Formula E steps closer to F1 with new regs but remains its own animal, says Vandoorne

Formula E’s incoming GEN4 cars and their step up in performance have invited comparisons to Formula 1, but F1 driver turned Formula E champion Stoffel Vandoorne says the two ought to be looked at independently.

Vandoorne switched to the all-electric series after entering 42 grands prix across three seasons for McLaren, going on to win the Formula E title in the championship’s eighth season. And while he acknowledges the improved performance of the new Formula E cars means the series will get compared to global open-wheel racing’s so-called pinnacle, the innate differences between the two renders such comparisons moot, and that Formula E ought to be viewed from the outside as an absolute destination for drivers rather than a fallback option.

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“I think it's already been a proper destination for quite some time,” he said. “I think what is changing now is obviously the car is becoming more competitive, faster, and people are starting to make that comparison with Formula 1. But I don't necessarily feel like we need to compare it with Formula 1. Formula E has always been its own specific championship. It's a different type of racing, style of racing, with very capable manufacturers and drivers.

“Ultimately the technology is evolving. We're getting faster. The car is really making a huge step, and it's probably the biggest step in terms of speed that we've seen in all the generations of Formula E, so I think it's natural that that gap keeps closing a bit. But at the same time, it's not Formula 1. It's not the same budget. We don't have the same freedom with aerodynamics or whatever, so we still need to keep it under control in the best way.

“We'll see a lot of smiles on the faces of the drivers, and I think that's ultimately what is the most important part, that we're excited again to go racing and to see those cars on track.”

Formula E’s fourth regulation set will bring a 70% increase in peak power compared to the outgoing car as well as low- and high-downforce setups and permanent four-wheel-drive, plus sprint and feature races on double-header weekends, and Vandoorne expects it all to combine to deliver a different show, but perhaps with some hints of what preceded it.

“I think it is going to be different, that's for sure,” he said. “The cars are different, they're more powerful, they're different dimensions, they have different levels of drag than the previous generation, so ultimately, it will be different. But I also think some elements of the GEN3 era that we've kind of learned, with the peloton racing, I'm pretty sure that some of that will carry forward into GEN4 as well.

“It will be a big learning curve for everyone in the beginning. It will be kind of exploring that a little bit in the first couple of rounds because we've a sprint race, we've got the longer race that we'll have as well. So already in those double header weekends, we will have different types of racing. It's just kind of understanding and getting a feel for that early on to be ahead of to be ahead of the game.”