The Coronavirus pandemic forced the ongoing 2019-20 Formula E season to be temporarily suspended, but the electric racing series is coming back to conclude the current season. Formula E has announced that the 2019-20 season will resume in August this year with three doubleheaders in quick succession. All the six races will be held at the historic German airfield in, each using a different track configuration, allowing teams to apply distinct strategies all the six races. The three doubleheaders are scheduled on August 5/6, 8/9 and 12/13, this year.
Also Read: Coronavirus Forces Extension Of Formula E Season Suspension
The historic Berlin Tempelhof airfield will host all six races over three weekend but with different track configurations for each
Jamie Reigle, Chief Executive Officer of Formula E, said, "Since taking action to suspend our season in March, we have emphasised a revised calendar which places the health and safety of our community first, represents Formula E's distinct brand of city centre racing and offers an exciting conclusion to the compelling season of racing we had seen so far. We're heading to Berlin Tempelhof, a venue that our teams, drivers and fans love, to stage a nine-day festival of racing with three back-to-back double-headers. The festival will feature three track layouts, presenting a new challenge and creating the conditions for an unpredictable and drama-filled climax to our season. The team at Formula E has been working incredibly hard over the past weeks to enable us to go racing again in Berlin. I'd like to thank the FIA, our manufacturers, teams and partners for their continued support, the city of Berlin for their cooperation and flexibility and our fans for their patience."
Prior to the suspension, Formula E had already completed five races into the season and the additional six races will take the total count to 11 races for the year. In contrast, the previous seasons of the electric series have seen 12 races each, barring the 2018-19 season that saw 13 races on the calendar. The 2019-20 championship will also return amidst exciting times for the drivers with the top four drivers divided by just 23 points in the championship standings.
The top four racers are divided by 23 points and there are at least 150 points up for grabs in the championship
DS Techeetah driver Antonio Felix da Costa currently leads the drivers' standings with 67 points, closely followed by Mitch Evans of Jaguar Racing with 56 points. Coming in third and fourth are BMW Andretti Motorsport drivers Alexander Sims and Maxmilian Guenther with 46 and 44 points respectively. With six races, there are at least 150 points up for grabs levelling the chances for the top drivers to bag the championship this year. Da Costa will also be looking to secure his second world championship in the series, pushing him the elite club of two-time championship winners alongside teammate Jean-Eric Vergne.
All six races will be held behind closed doors and only the essential staff and competitors will be travelling for the races. The German government guidelines state that a maximum of 1000 people can be on-site at any given time including local suppliers and medical crews. Each Formula E teams will be allowed to bring 20 personnel with the rest of the operations to be carried out remotely. All people at the races will be screened upon arrival and will use face masks, follow social distancing and limit movement around workspaces with clearly defined zones for different event populations, Formula E said in a statement.
Also Read: Formula E: Pascal Wehrlein Announces Departure From Mahindra Racing With Immediate Effect
Mahindra Racing is yet to announce a replacement for Pascal Wehrlein
Meanwhile, there's also the question of who will race for Mahindra Racing for the remainder of the season with Pascal Wehrlein exiting the team mid-season earlier this month. The Indian team is yet to announce a replacement for Wehrlein. It needs to be seen if the team signs a new driver or will ask its reserve drivers to race.
