Formula E: London calling

The summer of 2016 is rammed with sporting highlights – footie, rugby, tennis, F1, golf and a whole lot more are all vying for attention. OK, the footie may just have become less addictive to some fans.

Getting tickets to those events, however, can be an expensive lottery. Not so with Formula E, which hosts the final two races of the season in London on Saturday and Sunday, and where £25 will get you to where the action is http://fiaformulae.com/en/tickets/ .

As a bonus, you can take a couple of kids along for free. So far, so family-friendly. But what should you watch out for when you get to the circuit? I asked Brit driver Sam Bird (pictured), currently third in the drivers’ championship with the DS Virgin Racing team, for a beginner’s guide to Formula E at Battersea…

Newbies start here

Sam said: ‘If you’ve not watched Formula E before, you’re in for a treat. This is the first all-electric racing series, it’s environmentally friendly, there are nine teams and 18 world-class drivers competing hard.’

As well as Sam, those drivers include former F1 stars such as Nick Heidfeld (pictured), Sebastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi.

Every driver has two cars – batteries aren’t yet able to hold enough charge for an entire race – so everyone makes a pitstop around mid-race.

You’ll see cars on track from around 8.15am on both Saturday and Sunday, with qualification starting at noon.

Four groups of cars qualify at a time, and then there’s a final shootout between the fastest five to decide the top starting places. Look here http://fiaformulae.com/en/championship/regulations/ for a brief guide to how qualification works.

That site will also let you learn about the controversial Fanboost, that lets the public award a small temporary power boost to one of the drivers, as well as the various ways drivers can score points.

It’s fast

No, it’s not F1 fast but Battersea is a very narrow circuit and the speeds are pretty impressive.

Sam said: ‘This is a high-speed circuit with a lot of crowning in the road, which makes setting up a single-seat race car quite tricky.’

Battersea is the second-longest circuit in the Formula E calendar and it’s also a technically challenging layout for drivers.

Sam, who won here last year, holds the lap record of 1:26:790. For maximum speeds, make sure to turn up for qualifying – the quali record is almost three seconds faster, 1:23:901 by Stephane Sarrazin’s Venturi.

The fastest corner is also the first corner, a testing 90mph left-hander.

Sam said: ‘You have to go over the crown of the road and back down the other side, which can be tricky in a single-seater at 90mph.

‘It feels very fast, particularly in qualifying runs. ’

Yes, the drivers can see you

Battersea is a pretty intimate venue by race track standards and, if you don’t turn up too late, you’ll be able to find a decent view of the action.

Do turn up early if you’ve got little ’uns in tow though, because barriers and grown-ups will get in the way otherwise.

Sam (pictured) said: ‘Street circuits are very special to drive and we’re very lucky in Formula E that street circuits are pretty much all we go for.

‘At race speeds I’m honed in on the next corner and the next corner and the next corner but, if anything slows us down, I’m well aware that I’m whistling past fans.’

Which brings us on to one of the biggest differences between Formula E and other motorsports…

Do you hear what I hear?

Contrary to what you might have suspected, Formula E is not silent. Even during practice sessions, when the engine power is turned down to preserve battery life, the cars whine like over-sized radio-controlled buggies.

At race speeds, the transmissions and tyres all sing a distinctive song, and you won’t need ear defenders.

Last year, in the championship’s inaugural season, all teams raced with five-speed cars. This year, however, some teams have two or three gears and others have just a single gear.

This has helped make it possible to identify a team by the noise its cars make.

The relative quiet of the cars has some other side effects.

Sam said: ‘Last year the safety car came out and I could literally hear fans screaming “Come on Sam”.’

It’s not just about the racing

This is the last year Formula E will appear at Battersea – not everyone wants a car race though the park – but there’s a good chance London will find another venue in time for next season.

That’s a bit of a shame, because Battersea has put on a good show, even if the track is narrow.

Sam said: ‘The layout of the Battersea circuit is great for fans.

‘There are good views, great corners and a spectacular podium.’

The fan area – known as the eVillage – is the biggest on the calendar and there’s plenty going on to keep you occupied, including music from the likes of Ellie Rose and Chimes, and a display of next-generation electric vehicles.

There are good opportunities to get autographs and there’s also the finals of Formula E’s virtual racing series, featuring super-fast video-game drivers from around the world and £15,000 of prizes.

Sam said: ‘We had 60,000 people here last year and we expect more than that this year.’

There’s one last reason why it will be worth getting down to Battersea. The championship has come down to the wire, with Lucas di Grassi and Sébastien Buemi separated by just one point.

Add to the mix Sam Bird in a comfortable third – in fact, the Brit still has a mathematical if improbable chance of winning the drivers’ championship – and you have the ingredients for two genuinely thrilling days of motorsport.

And you don’t even have to drive a million miles to Silverstone to enjoy it.