I, like many other Formula 1 fans, am a bit starved for racing content at the moment. Nothing quite beats cars going at incomprehensible speeds around a track, the drama of paddock rumours, and having the Dutch national anthem engraved into your cranium. And while Formula 1 may be on hiatus in preparation for next season, there is still plenty of racing happening elsewhere, with a favourite among fans being Formula E.

But why is Formula E worth watching? What makes it stand out from other racing series? Because Formula E is really cool. I’ve highlighted the top reasons to tune in to the 2023/24 season below.

Net Zero

Firstly, Formula E is the first sport to have been certified net zero since its inception. While many sports (Formula 1 included) are committed to becoming net zero in the near future, Formula E has never had to worry about this, given that they’ve had no carbon footprint since the sport first began in 2014. As various motor racing series move towards more electric-powered racing, Formula E has led the pack, and has proven that you don’t always need roaring engines and the smell of fuel for a race to be exciting.

The circuits

The series races around the streets of many major cities. A large proportion of the races being around street tracks, including London, Tokyo, and the classic Monaco, means that they are often more accessible than trekking out to the middle of nowhere, like with Spa or Silverstone. Street circuits also mean that more public transport can be used, leading to less carbon emissions from fans flocking to the track.

The races are on the shorter side, at about 45 minutes per race. If you struggle to sit and watch a 70-something lap race, maybe these 30-something lap races are more to your liking, though these races being shorter doesn’t mean that they’re any less exciting or action-packed.

On-track drama

With 22 cars on the grid for 2024, Formula E provides more opportunity for cars to overtake (or collide), which can make races particularly exciting. A standout race for drama and overtaking is the Monaco 2021 E-Prix, where there was an unmatched amount of wheel-to-wheel combat – something that doesn’t really happen when Formula 1 races around the same track. The addition of ‘Attack Mode’ in the 2018/19 season also made the races even more exciting – Attack Mode increases the power of the car, which helps them with overtaking or defending. However, it can be a bit of a gamble as activating Attack Mode takes the driver off of the racing line, meaning that a badly-timed activation could cost them positions. There’s also the issue of power: cars have a limited amount of power throughout a race, and so drivers have to be careful not to waste any, else they’ll run out of energy before the end. The 2021 Valencia E-Prix ended in chaos, as almost all of the cars ran out of energy on the penultimate lap when teams miscalculated how much energy they would have for the end of the race. The strategy for Formula E is so different to what happens in other racing series, and means that nothing is ever certain – one tiny error could cost you your entire race.

The sophisticated strategy involved also means that there’s no overwhelming dominance. As much as I’m sure we all love seeing Verstappen on the top step every time, a bit of variety might be nice occasionally. The 2022/3 season saw seven different drivers take race victories, with Jake Dennis, who won two, taking the title.

Unplugged

Although Formula E doesn’t quite have the high-profile status of Formula 1 just yet, steps are being taken to spread the word about this racing series. Formula E Unplugged (which can be watched on YouTube) is a bit like Drive to Survive, in that it introduces viewers to the unseen areas of Formula E, providing insight into the teams and the different drivers in a more personal way. It provides fans with the opportunity to get to know the grid better, and is boosting the visibility of the sport. The social media presence of Formula E and the various teams is also worth checking out.

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Hopefully the above has convinced you to tune in to the rest of this Formula E season and seasons to come. The next race will be the São Paolo E-Prix on March 16, and it promises to be electric.