the problem with Formula E

[@Tunda2]

It’s rather impressive that formula E has gone from changing cars on pit stops because of battery life to worrying about tire degradation in like 12 years

[@virgil.alonso]

but the car swaps were kinda cool lol

[@fluffskunk]

Don't need to swap cars when you do a quarter of the race length Indycars do on the same track. Respect to the drivers and engineers and mechanics involved, but conceptually the series still feels like it's there to make electric cars look inadequate.

[@Tunda2]

@@fluffskunk from what I understand they’re helping develop battery efficiency so when they go further, so do electric road cars

[@Kw1q51lv3r]

i mean that's also kinda what you get for going from michelin ev road tyres that would literally last forever to whatever hankook is supplying

[@AidanXavier1]

​@@Kw1q51lv3rIt's funny how Michelin has been decreasingly involved in racing because they want to be known for making durable tires and the organizations want tires that degrade fast enough for entertainment.

[@Davinana44]

As a Portlander, I had absolutely no clue that this was happening. To be fair I’m not interested in motor sports but you’d think I would have seen at least one sign.

[@velocitasfortis]

I think they didn't bother spending much on ads because they knew ahead of time that this was their last event in PDX. Also, if fly-in ticket sales were already bad, they probably just accepted the loss in a city this small. The thing that really irks me, is that they forced the city to physically cut and remove all the power to the pit wall, because they wanted it to be modular. This reeeaaaaaallllllly screwed over the other racing events who lease the track (shoutout to OMRRA). All over a temporary deal.

[@TheKelseyRenae]

Same here. I’m a Portlander and if it wasn’t for Swell I would have never have known this happened. Though I also am not interested in motor sports 🤷.

[@dsnodgrass4843]

That's ok; those of us who are interested in motorsports didn't know it was happening either. Formula E is comically bad at publicity.

[@theokid2000]

I learned about it like a day after and was sad I missed it. Wasnt really any heads up locally, think I saw a news article the day after.

[@theGingerAutist]

I was gonna say this but then I realized I never go outside and touch grass so what do I know. 💀

[@HomosexuaCalderu]

When Swell revealed she was a Transformers and drove into the audience who screamed in terror as she played Speed Drive by Charli XCX

[@AlecTrups]

"I joined the Decepticons so you don't have to"

[@ohgodohfuck7959]

YALL screamed in terror. I was bumpin that Charli

[@randomtinypotatocried]

@@AlecTrupsSomeone got to do it and it only seem fair it would being her

[@bogscholar691]

Remember seeing this on the news… so sad😔 but it was also kind of a slay… Swell (Formula E)ntertainment, our problematic vehicular queen 💅🏎️

[@erikdaniels0n]

You must be misremembering what Charli song she played. She actually played Vroom Vroom and 360, hope this helps!

[@probablynotian]

On the subject of tires, a few years back Yokohama was using something derived from oranges in their race tires for the Porsche Cup. So they would come past and smell like a mix of burnt rubber and orange juice.

[@kriminal7009]

I know Google exists, but do you know if this was to make it smell good, or did it have a purpose (ex. longevity of tires)? More importantly if you were there, was it a pleasant orange rubber smell or a bad one?

[@probablynotian]

@@kriminal7009 if I remember correctly, it was something to do with helping recycled rubber bind to new rubber.

[@tim.noonan]

@@probablynotianPectin is powerful

[@Emh19]

I have never heard of Formula E before in my life but honestly as someone who is interested in electric vehicles and shit like that it seems like it could be interesting, maybe not to watch because i don't like racing but to like dive into the tech on.

[@T-Waldo]

Very interesting to watch some tracks have a section where there is a boost mode where you have to drive through a certain section and you get like a 50 horsepower boost for one lap and different drivers drive through the section at different points during the race

[@ZeketheZealot]

@@T-Waldo That sounded like some video game bullshit so I immediately laughed this off as some comment BS then I looked it up and it’s goddamn real That’s fuckin’ hilarious and sick

[@__vx3]

@@ZeketheZealot To be fair a lot of modern race tech sounds like video game bullshit from yesteryear lol. A button to open the wing for +100hp down the straights, a "nitrous" boost that you have to make last the whole race, etc.

[@tim.noonan]

You also should check out Extreme E, soon the be known as Extreme H! All-electric off-road racing series that’s transitioning to hydrogen power next year. Interestingly, teams are mandated to have a male and female driver. Hell of a spectacle, and another interesting test bed for alternative fuels.

[@randomtinypotatocried]

I'm so happy to see this exists

[@Erichwanh]

"Let me tell you about the problems surrounding something you've never heard of" is a genre I enjoy. (PS: Swell In A Handbasket is still a great name for merch. Steal it before someone else does)

[@mdixon3]

This channel is the only place I've heard of Formula E. I'm not supper interested in motor sports in general but when I asked a family member who was they said something like "Oh, I didn't realize they were already doing that." Also, I'm a Gen Z and I think marketing it like a video game is genius. They should be making licensed video games based on it. Kids don't learn the names of every player on a team from tv anymore, they learn them from playing the games that have those player. They should have twitch streamers doing Formula E speed runs and then promoting the drivers that they use to complete the games.

[@GlutenEruption]

Yeah, they've been around for literally a decade now and they hit big cities all over the world, so it's kinda crazy how little people know about it

[@gamerageandhobbyrcdu]

Video games aren't a magic bullet lol

[@wiegraf9009]

Video games can help and then they need the broadcasting availability to convert that to regular viewership.

[@TheEppicJr]

As someone who has worked on electric racecars, that whine is something I really enjoy because you can tell how well the motor and motor controller is running, but it is not the easiest taste to acquire.

[@dddddyyn]

She is talking about tire squeal, not motor/gearbox whine LOL.

