Formula E

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

Tobias Wirtz

Tobias Wirtz

The 2024 Formula E World Championship comes to an end this weekend with the London E-Prix. As always, you can find out what else is going on in the paddock in the ExCeL exhibition hall 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.

>>> Celebrity crowd in London

[21.07. | 12:03] Formula E is bringing some well-known names to the London E-Prix to promote the event. In addition to ex-footballer Didier Drogba, who was also allowed to drive a lap with Bruno Correia in the safety car, the two boxers Tommy Fury and David Haye were also guests. Emma Walsh and reality star Seb Melrose were also spotted.

>>> Show programme with Ella Henderson & Craig David

[21.07. | 10:58] At the London E-Prix, there will once again be a big show programme with live performances immediately before the start of the race. After seeing Ella Henderson on Saturday, spectators will be able to see Craig David on Sunday.

>>> Daniel Abt drives Gen3Evo

[20.07. | 12:41] As in Berlin, ServusTV will once again have a team on site in London to produce the broadcasts for Austria and Germany live from the ExCeL. Co-commentator and expert Daniel Abt was allowed to do a few laps with the Gen3Evo car for the coming season after the 2nd free practice session and then described his impressions for an insert in today's broadcast of the London E-Prix.

>>> Valencia test: session for female drivers only

[20.07. | 09:19] As rumoured in the paddock of the London E-Prix, there is to be an innovation as part of the tests in Valencia 2024: An additional test session is to be held on the otherwise practice-free third day. The prerequisite: the teams must field a female driver in this session; men are not eligible to compete.

In this way, the racing series aims to set another milestone in the area of diversity and thus become more sustainable. It would be the second test in which women are used. Back in 2018, the teams were allowed to field a second car at the test in Diriyah if it was driven by a woman.

>>> Lap times 1.2 seconds slower

[19.07. | 19:52] The track record in London of 1:10.008 minutes, set by Mitch Evans, was nowhere near threatened in the first free practice session: Jean-Eric Vergne won the session, but was still more than 1.2 seconds slower than last year's best time. The reason for this is that the track layout had to be changed slightly due to the construction work on the Excel, and there is also a new track surface in the area from turn 15 to turn 18, which is now completely covered.

>>> ERT: No Gen3Evo tests yet

[19.07. | 19:13] As the colleagues at FE Notebook report, ERT is the only Formula E manufacturer that has not yet tested its drive package for the coming season. The background to this is that the team has reorganised its powertrain development and is sourcing various parts from new suppliers.

>>> Formula E plans another rookie test in Berlin

[19.07. | 18:31] Formula E is also planning to hold a rookie test in Berlin on the Monday after the double-header in 2025. This is reported by FE Notebook. This would be the third time in a row that the German capital has hosted the test for Formula E rookies. Felipe Drugovich (Maserati) and Robert Shwartzman (DS Penske) set the fastest times in the first two editions.

>>> "Thank you ABT" - Nico Müller with special helmet

[19.07. | 10:55] Nico Müller will contest his last race weekend for ABT Cupra with a special helmet. He thanked his team and wrote the names of all ABT employees on his helmet, which he used to surprise his team.

>>> Porsche Halo slogans

[19.07. | 09:41] As always, Porsche will be driving with special lettering on the Halo system at the London E-Prix. The team had called for suggestions in advance via social media. For Pascal Wehrlein it was "Wehrlightning", for Antonio Felix da Costa "DAC Attack".

>>> Jake Dennis with chrome helmet at home E-Prix

[19.07. | 08:16] Reigning Formula E world champion Jake Dennis will be racing with a newly designed helmet at his home races: The Andretti driver wants to defend his world championship title in the British capital with a chrome helmet.

>>> Nick Cassidy & Karun Chandhok driving Formula E car at Goodwood

[18.07. | 15:57] Jaguar TCS Racing took part in the legendary Goodwood Festival of Speed for the first time this year. Nick Cassidy and Karun Chandhok drove around the 1.86-kilometre track in the week before the London E-Prix. However, it was not Jaguar's Gen3 racing car that was used, but a demo car from the racing series wrapped in Jaguar colours. Formula E had already done the same in Shanghai, when Mitch Evans drove through the city in Jaguar livery.

⚡️ Gen3 ? Karun ??#GoodwoodFOS pic.twitter.com/aosZ3mAsKH

>>> NXT Gen Cup: Season opener in Nuremberg

[18.07. | 15:03] The NXT Gen Cup has kicked off its season at the Norisring as part of the DTM. Victor Nielsen (2x), Lukas Stiefelhagen and Calvin de Groot won the four races on the street circuit in Nuremberg. As de Groot finished second in the three races that he did not win, he leads the overall standings with 110 points after the first of four events.

>>> Sustainability measures in London

[18.07. | 14:47] The season finale will once again feature a number of Formula E sustainability measures. Once again, 170 girls and young women will take part in the FIA Girls on Track programme, bringing the total number of participants this season to more than 2,000 - a new record. In addition, the entire event uses only green electricity - a mix of solar, wind and hydroelectric power. There are also eight refill stations for drinking water for visitors, and 20,000 reusable drinking cups are available. There will also be helpers on site to support people with speech disabilities by communicating in sign language.

There are also events organised around the Formula E race: Accelerated.Live will bring together industry representatives, political decision-makers and experts on sustainable energy and climate protection. The Better Futures Fund supports the charity organisation Community Food Enterprise (CFE), which - similar to the Tafel in Germany - provides disadvantaged people in east London with food.

>>> Formula E & Julius Bär celebrate 10 years of partnership

[18.07. | 14:03] Julius Bär and Formula E are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their partnership at the London E-Prix. The Swiss private bank has been a sponsor of the electric racing series since the very first race in Beijing in 2014. The partnership was extended for a further four years in 2022, until the end of the Gen3 era in 2026.

>>> Jaguar partners with Google Cloud

[18.07. | 13:15] Jaguar TCS Racing has unveiled Google Cloud as the team's "official cloud partner" for the upcoming 2024/25 season ahead of the season finale. Google Cloud will feature on the nose of the car and on the Halo system of the Jaguar works cars.

Jaguar wants to use Google Cloud technology, including artificial intelligence, to improve the team's performance on and off the racetrack. In particular, it is hoped that the technology will give the team a head start when reading out vehicle data in the pits.</p

>>> DHL & Formula E: 10 years of partnership

[18.07. | 12:50] September marks the tenth anniversary of the first Formula E race, the Beijing E-Prix. DHL has been an official logistics partner of the race series since day one. However, the company not only transports the Formula E freight, but also works together with the series on sustainable transport solutions: For example, the use of biofuels for road and sea freight has significantly reduced the emission of climate-damaging greenhouse gases. In the current season, sustainable aviation fuel was also used for the first time for transport to two events.

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