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Understandably, safety is one of the most prevalent concerns of the FIA and Formula E. As Nick Heidfeld’s dramatic crash in Beijing showed, the Spark-Renault SRT_01E Formula E cars are incredibly safe and rigorously tested to the latest FIA standards – in fact the same used to govern Formula One machinery. It’s the same for the circuit itself (FIA Grade III), together with spectator safety and the well-being of all the on-site personnel.
When it comes to handling on-track incidents, the FIA has a specialist team ready to respond to any incident, fronted by Bruno Correia. At 37 years-old, Bruno brings with him a wealth of experience to his role as the Official FIA Formula E driver of the Qualcomm Safety Car. As a former racer himself – a Spanish Formula Renault Champion – Bruno is also the official driver of the FIA World Touring Car Championship – a role he’s held since 2009.
The Portuguese driver can be called into action at any point during a Formula E race to control the field while an incident is attended to. For this he uses a low-emission, fuel-efficient hybrid BMW i8 - a 362hp sportscar made from lightweight carbon and aluminium and capable of accelerating from 0-100kph in just 4.4 seconds. With two identical cars at his disposal, both have been specifically modified to meet FIA safety and technical requirements including a full roll cage.
“It’s a fantastic car to drive, both on the track and as an everyday car,” says Bruno. “It’s powerful yet economical and good looking. Being a hybrid it’s a future generation of car. The gullwing doors are pretty cool too!”
Unlike the road-going model though, the BMW i8s have been fitted with a unique inductive charging system from Qualcomm - allowing the car’s battery to be charged without the use of cables. The pioneering technology uses resonant magnetic induction to transfer energy between a ground-based pad and a charging pad fitted to the underside of the vehicle. The car can then simply park over the base pad for charging to start automatically.
“The car is fitted with Qualcomm wireless charging which is a very effective way of charging the car,” continues Bruno. “Even when the car is stopped it is charging. It also means you don’t have to get out of the car to unplug it, you can just drive away. Although a hybrid, it can still be used as a fully-electric car which is what we do for inspection laps or just driving along the pitlane.”
To date, Bruno has been called into action in both Formula E races and each occasion presents its own challenges. “During the race, it’s a real challenge controlling the speed of the field. Unlike other series, the drivers want to drive as slow as possible to avoid using their battery. The drivers all know they have to drive within 10 car lengths so I need to keep a good pace in order to ensure they follow it. Each safety car period is different though with many factors to consider; track type, layout, scale of incident – you have to adapt. We’re all still learning too and the FIA are working very hard to ensure we deal with every situation in the safety possible way.
“I’m very proud to be a part of the Formula E team and this inaugural season.”