[@TheEppicJr]

@@dddddyyn that noise is not tire squeal, it is predominantly vibrations from the electrical noise of the motor controller causing magnetic fields that vibrate everything inside of it None of the mechanical elements of the car have a mode of vibration at such a high frequency

[@dddddyyn]

​@@TheEppicJrshe is talking about tire squeal. She referenced insulation in the hankook road tires and that the race tires don't have that for "safety" so that's why they are loud. She also said that the tire rep said all race cars have it, you just can't hear it over the loud IC engine.

[@justinbecker4772]

She asked a tire company why "they make that noise". They assumed she was talking about the harmonic resonance or squeal at the limit of grip from the tires. She was talking about the noise that you heard in the clip she showed earlier, in which there was no tire squeal. The "engine" noise you hear is largely the straight cut gears in the transmission (which is now a single reduction gear).

[@user-sh1su2rx4j]

@@justinbecker4772I was hella confused as to why tires would make a noise at that low of a speed but yeah that dude at hankook completely misunderstood her question

[@Mclarenboy100]

Hi Swell, I'm a certifiable motorsport NERD/fan, so prepare for this THESIS of a comment. I did recently fall out of love of it around 2021 for a whole host of reasons (like climate reasons/racing in authoritarian states etc.), but I was a massive F1 fan *and* a Formula E fan, having watched races live for both series, so I could comment on the FE fan experience. I actually fell out of love with Formula 1 before, back in 2014, but the thing that brought me back was, no joke, Formula E. Back then, it was brand new, with many fan favourite drivers, some ex-F1 names, some names that *should've* entered F1 but never had the chance, and a whole host of other drivers & teams all around motorsport. The races were incredibly exciting, it was a legitimate breath of fresh air, and the racing just kept you _hooked_ throughout. I kept watching it for a number of seasons, knew the personalities of drivers & teams from just... following the action, and kept up until I just waned off of motorsport later on. I think I know why marketing/selling the Portland race fell flat. For most of their seasons, and most of their races, Formula E would run *exclusively* on street circuits. Mainly because, back then, cars were small/slow enough that you could just set up a street track literally anywhere, from a dock in New York to palace grounds in Paris, and it'd make for a good race. The marketing, therefore, was pretty free. The population would know the streets were blocked in a section of the city for an _exciting new racing series_ that came to town. If you couldn't drive past there, might as well make a day free to watch what was happening. Portland is one of the few on a permanent circuit, which like you mentioned with your wildlife analogy, is contained away from the wilderness of the city, so it'd take extra effort, money, time etc. to go out and watch any racing there than if FE stuck to street circuits. And the thing was, the one Formula E race I attended (Zurich, when a trip to Europe I took neatly fit in calendar wise), it was packed. Because the fan zone was FREE. Not free for any ticket holder. Free for *anyone to enter* and waltz through. It wasn't the norm for ALL FE races, but it was definitely not the only race with a free fan zone. All the things there cost a bomb (maybe because Switzerland, maybe because you need to make cash somehow if you're FE), but if you bought nothing, it was like chilling in a motorsport-themed park. Hell, there was one corner of the fan zone where, if you squeezed in enough, you could _actually see_ on-track action. The podium ceremony was in the fan zone too, for FREE. If you actually wanted to see on-track action beyond just a single turn, you obviously needed to pay a ticket, but damn if it wasn't the best kind of experience. The two things I dislike about FE, along with you, are introducing too many gimmicks, and so much self-hype. FE has had gimmicks from the beginning, when they tried to appeal to the social media crowd by having 'FanBoost', where Instagram likes _legitimately translated_ into giving drivers a power boost for the race. That sucked, yet they kept it for 8-ish seasons. They keep on shaking qualifying up to make things exciting, with god knows _how many_ qualifying formats over just ten seasons. It all felt very artifical when, as a fan, the racing _alone_ was the most exciting thing I've seen in all my time watching motorsport. And the self-aggrandizing marketing is also such a turn off. F1 is guilty of it too, but it has decades & the fan interest to back it up. Stop hyping yourself on the audience that isn't drawn there or the legacy that's barely a decade old, but hype yourself based on the competitors in the sport, the cars you have & the action on track. And, the worst bit, they sound needy when marketing it, like a little kid trying to distract their dad from watching Jeopardy. Anyway, that's kind of all I have. Let me know if you need more of a backdrop into the history of F1 or Formula E (seriously, I'll name the hottest driver from every decade of F1 if you need such information), and I _love_ the fresh perspective you have on covering motorsport based on their spectator experience & product.

[@shantanubhatia7873]

Feels very validating to see so many fellow FE lifers sharing my opinions on the series. FE has had a bunch of unforced self-owns keeping it from getting huge (or at least, prevent it from shrinking)

[@theColeHardTruth]

I'm still mad that you were in Portland and I didn't know! I went to all 3 days of Formula E! 😭

[@mysticdigital5936]

The titles of these racing videos sound like Math debates and I kind of love it. I know nothing about racing but it's fun to watch someone passionate explain it all

[@ChrisHalpinESC]

So I've been following Formula E since it started (I'm in the UK). The major issue it has over here is that it's very, very poorly advertised over here. It's jumped between several different broadcasters and is barely ever on actual TV. I believe right now, one of our broadcasters only streams it on KZbin and even then it gets maybe a few thousand viewers max during an actual GP. In fact, this season I've barely watched because it's been so difficult to find when it's even on. Add to this, I live literally maybe 10 minutes from the London e-Prix circuit and I would not be able to tell you that the SEASON FINALE is here next weekend. I think the calendar being so spread out and jumping around also makes it difficult to stay hooked through a season, which obviously F1 doesn't have as a problem. I think what makes it worse is the current generation of car (Gen 3?) is just not providing as good racing as we had in the '21 and '22 seasons. Those were some of the most insane races I've ever seen, and since then it's become a bit stale to be honest.

