotel

[20.05. | 16:46] Apparently, a second season of the docutainment series ‘Formula E: Driver’ is currently being worked on. A camera crew accompanied Cupra-Kiro team boss Alex Hui to dinner at the team hotel on Friday evening, where e-Formula.news was also present.

Here you can find a review of the first season, which was released on Prime Video in May.

>>> Beckmann is pessimistic about a rain race: "You can't overtake"

[20.05. | 15:38] If it rains on Saturday, Cupra Kiro driver David Beckmann says qualifying is likely to be decisive. Unlike in other racing series, in Formula E rain does not have a positive effect on racing. Especially when it rains so much that there is water on the track, as was the case recently in Shanghai.

"If it really rains, you can't overtake," Beckmann told e-Formula.news in Jakarta. "The tyres displace so little water that you have to follow the line of the cars in front. If you try to overtake someone next to this line, you aquaplane too much and lose the car."

In Jakarta, however, this might not be quite so bad, he explains. "It's much warmer here. It could be that the tyres get a bit warmer and then work better. In any case, we have learned that small temperature differences with this tyre make a big difference in the rain."

>>> Nissan Mod Shop in Jakarta

[20.05. | 14:06] Nissan is represented in the Fan Village in Jakarta with its own "Mod Shop". Fans can have their T-shirts and tote bags customised with many different Nissan motifs. There are also free shirts and bags for the fans, as well as Nissan stickers and race posters from season 11.

>>> Wehrlein: "Es braucht ein großes Wunder"

>>> Wehrlein: "It needs a big miracle"

[20.05. | 09:44] Pascal Wehrlein will contest five more races this season with the reigning world champion's starting number 1. However, he no longer sees any realistic chances of defending his title. "It needs a big miracle, realistically the gap is too big", describes the Porsche driver when asked by e-Formula.news in Jakarta. "Rowland and Nissan are still performing very strongly. But we will not give up until it is mathematically no longer possible."

"On the other hand, we still have two other championships to fight for, which are just as important for the team as the drivers' title," he emphasises the importance of the team and manufacturers' championships. "It will therefore be important for us to get the maximum out of every race. For me personally, the goal is to win one or two more races and then see what comes out of it in the end."

>>> Beckmann: "Happy to be back here"

[20.05. | 09:28] Cupra Kiro driver David Beckmann returns this weekend to the place where he made his Formula E debut with Andretti. "Jakarta is the first track I know very well from the two races I did in season 9," says Beckmann to e-Formula.news. "It is very fast and demanding and I really enjoyed it back then. The weather looks a bit different, but I am very happy to be back here again."

"So far there have always been small mistakes and bad luck", he describes the season in which he is one of only two drivers still without championship points. "But we have to keep pushing and do a good qualifying - then the first point is definitely within reach. We are very, very close."

>>> Günther: "You have to focus on putting your package together"

[20.05. | 09:05] The last Jakarta race winner, Max Günther, is delighted about the return of the electric series to Indonesia. "It's a great feeling to be back - we had a mega weekend here two years ago", Günther told e-Formula.news in Jakarta. "But what is much more important than the race two years ago is the work we are doing this year. I think we understand our package very well and are working as a team in a very good direction."

"I will go home happy when I know we have got the best out of the weekend," he added. "That can be a podium, but also an eighth place or no points at all. In Formula E, you have to focus on putting your package together. If you can do that, you can have a good day."

>>> Wehrlein: "Made a big step in the wet"

[20.05. | 08:48] Porsche driver Pascal Wehrlein is very confident about the Jakarta E-Prix despite the weather forecast predicting rain for race Saturday. "It is a track that should hopefully suit us", Wehrlein describes when asked by e-Formula.news. "The heat will be exhausting and extremely hard on the car, but also on tyre management etc."

"We made a big step forward in the wet, I felt comfortable for the first time in Shanghai," he continues after the Porsche double podium in the rain-soaked Sunday race in China. "Before that it was also wet on two weekends, but we never found the right set-up, never found the right settings for me. Shanghai was the first time where I said: The car suits me overall. I don't really care whether it's wet or dry. Maybe, if you have the heat in mind, a bit of rain doesn't hurt at all."

>>> London: McLaren organises fan event

[20.05. | 08:12] McLaren will host a major fan event in London's Trafalgar Square on 2 and 3 July ahead of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix. Among other things, fans will have the opportunity to take a close look at the team's cars in the various racing series.

In addition to Formula 1 cars, McLaren will also be exhibiting its cars from Formula E, the IndyCar Series, the WEC and various historic vehicles.

>>> Formula 1 premiere for Jake Hughes

[20.05. | 07:29] Great joy for Maserati driver Jake Hughes: The Briton, who continues to be a simulator driver for the McLaren Formula 1 team alongside his Formula E commitment, was recently allowed to drive a F1 car for the first time. Hughes drove a few laps in the McLaren MC60 from the 2023 season on the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmelo.

>>> Abbi Pulling becomes rookie and simulator driver at Nissan

[19.06. | 21:16] Nissan has unveiled reigning F1 Academy champion Abbi Pulling as its official rookie and simulator driver. The 22-year-old has signed a long-term cooperation agreement with the team, according to the press release. Pulling had already driven for Nissan at the women's test in Madrid, where she set the fastest time.</p

"I am delighted to join the Nissan Formula E Team and look forward to building on our collaboration after driving for the team at the Jarama test," said Pulling. The only drawback: although Pulling is now the team's official rookie driver, the press release makes no mention at all of the rookie test in Berlin, which takes place in three weeks' time. At the request of e-Formula.news, a Nissan spokeswoman said: "This has not yet been confirmed. We will announce our drivers for the rookie test soon."

>>> Formula E champion car of Nelson Piquet jr. for sale

[19.06. | 20:41] Formula E fans currently have a unique opportunity: the Gen1 car in which Nelson Piquet jr. won the championship title for Team China Racing in Season 1 is currently for sale. The Brazilian won the two E-Prix in Long Beach and Moscow with this car in 2015 and finished on the podium a further three times, winning the title at the end of the season with a one-point lead over Sebastien Buemi.

However, the car is not cheap: the seller in the USA is asking 400,000 euros for the car. Included is a replacement engine from the then standard supplier McLaren worth 80,000 euros and a special charger from Williams worth 25,000 euros. That's not a problem for you? Then act fast!

 
 
 
 
 
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>>> 2026 no date clashes with the WEC

[19.06. | 20:18] As was announced during the 24 Hours of Le Mans, there will be no clashes between the WEC and Formula E next year. Only the weekend of the new Madrid E-Prix will cause some stress for the drivers competing in both series: After Formula E races in Madrid on Saturday 21 March, they will have to hop on a plane to Qatar, where the prologue to the 2026 WEC season will take place on 22 and 23 March (Sunday and Monday).

>>> James Barclay unveiled as McLaren team principal

[19.06. | 21:03] James Barclay, currently team principal at Formula E team Jaguar TCS Racing, was unveiled as team principal of the new LMDh programme of McLaren and United Autosports last weekend in Le Mans. We had already reported exclusively on his new role in motorsport when James' announced his departure from Jaguar. Now it's official.

"I am honoured to become part of a brand with such an incredible history of racing success," said the South African. "I have always admired the passion and commitment to success that McLaren Racing epitomises. I look forward to the challenge of building a team that competes at the highest level of racing and represents the pioneering spirit that McLaren is renowned for."

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