Mercedes bets on Formula E!

[Phokaioglaukos]

From Motorsport.com

Mercedes’ decision to quit its DTM touring car programme in favour of Formula E is far more significant than first meets the eye.

On the surface, it’s simply a manufacturer pulling out of its domestic touring car series to re-appropriate finances towards a different championship, right? But the truly momentous aspect is that it’s a German car giant kicking its last remaining factory-run, non-hybrid internal combustion engine racing programme to the kerb.

The DTM is Germany’s premiere domestic racing championship, yet Mercedes is set to end a 19-year stretch of unyielding support to a series it actually helped create. Its only naturally-aspirated motorsport involvement from 2019 will be for customer GT3 cars of the 6.3-litre V8 variety.

Formula E is a magnet to the OEM mass-produced market, which views electrification as the future of automotive. Renault, Audi, Citroen and Jaguar are already racing there. BMW and now Mercedes are coming. Porsche is almost certain to be next.

With Formula 1 adopting hybrid turbos in 2014, and the FIA’s World Endurance Championship having done likewise with its top LMP1 class, the days of the naturally-aspirated ICE in the highest levels of international motorsport appear numbered. Even GP2 will use V6 turbos next year.

And with half of F1’s engine suppliers now committed to Formula E, there’s a crossroads fast approaching. Should F1 continue its fight to remain road-relevant? Or should it break free from the risk of manufacturer whims?

Personally speaking, I’d implore the decision-makers to steer F1 towards something that Formula E will never be: The fastest, loudest, most daring racing show on earth.

Get the show right by embracing F1’s rich DNA and mutate it. Retain the best drivers and teams, and maintain its position at the peak of the sport. In the long term, give up the losing battle to keep mass-market manufacturers interested, why not switch focus instead to high-performance marques like Aston Martin, Alfa Romeo, Bentley or Bugatti and all the ‘new’ supercar brands.

By any means necessary, F1 should be stratospherically aspirational. Perhaps that means bucking the automotive trend to go naturally-aspirated again, to bring back the noise and fury.


– Charles Bradley, Editor in Chief

[981 S]

From Road and Track

Porsche is set to announce its departure from the FIA World Endurance Championship and move to the all-electric FIA Formula E championship.

RoadandTrack.com has learned Porsche’s exit from the LMP1-Hybrid class, where the German brand has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP1-Hybrid class three times since 2015, will be confirmed on Friday, as will its new Formula E program for 2019. Porsche’s LMP1-to-Formula E move, which has been rumored for weeks, follows the same switch made by sister brand Audi at the end of 2016.

Faced with a reduction from three manufacturers to two for 2017 where Toyota serves as its sole rival, and the ongoing, runaway costs to compete in LMP1-H with powerful hybrid-assisted prototypes, the Volkswagen Audi Group voted to withdraw altogether from the immensely popular LMP1 class.

Although LMP1 will move forward after losing two manufacturers in less than 12 months, the days of $300 million budgets, 1000-plus horsepower cars, and record-setting speeds are clearly in jeopardy. The ACO, organizers of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and its partners at the FIA went through a similar situation at the beginning of 2012 when Peugeot cancelled its LMP1-H program shortly before the start of the WEC season. In that instance, the ACO/FIA were fortunate to have Toyota, which had announced a Le Mans effort for 2012, in a position to accelerate its planned debut to fill the gap left by the French marque.

With no new LMP1-H programs expected to appear in 2018, Toyota would find itself in the awkward position of racing against non-factory, non-hybrid teams competing in the second-tier LMP1 for privateers. After two consecutive and crushing losses at Le Mans, the path to victory—a hollow achievement, without Audi or Porsche—would be wide open for Toyota in 2018, provided it continues in the wake of Porsche’s departure.

Trading its presence at the pinnacle of speed and innovation for the slower and comparatively unloved world of electrified open-wheel competition will require a bit of recalibration for Porsche’s immense LMP1 race team. Its abundance of factory prototype drivers, who’ve won multiple FIA WEC championships with the Porsche 919 Hybrid, will no longer be required. The massive design and manufacturing staff that produce the 919 will also face widespread redundancies due to Formula E’s usage of a spec chassis.

Heavy investment in new electric powertrains will become the primary focus for Porsche, and its extensive aerodynamic and chassis tuning knowledge will be put to use to learn the new Spark Racing chassis, but the outlay of cash and resources could come at a 90 percent annual savings compared to its LMP1-H budget.

Sports car fans will have five remaining chances to see the 919 Hybrids in action before their V4 turbo engines fall silent. If the end of the LMP1-H era is near, be sure to book a trip to Mexico City (Sept. 3), Circuit of The Americas in Texas (Sept. 16), Okayama, Japan (Oct. 15), Shanghai (Nov. 5) or Bahrain (Nov. 18) to see one of the all-time great racecars before it’s too late.