[@pokeboi5438]

The only advertisement I’ve seen is on the tube

[@RogueWarbird118TFPF]

It's behind a paywall on BT sport now so as it's gone from free to air me and my friends have just stopped watching it (went to the London e-Prix too a couple years back... Loved it!). Which is a shame because for years it was way more interesting and unpredictable than F1.

[@itsapplepai]

I have absolutely never heard of Formula E. I am so fascinated.

[@fancydeer]

same. I'm interested in fast car go vroom and I'd like to know more but idk how to go about learning?

[@itsapplepai]

@@fancydeer From the way amanda talked about it, it sounds like that's a struggle a lot of people are having, haha! That being said, popping formula e into a youtube search returned some surprisingly helpful results for learning about it. the tech behind it seems really cool.

[@randomtinypotatocried]

I always wondered if something like this existed

[@ellenkarlsson9490]

Same

[@DarkkestNite]

I only know about them because they did a sponsored series on Jelle's Marble Runs, lmao (the marble olympics and marble sand racing channel that went super viral a few times over lockdown). It was hilarious seeing the Formula E commentator slowly get the hang of narrating the marble races with the usual marble commentator (who also does NASCAR races, iirc). They basically have to invent narratives on the fly to explain the random movements of inanimate objects.

[@Dantalliumsolarium]

Power boosts? Drivers in cool suits with whole teams to take care of a powerful machine? Could totally get the mech crowd to. I am a big ass nerd so- showing cards. But yah if they like- explained things and got me invested in the people it’d be so cool! This is absolutely my first time hearing about formula e

[@zuko1331]

SPF 100 is my ONLY WAY I don't die in any sunlight.. and I need to reapply every 2 hours x.x I know the pain...

[@Happytravellerkimmy]

I find hats and clothes are the only way I can guarantee I won't get burned. I have worn 50 or 60 SPF and looked red to begin with but then the next day I was fine. Hats are necessary. I don't know why I hated hats for so long.

[@TheAlexDekker]

Hey! I started watching Formula E this year and attended in Misano, Italy, which wasn't very full at all (the running to the podium is at each race I think, it was also in Misano) - Formula E gets more success in City street track races with it being where so many people are. I think the biggest thing holding them back when it comes to attendance is viewing from home - in Britain, it's on TNT Sports, I have Sky Sports and that's already expensive, I can't justify to myself to buy TNT for an extra £30 per month. It is growing overall, and the races are fun, perhaps the next evolutions of the cars will make it even better! Their Monaco E-Prix was very entertaining :)

[@TheAlexDekker]

Also yes the marketing isn't great - it is competitive for the lead and having a standard chassis they all use makes it closer which is cool, but it also needs to not become the F1 reject series (currently Wehrlein, Buemi, De Vries and Vandoorne, Vergne are ex-F1) It could be due to change though, last month, the rights for Formula E were bought by Liberty (same group as F1), so they could end up having a similar marketing strategy Interesting sidenote, the chassis manufacturer, Spark, is owned by Frederic Vasseur, team principal of Ferrari F1!

[@oliviavelazquez3610]

Oh my god. I love learning how much of a racing fan you are! We NEED more people to talk about Formula E and IndyCar.

[@GWConspiracy]

Attack Mode / Attack charge is a really catchy marketing point, you're right. Also a great way to stand out from F1, it made me want to look up footage of the Attack Mode boosts

[@ThatGuyAgyei]

Formula E in Portland was brand new last year and was a traditional race weekend and it sold out, this year they made it a double header and It didn't sell out. However it was a great race Sunday.

[@arcphage1636]

What instantly sold me on Formula E was "Formula 1 but make it Mario Kart" which they should absolutely market like crazy

[@Lpayer]

TL:DR for the following rant : sport good, marketing sucks 🍑. I have watched pretty much every single Formula E since the inception in Beijing in 2014 (with an...interesting ending of the inaugural race, you should check it out). Technologically/ecologically speaking, this series is fantastic with breakthroughs that were deemed impossible almost 10 years ago. Racing is extremely bold, but has/had some gimmicky stuff happening through its history (Fan Boost for example). It has/had some household names, along with some teams that will have an entry in the future. So the sport itself is growing. However, the major downside of Formula E is not the noise (let's remember that in the beginning of the V6 hybrid in F1, they try to set up a freaking trumpet to enhance the noise). It's the brand marketing , its organisation, and how it just sucked and sucked more as FE moved forward technologically. If you don't know there is a FE event happening in your city, you are just going to get angry that half your city is being blocked. For instance, there was a race in the centre of Paris from 2016 to 2019. The viewing conditions for spectators went from "no stands (barring some VVVVVIPs), only view behind metal barriers, open park for the podium celebration" to "some stands at some key points (S/F line, T1, etc), only VIP and guests for the podium celebration"...Just bafflng, really. The atmosphere was nice but nothing Earth-shattering, it is a bit frustrating when you are a motorsport passionate and you recall some others series/events and how open they are. I also learned that for this season, broadcasts are actually behind a (quite expensive) paywall in the UK, whilst it used to be quite accessible at the series' inception, even with some events available live on KZbin at some point. As you pointed out, only a third of your grandstand filled for a 3-day event means that the product is not advertised (or at least well enough), and the decision to put some broadcasts behind a paywall is questionable. And Liberty Global recently coming into the FE holding capital is...yeah...

[@zeropoint216]

and there's also the noise.

[@acastro5923]

I started watching the highlights last year and this year watching the actual races when I can. My teams are Andretti and McLaren. When I watched the Portland race my wife was like,”Why you have the kettle on?!”

