Is Formula E's latest attack mode a step too far?

“I saw him for about two corners and then I tried to spot him, but then I thought, 'Fuck, he's leading. This thing is powerful.”

Mitch Evans' victory from last on the grid in last weekend's season-opening Formula E Sao ​​Paulo E-Prix definitely got here as a surprise to the Kiwi, his Jaguar team and plenty of others, but close behind was the impact of the brand new attack mode.

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After falling to the margins of the highest ten, just a few positions ahead of team-mate Evans, Nick Cassidy became the primary driver to interact the 350kW mode on lap seven, which provides all-wheel drive for the primary time with the brand new Gen3 Evo machine.

The performance advantage that the additional power offered was immediately apparent. Cassidy took the lead after only one lap, encountering almost no resistance from the passing competitors.

During pre-season testing and before the race itself, drivers and teams described the brand new technology as a “game changer” that may transform the strategic elements of racing – but perhaps nobody realized just how much of a difference it might make.

Over the last two years of the Gen3 era, drivers have often used each attack modes – required by regulation and introduced in 2018-19 – on the earliest opportunity, theoretically to get it over with, such was its lack of effectiveness.

Mortara is a fan of the brand new attack mode, but admits there’s less motivation to fight a driver with more power

Photo: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

“What I like about this yr's attack mode is the clear difference between the 2 modes [350kW and 300kW] and the difference is so big that it gives us the chance to attack and advance,” said Mahindra driver Edoardo Mortara.

“I feel like in previous seasons you sometimes used attack mode more to defend. Now it's very much an attack mode that offers you the power to attack others.

“I think as a driver it actually makes it better. I think it makes it less chaotic. I've seen that when drivers recognize that you're getting into attack mode, they almost let you go because there's no point in fighting someone who has that big of a lead.”

“We have to be careful that races are not won by luck. We still want the best car to win.”
Nick Cassidy

Mortara rightly raises the problem of the dearth of resistance from defending drivers, who in previous seasons could have tried to dam cars harder in attack mode, resulting in touch. Yes, there have been two red flags and a security automotive throughout the race in Brazil, but neither of them were related to the usage of attack mode.

While Cassidy was the primary to make use of the opening attack mode, he and Evans were among the many last to make use of the second, which coincided with the red flag. Strategically, this allowed them to maneuver to the front of the grid, as was the case with the McLaren pair of Taylor Barnard and Sam Bird, who finished third and fourth.

Cassidy probably would have been in contention for the rostrum spots had it not been for an accident with Pascal Wehrlein, but he warns that the brand new attack mode could prove to be something of a lucky shot.

“We have to be careful that races are not won by luck,” Cassidy said. “We still want the very best automotive to win, we would like to placed on an incredible show and we would like to be entertained.

Cassidy fears that drivers may benefit enormously from fortuitously timed activations that make the race a matter of luck

Photo: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images

“This is me speaking from a driver's standpoint, but I hope that sooner or later we might be the fastest in qualifying and the fastest within the race and we are going to use an excellent strategy and win, and immediately it looks very extreme. We need to watch out concerning the luck factor, which is prone to come into play this season.

So is it overloaded? There's little question that it’s, but perhaps the more necessary query is: does this detract from the worth of the show? As already explained, the advantage of its use is that drivers in front usually are not inclined to form a solid defense, which causes fewer accidents, but perhaps also reduces interest.

Its use in Sao Paulo was also the primary time drivers and teams had witnessed its use in a racing situation and as such it was removed from optimized. With more races and data to explore, it's conceivable that it’ll turn into more refined as drivers reap additional acceleration over the identical laps, effectively foregoing its use. And while it makes strategic sense to stick with the center ground to the tip, it could possibly create its own problems.

“If you leave the race quite late, you have a safety car, everyone is grouped and you still have an attack, it can be a game changer and you can overtake a lot of drivers,” said Sebastien Buemi, who was the last to say his victory within the second activation and finished seventh place.

“But if you leave it for long and you can't complete attack mode before the end of the race, you'll be disqualified, so again it's a trade-off between the risk you're willing to take.”

Buemi recognizes there’ll still be a component of compromise and trends will turn into clearer because the season progresses

Photo: Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images