Formula E

Paddock Whisper: News ticker on all important Formula E paddock topics in Berlin

Tobias Wirtz

Tobias Wirtz

Formula E is back in Berlin this weekend for its 17th and 18th races in the German capital. As always, you can find out what else is keeping the paddock in Tempelhof busy besides the track action in the latest edition of our popular "Paddock Whispers" series. We update this news ticker regularly over the course of the weekend.

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>> More sports celebrities visit Berlin

[22.04. | 18:39] Racing driver Sophia Flörsch was a visitor at the Berlin E-Prix. In addition, Formula 1 race director Niels Wittich was on site to get an idea of the Gen3 era of Formula E. Here he was until 2017 himself race director and subsequently still responsible for track inspection and homologation. Ex-team bosses Hans-Jürgen Abt, Dilbagh Gill, Allan McNish and Mark Preston, Extreme E driver Klara Andersson, ex-racing driver Christian Danner and Prodrive boss David Richards were also spotted in the paddock.

But it wasn't just motorsport enthusiasts who were on hand in Berlin: Ex-professional soccer player Giovane Elber also visited the Berlin E-Prix.

>>"ran NFL" team visiting

[22.04. | 14:27] In addition to the team of "ran Racing", the crew of "ran NFL" is also on site in Berlin. Among others, Christoph "Icke" Dommisch and Patrick Esume were spotted in the paddock

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A post shared by Nadine Heine (@pueppi_1905)

>> Christian Lindner visits Berlin E-Prix

[04/22 | 14:01] German Finance Minister Christian Lindner paid a visit to the Formula E race in the German capital on Sunday

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>> BVG advertises with Formula E puns

[22.04. | 19:49] Berlin's public transport company is currently advertising on social media with a campaign in which it addresses Formula E with a pun: "You may be nippy, but we're fleet." But that's not all, another slogan read, "We'll get you to the race, we're driving e."

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In Berlin, there are esome teams that use public transportation instead of shuttle vehicles to get there. For example, the entire Porsche team, among others, travels by subway.

>> Daniel Brühl visits Berlin E-Prix

[22.04. | 14:13] Actor Daniel Brühl visited the Berlin E-Prix on Saturday. The 44-year-old stopped by the ABT garage, among other places, and had ProSieben TV expert Daniel Abt explain the special features of Formula E.

Brühl had his international breakthrough with the film "Good Bye, Lenin!". He is known to motorsport fans mainly for his portrayal of the young Niki Lauda in the film "Rush," which even earned him a Golden Globe nomination.

>> Nathan Evans performs at Fan Village

[04/22 | 13:57] Scottish musician Nathan Evans was the main act at the music program on stage at E-Village on Saturday at noon. Evans is known to many fans mainly through TikTok. He even reached No. 1 in the German charts in 2021 with the song Wellerman.

>> Alica Schmidt visits Porsche

[22.04. | 13:28] German track and field athlete Alica Schmidt visits the Berlin E-Prix and stopped by Porsche once. Here, she had Antonio Felix da Costa explain the Formula E steering wheel to her, among other things.

>> World Premiere at Cupra

[22.04. | 09:22] The Spanish manufacturer Cupra - partner of the German ABT team - celebrated a world premiere on Friday evening: For the presentation of its all-electric "Tavascan", Cupra transformed the entire Hangar 5 in Tempelhof into a party location. Next to the real car, Cupra presented its ambitious concept car "Black Rebel" and explained various Metaverse ideas. Afterwards, we had the chance to talk to some company representatives and will report about it soon.

What Cupra has put together as part of the Berlin E-Prix is quite impressive and surpasses all exhibitions of manufacturers in recent years. The up-and-coming Volkswagen subsidiary is said to have invited a total of 1,400 people from all over the world to Tempelhof. This is likely to be evident on one of the grandstands at today's Formula E race...

>> Tennis star Emma Raducanu visits Porsche development center

[04/22 | 06:20] British tennis player Emma Raducanu has visited the Porsche Development Center in Weissach ahead of the Berlin E-Prix. The 20-year-old Porsche brand ambassador, who raced karts herself as a child, took a look at the racing workshop, among other things, and also drove in the team's simulator after receiving coaching from Pascal Wehrlein.

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"Pascal gave me a great insight into Formula E," she described afterwards. "The impressions in the simulator were unique. I have great respect for the drivers who get into the simulator and take everything in their stride with playful ease."

>> Head injury for Jake Hughes

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[21.04. | 18:00] Buemi is not the only injured in Berlin. McLaren driver Jake Hughes had to contest the 1st free practice session with a headache: The Briton had hit his head at the track on Friday afternoon. Hughes suffered a laceration in the process. He was treated in an ambulance as a precaution, but was subsequently able to go about his duties unhindered.

>> After hand fracture: Buemi with bandaged hand

[21.04. | 16:50] Sebastien Buemi suffered a more serious injury than expected in his collision with Max Günther in Sao Paulo. The Swiss driver said he broke his right hand in the accident. Since Formula E cars do not have power steering, his start in the Berlin race could be in jeopardy. We have dedicated a separate article to this topic.