[@cashkenterprises5584]

I’ve casually been watching Formula E since it started. I’ve been watching F1, IndyCar, and NASCAR religiously since 2005. Idk what it is but Formula E just doesn’t interest me. I’ve tried to get into it but it’s just missing something. Edit: the idea of marketing to the gamer community instead of Gen Z is actually genius lmao. Formula E has an online racing vibe for sure.

[@gadazouk]

I went to the Formula E grand prix in Montreal back in ah... 2017? The one year we had it. Keep in mind, this is a city that goes *mental* for F1. We got free tickets. Everybody there had free tickets (The scalpers at the entrance were disappointed). Half the place was empty. It was such a disaster that the mayor lost the election in no small part because his opponent came out and said that she would pay the contractual penalty to get out of hosting it a second year.

[@redred7702]

Can’t wait to see Amanda as a marketing coordinator/PR person/event planner in like 20-30 years.

[@Lambroux]

Wait hold on, I was never into F1, I don't care for cars or sports, I just like hearing you talk about it because it's interesting to hear about. The moment you said "these cars get power boosts" my brain fully tuned in and now I want to look into this oh my god. How have they never had this thought before.

[@dddddyyn]

Because that's not racing...

[@Lambroux]

@@dddddyyn shhhhh just let me have this. This might be my only through-line to figuring out how to take care of my car properly.

[@shamal17]

it basically works like a mario kart boost 😂

[@wiegraf9009]

About the squealing. There's a thing where we hear the overtones from the lower frequencies produced by the motors and when they rev up to a point the overtones go out of our human range of hearing and then come back down again. The squealing I think is probably mostly from the overtones. I dunno if it's just me but I was also at the Portland E-Prix and the amount of sound I heard from the cars was way less than what I'm used to from watching on TV. I figured it was mostly the onboards on TV that were picking up on the sound.

[@joyfuflower]

That segment about the noise was complete nonsense. The sound EVs make is a mix of the gearbox and the inverter whine, not the motors. The teams all make their own drivetrains (motor, gearbox, battery, control electronics, etc.) The inverter tends to only be audible when it's running at high power so you'll rarely hear it in a regular EV unless you're accelerating hard. But that's not what you're hearing here, it's too quiet. They use straight cut gears in the gearboxes which you can sometimes also hear on Rally cars. This makes by far the most noise and is the reason that they don't all sound the same due to different gear profiles and ratios. The Drive Unit contains the motor, inverter, and gearbox. They might have been using that interchangeably with "motor" at the booth to keep it simple but the motor part is actually practically silent. You're just hearing the gearbox. Now the foam in the tires has absolutely sweet fuck all to do with any of that. It's there to reduce road noise in the cabin since it's most of what you hear, with the cars being so quiet otherwise. It makes no difference outside of the car so it's just slightly heavier for no reason and it makes it a pain in the ass to change tires.

[@Beautifulbrokenmusic]

^ boosting this, the explanation with the tyres is gibberish

[@katir208]

They should have you on commentary and when there’s a lull you can talk about the venue snack offerings/security checks/ crowd control until things pick back up

[@duqial]

Omg new Swell video just dropped and it's about Formula E! What a great combo

[@Afternoon-T]

as someone who watches a lot of smaller, local / regional racing events, its always funny to see complaints regarding marketing. Marketing for small events is usually on a small to "if you know you know" basis. but then again they tend to be a lot more self sufficient. If you like racing id consider checking local races out. Not necessarily going to be the highest octane and best racing you'll ever see, but they are still quite fun (and usually pretty cheap to attend)

[@Frozenfoxradio]

Hey! You should totally come back up for the Portland GP Indycar race. Great access to see the teams and cars up close, like, very close, and lots of fun (plus not expensive) Was awesome seeing you in person at Indy too.

[@dadsfreetimeclassicgaming1220]

Sun hat and a long sleeve sports shirt. I teach tennis. Its like 100 out there

[@kaelacarr3728]

If you liked visiting Portland Oregon, there's so many odd fun events here. Naked bike race, Bigfoot events, pirate fest, mermaid parade, etc...

[@symply_Sym]

Started watching Formula E this year when I went down the motor sports rabbit hole after your videos got me into that lmao. I think Formula E has HUGE potential. the unique strategy around battery preservation leads to close and exciting races with a ton of overtakes! From what it seems the main issues seem poor marketing in general and the car screeching. Im one of the weirdos who kinda likes the whistle the cars make, but it's a hard sell to normal people. But if people manage to get used to it with time it could become very iconic i think.

[@oliverstemp9132]

The Atmosphere in London is amazing, the only indoor race of the season they using fantastic lighting and music to create a great arena effect.

[@avrilkulbida5541]

I have to reapply my sunscreen at least once every 90 mins

[@FlamingChickenG]

I have been watching on and off formula E since day 1, I think one of the biggest problem with Formula E in the US was we had a really bad broadcast, it was on FOX sports 3 (so you had to have cable with a sports plus package) on a tape delay with excessive commercial brakes. Now it has broadcast on Roku that is a free live broadcast with no commercial well cars are on track.

