Eight years after allowing fans to vote on which drivers gain a performance advantage in the race, Formula E looks set to move on.
Throughout its history, Formula E has used fan polls to provide an additional performance boost for top votes at the push of a button for a specific race.
Dubbed FanBoost, the system is part of the company’s early push to create a younger, more appealing racing style that departs from the traditions of more established series. As the all-electric series enters its ninth season and third generation, it is reportedly preparing to drop the concept.
A report from The Race suggests an unanimous agreement between the teams and championship organizers will end the category’s ninth season of FanBoost in January. That’s good news for rivals who have accused the voting system of being easily spoofed, giving drivers and teams that just buy tickets. Rumors of cheated fan tickets have surfaced time and time again, but no driver has ever been formally reprimanded for the violation.
Incorporating the Boost system into Formula E’s existing secret energy-saving rules also created other problems. At one point, Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein was accused of activating his FanBoost too late and relegated from second to fourth after one race. The penalty came just a day before Wehrlein’s first career victory was cancelled for mis-declaring tyres.
While FanBoost may be gone, Formula E is still expected to keep at least one strange relic of its origins as a series willing to experiment with the boundaries of normal competition. Attack Mode, a mainstay of the electric series since its fifth season, allows drivers to activate additional power by going off-line and onto pre-determined “activation zones” in corners at certain times. Effectively, the system serves as a real-world equivalent of the zones that give you a speed boost in Mario Kart. It is expected to continue in 2023.
Connor Mason is a passionate automotive journalist and the author behind the popular website motonews.info. With years of experience in the automotive industry, Connor is well-versed in all things related to cars and motorcycles.