>> Daniel Abt drives Gen3

[21.04. | 16:40] Ex-racing driver and ProSieben expert Daniel Abt did a few laps with Formula E's Gen3 demo car before the 1st free practice session. The 30-year-old was wearing an overall with ABT and Cupra branding.

>> New halo slogans for Porsche

[04/21 | 13:00] As with every race, Porsche has added two new slogans to the Porsche 99X Electric's halo system in Berlin. "Home Speed Home" is on local hero and overall leader Pascal Wehrlein, while Antonio Felix da Costa drives with "Mate in Germany."

>> Felix von der Laden in the safety car

[21.04. | 10:54] Motorsport influencer and racing driver Felix von der Laden will get behind the wheel of the safety car as part of a promo tour. In the process, he is also expected to do a few laps of the Berlin-Tempelhof circuit. In addition, ex-Andretti driver Oliver Askew, who is back in Berlin as an expert for the international TV signal, will drive around the track in a Porsche Taycan for the track presentation there.

>> Formula E parts as art objects

[21.04. | 09:13] In collaboration with DS Automobiles, artist Christian Keinstar is showing artworks he made from used parts of the French manufacturer's Formula E race cars at the public exhibition "E-Constructed" at Berlin's PalaisPopulaire until Sunday. Keinstar will also participate on Saturday evening together with Formula E sustainability chief Julia Palle and with art and environmental experts in the panel discussion "Sustainable Art Night" organized by the art magazine Monopol.

>> Accelerate launches 3rd season

[04/20 | 16:30] Formula E is launching the third season of its E-Sports series Accelerate. The real races in Berlin and Rome will feature two qualifying races, each of which will see eleven driver:s qualify for the grand final, which will be held at the London E-Prix.

There will also be an "Accelerate Amped" offshoot in which eleven motorsport influencers will participate. Each:r will represent a team and collect points to win the team ranking. Whether Formula E's umpteenth attempt to increase its online audience through high-reach social media celebrities will bear fruit? Will be curious.

>> German course with Andre Lotterer

[04/20 | 15:44] Always welcome at the Berlin E-Prix: German-speaking Formula E drivers teach their teammates who don't speak the language a few words. This year, it's Andretti driver Andre Lotterer who gets to try his hand at teaching Jake Dennis the language.

>> 90 percent chance of rain - will the rookie test fall through?

[20.04. | 14:49] The weather services are currently predicting changeable conditions for the Berlin E-Prix. While it is expected to remain dry on Friday and Saturday with temperatures of up to 20 degrees, the probability of rain for Sunday and Monday is currently at 90 percent. On Sunday, this should have no effect, as the drivers will also have to run on wet surfaces because of the upcoming race.

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The situation is different for the rookie test on Monday, which of course is also due to the spare parts supply. In addition, the knowledge gained about the Hankook tires is also limited on the concrete slabs in Berlin. For example, one of the Formula E team bosses already feared on Thursday, "If it rains on Monday, some teams are likely to pack up after just a few installation laps. We'll see.

>> Cupra supplies vehicles for race directorate

[20.04. | 12:01] Porsche is providing Formula E with the safety car and medical car again this season, but various manufacturers are taking turns for the officials' other vehicles. In Berlin, Cupra is supplying the vehicles for the race officials.

>> New addition to Buemi family

[20.04. | 10:37] Envision driver Sebastien Buemi traveled to Berlin a little later than originally planned. The reason: His wife Jennifer gave birth to son Hugo on Tuesday morning. It is already the third son of the Buemis after Jules and Theo. Congratulations and all the best!

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Sébastien BUEMI (@sebastien_buemi)

>> No Shakedown in Berlin

[04/20 | 09:13] On their return to Berlin, the pilots will be allowed to do a few fewer laps than usual: there will be no shakedown on the Tempelhof circuit. As a rule, the drivers are allowed to complete three laps in a separate session without timing, during which system checks are carried out. This time, this work will have to be done in the 1st free practice session, which will take place at 5 p.m. on Friday.

>> Nissan bolide "immortalized"

in Berlin.

[04/20 | 08:02] Berlin-based graffiti artist Vidam has been commissioned by Nissan to spray paint one of the team's Gen3 bolides on a wall of the "One Wall" art project. In addition to the race car, the wall also features cherry blossoms, which served as inspiration for the race car's design, and the words "Feel Electric."

Visitors:inside the E-Prix or Berliners:inside can also view the wall in real life: It is located in Bernburger Straße in the immediate vicinity of the S-Bahn station Anhalter Bahnhof. However, you should not leave yourself much time: The wall is painted over at regular intervals and redesigned by a different artist.

>>"Progress Is Unstoppable" - Formula E throws car off plane

[04/20 | 07:30] Formula E has shown a new brand film with the slogan "Progress Is Unstoppable" in the week before the Berlin E-Prix. It features a Gen3 vehicle being driven by a driver out of the tailgate of an airborne cargo plane and falling to the ground. While the racer jumps out of the vehicle and opens the saving parachute, the vehicle continues to hurtle to the ground. Just before impact, the clip ends.

What's the point of all this? That's what many are asking, according to the comments on social media. We can't answer the question. Perhaps Formula E wants to explain the shortage of spare parts with it?

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