[@hughgolo8660]

First Formula E I saw was in its first year when they visited Long Beach. I'm a somewhat lapsed F1 fan who saw a few F1 races in the mid-90's at Silverstone. The most obvious difference is of course the sound. You can hear the high RPM howl of an old naturally aspirated F1 car from many miles away. It's hard to convey how the sheer volume dominates the experience. Stuck in the classic Silverstone traffic, the sound of morning practice was very distinct despite the track being on the other side of a hill. If one car is on track the sound is very clear, every gear shift and braking zone allows you to trace the car's position on the track through each corner. I haven't been during the current era but I was told the current turbo-hybrids are so quiet that you can talk (shout) to someone next to you at the track with ease. I remember cupping my hands, trying to make a seal between their ear and my mouth and BELLOWING loudly as the only way to communicate near the track, and that still wasn't enoug if there were cars on the track immediately in front. TV only captures maybe 20% of the sound, it doesn't convey how intensely physical the experience was, ringing through your bones, with the low pitch pops and bangs in your chest like small concussive explosions. You know when a really big firework explodes and you feel it in your chest? F1 was at least that, probably more. Coming from that, the complete absence of engine noise in Formula E was really weird but also interesting. You hear all the tyre scrubbing, squeals, scuffing over kerbs etc. This adds a new dimension as you can literally hear how drivers tackle corners differently. Things that turned me off? The 1st gen cars had a fairly low speed limiter. There was no racing on the straights as the cars hit the limit then trundled along at 140 mph. Boring. The other major turnoff was the FAN BOOST. So one driver gets an advantage based on a popularity vote from the audience, are you fking kidding me? Imagine if the most popular runner got voted a 6 inch headstart in the Olympic 100M race? This instantly destroyed the credibility of the series for me. But, nowadays the speed limiter doesn't seem to be an issue and they finally got rid of FAN BOOST in 2023. It also seems the cars are very challenging to drive now. My interest is piqued.

[@veloriahex1593]

That was fascinating to read. I've never been to any sort of race before, and your descriptions of what it's like to be there were wonderful.

[@JohnTaylor-xg4jn]

Am dude who is casually aware of motorsports and used to watch NASCAR when I was young. I have never heard of Formula E until you started talking about it.

[@rfldss89]

they'll probably use pre-consumer rubber to make 100% recycled tires. It's basically any of the waste material from tire production that is made from fresh rubber but for one reason or another would get thrown out during the production process. I believe that's basically how soda companies can brag about using 100% recycled material nowadays. They're using waste product from other production lines that would otherwise get discarded.

[@M4TF1]

I've been watching FE since around the start of the Gen 2 era, but haven't watched it since it's gone to paid channels. To be fair on the drivers thing, there is a documentary series on KZbin called Formula E unplugged that is in the vein of DTS. Although literally EVERY sport has tried some kind of DTS documentary series and none of them have been as successful so its maybe a little harsh to beat it with that stick. There are also, 6 ex-f1 drivers and I think around 7 drivers (some crossover) who competed at Le Mans this year so there are definitely a lot of talented drivers that they could do a better job promoting. Though I think that's a trend through most forms of top level motorsport other than F1, how many WEC drivers do most people know? I think the reason for everything in one day is due to scheduling on street tracks. Especially in the early years, Formula E does have the pull to close down a major part of a city for a whole weekend like F1 does. The level of spectators can be sketchy, especially for new venues/countries but it does look to be a bit better at the most established tracks like Berlin. I think part of the reason why street circuits are used, amongst many others, is the built in captive audience of potential customers which is why I think F1 is heading in that direction too. By the way, the qualifying format is kind of similar to Indycar, but in a sort of tournament style at the end. It's alright when you get used to it but I get the feeling it's built for TV with the side by side comparisons they do. Overall I think the biggest problem with FE is the learning curve for new fans. It's even steeper than F1 and it doesn't quite have the same pull. They've desperately been trying to pull in an audience, with stuff like fan boost, by pitching it as a slightly more family friendly/going for a younger audience, especially before Drive to Survive when F1 was seen as a bit of a old white man sport. There have been some good things though, these new cars are both smaller and lighter than F1 cars so at places like Monaco the racing is much better (because there are actually overtakes). Also I think incorporating graphics over the Halo for the broadcast and Driver's eye (even live) were more heavily tried out before going over to F1.

[@jebus456]

I started watching FE at the end of season 8 and got hooked with season 9 and absolutely love it! It's so entertaining. But i've been interested in it since it started. The popularity of it here is the states seems pretty similar to how popular professional cycling is.

[@shehansaverimuttu2049]

I started watching Fe from around 2018 to 2019. Mainly because of Merc who ended up winning two championships back to back and dipped out. I still continue to watch the series, pretty entertaining but they've got a long way to go. Its a long way to go when comparing to like the more established racing series's like f1, wec, motogp, etc. But popularity I feel like is good when u remember the series is still young

[@ffflustered9qr]

I first heard of FE during its debut season from my dad, who is a huge motorsport fan. I went to an FE race back in 2019 and the food was mid and there was nowhere near enough shade or water available; my dad almost fainted from heatstroke. But on the other hand, it was a fun race to watch live and I also got to see the Mercedes FE car a year before their debut season, so that was cool.

[@BazingaMan52]

Indy Car at PIR with Paddock passes is the best way to explore the Paddock and meet drivers!! also grandstand K is where is at.

[@folkologyproductions]

First time hearing about it but I’m so excited to look more into it, thank you so much for the rec.!!!😊

[@carspn1]

Interesting analysis. At the track, the Pride meetup was at the Forest, you got the picture which was basically it. They gave away donuts, beer, and stickers to people who got there at the beginning but they had very limited supplies. Also, they were flashing the winners on screen, but to be fair I didn't see the winners either. They should have had you enter with your phone number and text you if you won. Overall it was significantly better than last year and I'm sad they're going to Miami next year.

[@kalemeow]

I'd never heard of Formula E until this year when Trackmania did a collaboration, so not far off your call about goin for gamers. It's pretty cool!

[@mediocrity2.0]

I started watching last year! I started watching shortly after getting into F1. I thought it was interesting, being an all-electric series. The qualifying format is crazy, I have yet to understand it. My favorite bit is when they cut to the “pit wall” which consists of a pop-up background and a couple 6 ft tables with computers in them.

