Forget Formula One, Formula E Racing Is Here!

This is an exciting time for motorsport and quite literally, a historic moment for the car racing world. We are talking specifically about the launch of Formula E racing, the first of its kind. The E at the end signifies that all the participating cars are electrically-powered, and no, it does not stand for Elon Musk, the name synonymous with electric cars now.

The inaugural race of the 2014-15 Formula E season kicked off in Beijing on September 13th in an electrifying manner.

The Launch
The event kicked off in style. Hardcore F1 fans had a treat when F1 racers like Jarno Trulli, Takuma Sato, Nick Heidfeld, Bruno Senna and Karun Chandok were also featured in the line-up. One of the ten teams in the race this season is Monte Carlo-based Venturi and one of its four owners is none other than Hollywood legend Leonardo DiCaprio. Clearly, he was one of the biggest crowd-pullers for this event.

Interestingly, the very fact that such an event was taking place also managed to attract people. A Formula E race differs from regular F1 race in many ways. In an F1 race, there is a huge disconnect between the race cars and what the spectators usually drive on the road. The Formula E race cars are albeit electrically powered, but use the same technology that is used to power commercially available electric cars.

Straying away from the traditional three day format that F1 races usually go with, the Formula E race wraps up everything in a day. This includes the trial runs. And the relative low cost of the event compared to F1, also meant that people only had to buy a parking fee to enter and witness this historic race in the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing.

Moreover, Formula E races also have women drivers. Racers Michela Cerruti and Katherine Legge have signed up for the 2014-15 season.

Social Media
To ensure fans have a say in the race they are witnessing, the Formula E organisers started a new trend where people can vote for their favourite racers to get a five second 90bhp power boost during the race. It might seem a little bizarre, making a legitimate and serious car race look like a Eurovision singing competition, but you cannot deny the viewer engagement boost it offers.

The Event
No one could have asked for a more exciting first race. Nick Heidfeld of Venturi and Nicolas Prost of Renault were leading right up until the last corner. Heidfeld almost made a race inside pass from Prost's left, but Prost ended up initiating contact with Heidfeld's rear right wheel, which sent Heidfeld crashing into the barricades. As a result, Lucas Di Grassi of Audi (who was in third position) ended up winning the race. Heidfeld announced on Twitter that he was okay.

The race brings up a lot of questions about the Formula 3 format. For starters, there is a legitimate issue with the lack of noise with electric cars. With traditional F1 cars, one of the most characteristics traits is the noise the cars make. It brings in the crowd and it also help drivers figure out how far behind the other driver is. Could the Heidfeld-Prost crash have been avoided had there been a little more noise instead of the low humming sound electric cars are known for? The future races will shed more light.

The next race will be held on November 22nd, in Putrajaya, Malaysia.