Formula E

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

Tobias Wirtz

Tobias Wirtz

FIA Formula E

The Berlin E-Prix is the start of the second half of the season of the 2024 Formula E World Championship. The racing series is being held in the German capital for the tenth time. As always, you can find out what else is going on in the paddock on the site of the former Tempelhof Airport in addition to the action on the track in the latest edition of our popular "Paddock Whispers" series. We will update this news ticker regularly throughout the weekend.

>>> Sun Minimeal Extreme E Team in Fan Village

[11.05. | 14:08] As we were able to spot in the Fan Village in Berlin, the Sun Minimeal Extreme E Team led by Timo Scheider is on site. In addition to team boss and driver Scheider, the team's Odyssey 21 and female driver Klara Andersson are also present at the Sun Minimeal stand.

>>> Race director Elkins has advertising banners removed

[11.05. | 10:15] As a colleague from Motorsport-Magazin has learnt from race director Scot Elkins, various advertising banners on the track barriers are being removed at the moment. The US-American apparently wants to prevent further sponsor banners from landing on the track after drivers hit the wall, as happened in the second free practice session. Dan Ticktum had caused a red phase there.

>>> Wehrlein defect: cause still unknown

[11.05. | 09:55] Porsche is still searching for the cause following the technical defect in Pascal Wehrlein's car in the first free practice session. It could presumably be the same problem that occurred with Sergio Sette Camara before the start of the Mexico City E-Prix.

"Following an incident in FP1, which caused Pascal Wehrlein to stop on track, we can confirm that car #94 suffered a technical issue involving the high voltage system. This has affected a considerable number of parts on the car, which we are now changing," said a statement from the team late on Friday evening. "The damage sustained means we are unable to determine the cause of the incident so far."

>>> Porsche with new halo slogans

[10.05. | 17:55] "No Speed Limit Here!" and "German FE-ciency!" are the popular halo slogans at Porsche during the Berlin E-Prix.

>>> Formula E comeback for Kelvin van der Linde "a little more relaxed"

[10.05. | 17:08] "The conditions are significantly different to those back in Saudi Arabia," the South African told to e-Formula.news. "On the one hand, the track is not as complicated and the car has taken many steps in the right direction. On the other hand, the environment is the same and that makes it a bit more relaxed for me."

"Formula E is a constant development when it comes to software," he explains. "We also understand the car much better. We are now a year and a half further on and I think every team has already dealt with various issues. We have also made a significant step forward, even if we are not quite where we want to be yet. I will just try to enjoy the whole weekend, in good weather and in front of the German fans."

>>> "Definitely a better track": Alberto Longo explains layout adjustment

[10.05. | 16:25] Somewhat surprisingly, Formula E made an adjustment to the new layout on the apron of the former Tempelhof Airport around two weeks before the Berlin E-Prix. This last-minute revision was the result of simulations carried out by the FIA, as Chief Championship Officer Alberto Longo has now revealed.

"In a place where we can, like this one, we need to extract the maximum out of the layout, out of the venue, to extract the maximum of the technology of the cars," explained Longo when asked by e-Formula.news. "Once we designed, we simulate it. And once the simulation came back from the FIA, there is a review: do this here and do that there, the track will be better, will enabling more overtaking, more show and more spectacle. So, that is basically the reason why. It definitely is a better track for the cars that we have than the one we originally designed."

>>> "Better Futures Funds": Formula E launches new charity programme

[10.05. | 15:41] Formula E has launched a new programme at the Berlin E-Prix to support charities and local projects in the cities where it holds races. The "Better Futures Fund" focuses on initiatives that have an environmental and social impact and are not limited to the race weekends, but throughout the year.

In season 10, the fund will focus on the following objectives:

- Supporting underrepresented communities at race venues to combat social inequalities
- Environmental protection, prioritising nature and air quality in urban areas
- Community engagement and their transition to a more sustainable lifestyle

For the remainder of the current season, a fund of $100,000 will be split between the four race venues of Berlin, Shanghai, Portland and London, with local charities receiving up to $25,000 for their respective causes. In the coming season, the fund will support separate charities at all race venues around the world.