[@petabaigent]

The company I used to work for was a small sponsor for Simona de Silvestro and we got to meet her when she came to Australia for Bathurst in 2016. She was so lovely and thoroughly beat everyone in the office and warehouse in a sim racing contest :) It wasn't enough to get me into FE, DTS was what I needed to get me into F1.

[@Kinkajou420]

Honestly, as a Portland native, I can say we don't really advertise a majority of our racing events. Most of our residents can't afford the tickets, resulting in more public investment in local derbys.

[@ravyncerio3309]

Specifically your f1 watchalong streams got me into motorsports literally 2 to 3 weeks ago, so this is very much the first time I have ever heard about Formula E

[@hightde13]

Would love to see your take on a NASCAR race. Thanks for the video, always fun!

[@milodavis9820]

"I still cant win in the sun department" Korean sunscreens: Helloo.....is it me you're looking for?

[@binchamers]

To be fair, they have done collabortions with the game trackmania, holding formula e style races within that game with tons of content creators from that game.

[@mot1thom]

Started watching FE towards the end of last year as well as every race this year. Flew out to Portland from Boston for this race as it's the only GP in the US (US GP will be in Miami next year) and based a whole family vacay around it (as my son loves racing too and we had never visited the PNW previously) - we were impressed overall! For our experience: - For the hotel issues we chose to stay downtown and take the train in (as there was a train stop right at the track) so we were close to other activities for the rest of our week there - +1 to how scary the collisions were in person, sounded like a devastating 'crunch' rather than the epic splintering you get in F1 - The pit walk & autograph sessions were free, just needed to pre-book them as space was limited, was really cool to be up close and personal with the cars, and the drivers were all super nice, seemed happy to be there, and had 4x6 driver cards to sign, so didn't even need to buy merch for the autographs (my son also had them sign his free poster). Was legit blown away by how much there was to do off track to fill the whole day that was gratis with the already very reasonable ticket prices (for the 2 of us was $100 right at turn 1 - $60 adult ticket, $30 kid ticket, $10 fees) - Announcers are solid, but yeah the production value compared to F1 just can't compare - both live and televised (streams free on Roku channel). The vocal sound levels on broadcasts are constantly drowned out by the cars, and it's just the 2 announcers trying to fill the airtime the whole race. Whereas F1 they have 2-3 people to jump in at any point, theres a strategist they can throw to when conditions change, the other analysis guy they bring in with the digital video white-board if theres a ton of time to fill during a red flag or something, the broadcast is so much more polished, but that's also a factor of $$$ and experience. Glad we went, loved the portland vibes but probably won't be flying down to Miami next year to do it again, though would absolutely go if they did one a little closer to home.

[@County22]

10000 people turning up for the Saturday at Portland for FE is really impressive. You've got to go to an IMSA round, the access you get as a 'normal' fan just blows away any other series I've been to. Grid walks, open paddocks so you can see the cars, autograph sessions.

[@amindamok]

You make such a good point about knowing about the drivers. Even people I know that are fairly to F1 quickly know the names of every driver, what team they are on, the name of all the teams, and even some of the up and coming F2 and F3 drivers. Formula E simply doesn't draw in the same kind of audience. It seems more casual of an audience.

[@noot-noot-pingu-noot-noot]

no joke i didn't have the slightest interest in formula e until you said power boosts is a thing and now i have to learn more, it was like a secret code that unlocked the gamer part of my brain

[@انا_ابراهيم_البناوي]

The first time I've heard about the sport in 2017 and watched the first race in Diriyah Saudi Arabia in 2018 and only the Saudi Arabia races and the thing about marketing it like a video games people have said that they should do that but they just keep ignoring people telling them that which is honestly stupid and I've had people who went to the races who complained that noise gave them headaches and some just got nauseous because of the constant whine of the Electric motor and tyres screeching especially the early days of Formula E always wanted to go to one but never had the chance

[@CapitalLLB]

I first heard of it because of the Nyck Devries driver swap last year. First saw it on Roku channel watching. The sound gets me. I chose Indy at Laguna seca over looking at this race. They’re really close together.

[@failedparachute13]

I heard of Formula E last year from my favorite F1 podcast, Shift F1. They occasionally dabble with other racing series like Indy, NASCAR, and Sail GP. Definitely recommend them for their breakdowns of the races and providing great context for the off-track drama too. Unfortunately, I've yet to watch any FE, because I've had a hard time finding the streams, but I'm E-curious.

[@IndyBallNation]

As a NASCAR fan who is into racing but generally not into the Formula 1/2/3/E/!?!? vibe, I just want to say you're 100% right about the video game vibe. If, for nothing else, to simplify explaining how it works. Even video-gaming the verbiage would make things more accessible

[@alliethealien1430]

I don't understand sports of the car variety or otherwise but your the best background noise for painting 😸

[@justinbecker4772]

Have you considered coming out to one of your local autocross events? I instruct for the Oregon SCCA club (we actually race in the south paddock, which you walked by on your way in). It's much less a festival event, since you can drive for typically 40 to 50 bucks, but it's the easiest way to actually get behind the wheel and drive. Spectators are free to walk along the grid, talk to drivers, and ride along with any of the instructors. Depending on the organization running it, it's a really healthy environment for new drivers to take their daily driver and learn how it handles at the limit, as well as see some crazy prepped vehicles in the Extreme class.

[@shazzy4080]

When the Portland Indycar race comes towards the end of Summer, you are able to walk all the way around the outer perimeter of the track! They also have lil’ school but shuttles driving around you can catch to get around.

