First Formula E race in India: all you need to know | Racing news

More than a decade after India was introduced to the top flight motor sports events in the form of Formula 1 in 2011, fans of “high-speed” action are preparing to witness the opening Formula E race to be held in Hyderabad on Saturday.
The Indian city will become the 30th destination of the electric car circuit.
As a starter ahead of the race, here’s everything you need to know about Formula E:

Formula 1 versus Formula E
Formula E is an electric equivalent of the widely followed Formula 1 which ran in India from 2011 to 2013. However, other than the ‘Formula’ prefix, there is no similarity between the two FIA world championship status events.
The turbo hybrid engines of Formula 1 are the epitome of performance, while the battery-powered Formula E cars promote sustainability and a greener world.
Formula E races with a purpose, but its cars have evolved rapidly over the last eight seasons and Gen3 technology has been introduced this season. As the series claims, Gen3 is the fastest, lightest, most powerful and most efficient car in its history.
It has a top speed of 320km/h, which is 100km/h faster than the first generation cars used from 2014 to 2017. The Gen2 cars were used from 2018 to 2022 and could reach speeds in excess of 280km/h.
As most Formula E races take place on twisty street circuits around the world with not very long straights, top speeds are not often reached.

TECHNOLOGY
In season one, the batteries could only produce 200kw of power, forcing drivers to switch cars mid-race. The introduction of the more powerful Gen2 cars meant that the cars could last the full race distance.
Power has been increased to 350kw in Gen3 cars and with remanufacturing it could go up to 600kw.
More than 40 percent of the energy will come from regenerative braking, an increase of 25 percent over the Gen2 machines. The series has a new tire supplier in Hankook, but the drivers are not completely satisfied with its performance. The newer cars are also 60kg lighter than the previous generation and weigh 840kg.

THE HOME TEAM
Mahindra Racing, which has been with Formula E since its inception, will finally be able to experience the thrill of a home race after eight seasons.
The other manufacturers in the championship include Nissan, Porsche, Tata-owned Jaguar. McLaren and Maserati are the new entries. After winning the title last season, Mercedes withdrew from the championship. Audi and BMW are also no longer part of the championship.
After the podium in the season opener in Mexico, Mahindra is hoping for an encore.
HEADQUARTERS
The 2.83 km track laid out in the heart of the city showcases the best of what Hyderabad has to offer. The cars will whiz around Hussain Sagar Lake, NTR Gardens, NTR Park and Prasads Imax driving along the necklace road.
Hyderabad will be the fourth round of the championship. Saudi Arabia hosted two fixtures in January following the season opener in Mexico.
Formula E sees India as a huge market and hopes to have a long future in the country.
“It’s taken too long to get to India. We’ll be here until it takes,” said Formula E co-founder Alberto Longo after ticking the 100-day countdown to the race.
Renewable energy major Greenko is the local initiator of the tender along with the Telangana government
THE FORMAT OF THE RACE
To ensure minimum disruption to public life, most of the action is packed into one day with FP2, qualifying and the race scheduled for Saturday.
Formula E introduced a new qualifying format last season calling it ‘Duels’ with drivers battling it out in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals after qualifying from the group stage.
The winner of the final duel conquers the Pole Position, while the runner-up lines up second. The semi-finalists will line up in third and fourth, the semi-finalists between fifth and eighth, based on their lap times.
COMPETITIONS (IST)
February 10th
Free Practice 1: from 4.25pm ​​to 5.15pm
February 11th
Free practice 2: from 8:05 to 8:55
Qualifying: 10.40am to 11.55am
Race: 3.03pm to 4.30pm
(With agency input)