For Formula 1, it would be an unthinkable scenario for Lewis Hamilton, as the leader of the overall standings, to think about the positions with which he could achieve his next world title before the last two races of the season.
Of course, the Mercedes driver would do everything in his power to win the two races or at least to cross the finish line as far ahead as possible.
The situation is completely different for his colleague Nyck de Vries. Before the final weekend, the Dutchman leads the table in Formula E and is seriously considering how to tactically contest the two races on the apron at Tempelhof Airport. “If I fall back to seventh place on Saturday, that would be the ideal situation,” he reveals his mind games, “if I get stuck in the top six, I could suffer from it.” Got it? No. Welcome to Formula E.
Because not all 24 drivers can find a place on the narrow street circuits at the same time in the battle for the best starting position, they are sent out onto the track in four groups one after the other. For three years now, the drivers with the best positions in the table have been the first to hit the slopes. Because the surface then has little grip due to the lower rubber abrasion, these pilots are disadvantaged and regularly occupy rear starting positions. This led to a curiosity: no driver who was at the top of the table could score points in the next race.
Before the season finale, this leads to the curious situation that half the field of drivers still has a serious chance of winning the title because there are no top drivers.
“A lot is still possible with two strong races,” says Pascal Wehrlein.
The Porsche driver, who will form a duo with André Lotterer in the coming season, is only 24 points behind leader de Vries (95 points) in eleventh place.
The three-time DTM champion René Rast (Audi) is also one of the championship candidates in tenth place with 72 points.
In the best case scenario, a driver can win 30 points in a race - 25 for victory, three for pole position and one each for the fastest lap in the group stage of qualifying and in the race.
"Basically a good idea"
"Formula E was designed so that more drivers can win, which is basically a good idea," explains Series Director Jamie Reigle, "but this year the disadvantage for the drivers in the first group was too great due to the track conditions." He wants to find a way that Formula E remains unpredictable, but that performance is not punished too much. “The rules have to be designed so that the best driver wins in the best team,” promises the 44-year-old Canadian. This is the only way to create heroes like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen who captivate the audience.
No spectator understands the rules regarding the safety car phase, which lasts between ten and 15 minutes on average in every race.
Particularly annoying are situations like at a race in Rome, when after a safety car phase, in which overtaking is prohibited, there was just one minute of racing time.
Jamie Reigle, who had been a board member of the Premier League club Manchester United for ten years before his involvement in Formula E, compares the use of the lead car with an injury break in football.
This time is also added to the back.
This is how it should be in Formula E in the future.
"Instead of reducing the energy after a safety car, we will extend the race by this time," promises the manager.
While these changes in the rules are still a long way off, the announced exits by Audi and BMW at the end of the season are a reality. Both develop vehicles according to the new LMDh rules with which they can take part in long-distance races such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans or Daytona. Audi is also going to the desert for the Dakar rally. It is still bearable. Seven manufacturers remain on board.