[@gavinwheeler2331]

I cannot wait for the swell entertainment and slapshoes Indy 500 crossover episode in the future

[@maluuuuuuuuuuuuiza]

hearing about fE for the first time with this video 14:55

[@doitsumania660]

Hi! Portland local!!I went to the NASCAR Xfinity race on the first of June and formula E was being pushed hard. There were a lot of people at the xfinity race that were excited about this race too as it is the longest in their roster. I was thinking about going bc I had heard of Formula E but never watched it. Also you can get cheaper hotels in the city and take the MAX train in (MAX being the public transit and costing about $5 for the day) that might be a reason as to why the hotel was empty. I’m sad I didn’t go! I would have loved to have met you!

[@notahumanbeing6892]

you are my only tether to racing in any form nowadays, besides the bass pro hood my mom keeps in the garage from her and my dad’s days going to races and getting into the pit to ask for broken parts after wrecks. She never really talks about it (i think it was more my dad’s hobby and she attached to it because husband) so it’s interesting to hear how it is today vs the few things i know from their time at races

[@davidjames2659]

Learned about Formula E couple of months ago after watching another Japan centric KZbinr vlog the races in Japan and really enjoyed the vibe and the technology involved. As a nerd gamer you hit the nail on the head as to who they should be marketing to, as I dont really watch any other racing, but really enjoy Formula E. Also really like the noise, like watching podracers race and that tickles my nerd brain.

[@shellyg2671]

I used to be a grid girl for formula e, so funny to hear you talk about this! And fully agreed on the marketing.

[@anna_25]

I started watching it around 2022, attended the 2023 São Paulo Grand Prix (first race in this circuit). I love formula E but I'm not sure if I'd fly to a race again other than maybe Monaco. It was too messy, too crowded, too hot and not at all organized. But I did arrive early and managed to a free paddock pass, which is awesome!

[@danieldavidson7348]

That road/trail to the entrance the shuttle dropped you off was all people when I went to IndyCar there in 2018.

[@fancydeer]

I have a vague interest in racing but I never put the effort into actually getting *into* any kind of motor sport. I actually really like these videos. If you could do a series breaking down like... the different stuff about the different sports? IDK what I'm asking for. Like give us racing 101 lol

[@theragingdolphinsmaniac4696]

The whine/squealing sound comes from the straight cut gears in the gearboxes. Watch any race that has in-car cameras and you’ll hear it. Old school roots-type blowers make the same sound. The difference is that ICE engines are loud enough to hide the soind

[@Scott_Graham]

So... I went last year and it was pretty much sold out. First time in Portland probably helped. I couldn't make it this year so I watched the highlights on KZbin and was pretty shocked at the empty grandstands. I go to IndyCar in Portland and it's full on Sunday every year. Wild to see PIR that empty for a major event. If an F1 or IndyCar race I went to was that empty, I would be worried about the long term viability of the sport.

[@rfldss89]

max didn't just win the backhalf of the season. He won every single race of 2023 except for three: one towards the end of the season that was won by Carlos Sainz (driving for Ferrari), and the other two were won by Sergio Perez, i.e. the other red bull driver. Not only that, but max was always tens of seconds ahead of second place. Like there was literally no way for anyone to catch up most races. You'd see him literally only two or three times in the broadcast: once at start, once or twice in the middle during a pit stop, and then later again at the finish line. That's it. The most interesting battles were those fought for 2nd place. That's how big the Verstappen/Red Bull dominance was last year.

[@GalaxyGhostx]

When I watched the coverage of the Portland FE race last year those grandstands were busy. Also FE does have its own version of DTS it’s called Unplugged it’s super interesting and they are working on an FE video game which will hopefully bring more fans in. The fandom is small online but it’s so lovely and fun most of us are going to the London e-prix which is a super fun race in person as it’s an indoor and outdoor track and the fan village is huge!

[@spicyreyes]

The bit about UK vs US ticket sales for event is also a big factor about the expense of traveling from one area of the UK to another vs the cost of travelling cross country in the US - a lot of fans of things in the US are vastly spread out and they either have to break their event into many smaller stops or sacrifice the attendance of fans who can't afford travel.

[@stabithavmf]

I used to watch Formula E on youtube from around 2018 because they livestreamed the whole race and kept it on their channel, so it was super easy to get into and catch up on wrt timezones. Then they stopped doing that a couple of years ago so I stopped watching. Edit: also that I found out they spend a lot of the race coasting turned me off. IMO in a car race if you're not braking your foot should be on the gas - a race system that means they aren't always flooring it whenever possible disappoints me somewhat (regardless of the technical requirement for it).

[@yohannamaulawin631]

Lots of drivers in various disciplines of motorsport will "lift and coast" as a way of saving fuel. F1 drivers do this as their engineers manage their fuel load to not only last the race distance but have enough in the tank for the FIA to take a fuel sample and you can hear this in the radio transmissions.

[@janremongalura5713]

​@@yohannamaulawin631They are a hybrid series when they introduced batteries. 1000hp with the exhaust note of a vacuum l.

[@CJonesApple]

I was watching and keeping up with most of the 2020 season in lock down. Just never went back even though it was a nice alternative to F1, with which I went to casual to fan and back to casual at the same time.

[@teddy90636]

I never got into it because the cars look slow on broadcast. I thought it died out tbh. I never see anyone talking about it.

[@GlutenEruption]

I heard about it when it first started in 2014 and I've watched a few races here and there and went to the 2022 race in Brooklyn but I don't follow it that closely. Still a great racing series overall.

[@ryanrodriguez5293]

Can't wait to see what you think. I went to the Brooklyn E Prix 2 years ago before it was replaced by Portland and for the cost I had a good time. I recently went to Miami for the F1 race and frankly, with a little investment, Formule E seemed like you can get the same level of excitement if their structure wasn't so odd.

