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Since Nyck de Vries and Mercedes-EQ lifted the Drivers’ and Teams’ World Championship trophies in Berlin and the final chequered flag fell on the 2020/21 campaign back in August, preparations have been in full swing up and down the pit-lane ahead of Season 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship - with testing set for Valencia's Circuit Ricardo Tormo once again, in less than a month's time.
Schedule
Prior to the season opener in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia on 28/29 January, the championship will make its sixth visit to Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain, between 29 November and 2 December.
Testing will take place every day with the exception of Wednesday 1 December, with all the teams and drivers on track together for the first, and last time before the start of the 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship proper.
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The first two days’ running will be broken into a morning session between 09:00 and 12:00, with an afternoon session taking place between 14:00 and 17:00. Session 5 on Thursday 2 December will run between 09:00 and 15:00.
Revised regulations
From Season 8, Formula E races can now have additional race time of up to 10 minutes added when incidents cause Safety Car or Full Course Yellow neutralisations during the 45-minute plus one lap race.
Formula E’s all-electric Gen2 cars will be the quickest they've ever been this season, too. Drivers will be able to tap into 220kW of power in Season 8, an increase from 200kW in Season 7, during races. Power during ATTACK MODE will also increase to 250kW from 235kW.
There's a new qualifying format featuring Groups and knockout Duels for teams and drivers to get their heads around in 2021/22. It allows the best teams and drivers to showcase their speed and skill and maintains the possibility of any driver to start on Julius Baer Pole Position, ensuring drama and competitiveness throughout the session - with the cream rising to the top.
Groups and Duels
Qualifying will feature a first round of two groups with each driver able to make multiple attempts at fastest laps within their allocated time. The drivers that set the top four lap times in each group will progress into head-to-head Duels, on a knockout basis in quarter-finals and semi-finals. Pole position is decided in a final duel, with all grid positions based on success in Duels, or lap times, depending on which stage of the session drivers reach.
The biggest calendar yet
For Gen2's swansong, Formula E has assembled its biggest calendar yet, featuring 16 rounds with fresh new trips to Jakarta, Indonesia, Seoul, South Korea and Vancouver, Canada all in the books.
Media accreditation
To apply for accreditation, please contact the Formula E Press Office by 21 November. All-season accredited media have been contacted separately.
Formula E requires all attendees to show a negative PCR test result upon entering the site taken within 48 hours of their first day on-site. Attendees may be requested to show this certificate at any time during the event. Government guidelines require everyone in Valencia to wear appropriate PPE and respect social distancing where possible.
It is each attendee’s responsibility to check travel documents ahead of their arrival in Spain.