>>> Kilowatt Kings beat Pole Position Panthers 8:1

[10.05. | 14:39] Andretti and Porsche played a football match in Berlin on Wednesday evening to celebrate their partnership. They put together mixed teams from their local employees. The drivers acted as coaches: the Kilowatt Kings were coached by Norman Nato and Pascal Wehrlein, the Pole Position Panthers by Jake Dennis and Antonio Felix da Costa.

With the exception of Jake Dennis, all the coaches changed themselves during the game. The result was pretty clear: the Kings won 8:1.

>>> Porsche presents 2 new safety cars

[10.05. | 10:48] After 2.5 years, Bruno Correia's "old" Porsche Taycan has had its day: from the Berlin E-Prix, Porsche will provide Formula E with a new Taycan Turbo GT with the optional Weissach package, which includes a rear wing and missing rear seats. The car accelerates from a standstill to 100 km/h in just 2.2 seconds, with a top speed of 305 km/h.

As a special feature, the safety car now also has an attack mode: Correia can activate up to 120 kW of additional power via a red button on the steering wheel. As before, the Porsche specialists from Manthey Racing at the Nürburgring are responsible for the support and maintenance of the vehicles. They were also responsible for installing the necessary modifications, including the warning lights and the necessary electrics, the communication system and a fire extinguisher.

As in the past, there is another vehicle as a replacement. While the replacement safety car could previously only be distinguished by minor details such as different wheel rims, this is now changing: the emergency vehicle is painted in Purple Sky Metallic, while the second is in Shade Green Metallic.

>>> Gaming: Tempelhof course now available in Trackmania

[10.05. | 10:12] Game developer Ubisoft has released the Formula E race track in Berlin in its popular game Trackmania. A special Formula E game mode including attack mode and energy management has been specially designed for this purpose.

In addition to the nine previously released liveries, the three previously missing Formula E teams are also available for the event in Berlin: Envision, Porsche and DS Penske. In addition to the eleven Formula E teams, there is also an exclusive Formula E Championship skin.

As in Tokyo, three live races will be held on the Berlin circuit, with €1,000 in prize money up for grabs in each race. The races will take place on Saturday, Sunday and Wednesday.

 
 
 
 
 
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>>> McLaren publishes sustainability report

[10.05. | 09:37] McLaren Racing has published its sustainability report for 2023 ahead of the Berlin E-Prix. The team not only announced a 25 per cent reduction in emissions in individual areas, but also used recycled carbon fibres in its Formula 1 cars for the first time. Sustainability efforts have also been intensified in the social sphere: 45 per cent of new recruits to the British team come from an "underrepresented background", while F1 Academy driver Bianca Bustamante is the first female driver to be included in the McLaren young driver programme.

>>> Beth Paretta appointed Vice President of Sport

[10.05. | 08:51] Formula E has a new Vice President of Sport as of 1 May: Beth Paretta will oversee all sport and championship activities from the Berlin E-Prix onwards. The founder of Paretta Autosport competed in the 2021 Indianapolis 500 with her IndyCar team. The driver was Simona de Silvestro, but she was by no means the only female team member: around 70 per cent of the positions were held by women.

>>> Maserati appoints new deputy team principal

[10.05. | 08:30] Maserati MSG Racing has appointed a new Deputy Team Principal in the week leading up to the Berlin E-Prix: Cyril Blais will take over the role with immediate effect. The former Technical Director of Arden Motorsport in Formula 2 and Formula 3 joined the team, then known as Venturi, in 2021 and was honoured as Engineer of the Year in the racing series in 2023.

>>> Special foiling for Monaco: DS Penske shows video

[10.05. | 07:52] Have you ever wondered how the teams apply their foils to the Formula E cars? DS Penske showed this in a video on its social media channels ahead of the Berlin E-Prix using the special foiling for the Monaco E-Prix.

 
 
 
 
 
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