[@m0byd1ckl3ss]

The first time I heard of formula E was you talking about it- which is interesting because I live in Portland and live pretty close to the race track

[@wendycity99]

I have heard of Formula E have watched it on and off for years I was there at the race Quoting my cousin "it's the only race that you could hear the birds tweeting doing the Race" Love your content keep up the good work

[@the45thlyric]

I live in PDX and you coming to the event is the first I heard of this event.

[@stuffingtonjfluffypantsiii]

Never heard of Formula E but you have me interested in learning more.

[@davidsonnorris6849]

I was there on the Sunday! The NEOM McLaren dnf was so sad - it was my first motorsport event ever and I was only able to make it for the race itself but I’m gonna try and make it a yearly thing I had a blast

[@RayceYams]

I grew up spending my summers at PIR for motorcycle racing. My experience there could be based on the context around the organization that runs those and separate from the context or expectarions of attendance for FE, but PIR has always been a pretty racer-first track from what I've seen. I've never seen an event there that filled all the seats, and for even locals it's kind of out of the way unless you live in Vancouver or North Portland. From this video I see that there are definitely some marketing issues that could have impacted ticket sales and flights in, but from my experience at PIR the turnout seems to be on par with what I expect for the track in general

[@user-xc5bz3np4g]

I have never been interested in this sport+ have never heard of formula e… but I love how you explain everything- the crowd feel and current wave especially

[@pikeyMcBarkin]

I'm loving your adventure lately!

[@jaxonrohrer]

I've heard of formula E before from one of my friends whos a nut for formula 1. I like racing and cool cars, but never got into watching the sport itself. Also I've never heard of your channel until now, but I love the energy! Big subscribe moment

[@superdood551]

I first got into FE in Summer 2014, before the first ever race was held. I saw a random ad for a program that was a show that was to be used as an introduction to the series. I eventually watched the show as i was curious. The tech and the idea of a whole new series was really interesting so I made sure to tune into the first race. I did tune in and though that it wasnt the most exciting race (minus the drama at the end, Heidfeld and Prost Beijing 2014 for those who know), I was hooked on where the series would go next. It felt like an adventure of sorts as the series itself didnt know how long it would last (By race 5 things were looking really bad for finances so the bosses had to pay for the freight costs to that race). By the end of the season, I had seen some of the best racing I'd seen, became a fan of drivers I'd never heard of and saw a great title decider come down to Nelson Piquet Jr winning by 2 points in a really tense finale. From then on, I have watched every session without fail and seeing where the series is now compared to ten years ago fills me with a sense of pride to have had the opportunity to see it develop. Regardin the on site experience at an E-Prix, I've been to London x2 (soon to be x3), Monaco x2 and Berlin. London stands out the most as the crowd numbers for each day stand around 20,000 and its all indoors in terms of seating so the place feels massively attended and has the best atmosphere out of the events ive attended. Monaco was great mainly for the location, however i do feel that the lack of space around the harbour makes the fan experience slimmer as there isnt much else going on outside of the on track action (This is where the series could really benefit with support races/series). Berlin was a balance of both great location and fan experience as the track is at a disused airport near downtown Berlin so there's lots of activities set up around the track. There are 2 things I would seriously like FE to improve which I feel can realistically be done under the current leadership (Jeff Dodds, as the current CEO, has been a massive step up personally from the previous CEO in terms of getting FE built up somewhat solidly with a clear vision for future expansion) 1. Media exposure - The TV deals FE have are wildly varied. Some are free to air (Very few in recent times) and others pay to view. I feel FE needs to go down the Online Video Streaming road (And from what I've seen on various outlets I use for news, there has been some discussions with "big global streamers") such as Amazon, Netflix etc. Not just for a documentary series such as Drive to Survive, but also for all the sessions to be streamed live with additional content also hosted in a hypothetical zone where everything is centralised. This I feel is where FE can massively gain from the younger viewership especially and from a wider demographic in general as it would make the series much more accessible and easier to watch. 2. Stopping the comparisons to other series - This used to never happen at all from FE representatives apart from factual things such as the fundamental differences in technology between FE and F1 cars for example to get newer viewers up to speed (Electric vs ICE, Tyre differences, Speed differences etc.) Now, as alluded to in the video, its become more weaponised against F1 in terms of number of different winners, number of overtakes (Most annoying comparison) etc. I know from word of mouth this is to supposed to make FE "louder" in terms of reach but if anything, its building a higher wall for those who want to get in as, in a way, it tries to somewhat invalidate what potential new fans currently enjoy when I believe, as a Motorsport fan, the more series the better and welcoming more fans to various different series is a massive positive across the Motorsport Landscape. Overall, I do see FE having a greater outlook for the future, much better than fanbase felt during 2020/21, but there are underlying problems that have yet to have been addressed from Race 1 in 2014 that, if addressed, would unlock the massive potential FE has to offer to a wider audience.

[@RussellGilder]

I've watched FE races on TV and have always been impressed that the racing quality is surprisingly good and the tech is improving constantly

[@meganhurley8426]

I went to the race with my husband and we bought one-day GA tickets on the racing line. We bought them a couple months in advance so maybe that’s why we could get them. There were no assigned seats so we were easily able to sit second row with no one within 5 feet of us. It was Saturday and it was maybe 1/2 full during the race. Also got to meet F1femme and Nicole from TG1F which was super cool! We went last year too and got the grandstand+ tickets and the grandstand was full during the race but I don’t know about GA. There were a lot more booths and food this year which was made it a much better experience overall. They opened the gate sooner this year which was a huge plus cause we got there at 9 and walked right in. We’re F1 fans and live close enough to Portland so we could joy drive there. The area next to the track is known to not be nice, so that’s part of why the hotel had space.

[@MarcusTSMarcus]

This sounds exactly like my thing so now I’m gonna start watching formula E. I’ve heard of it tangently before through Cleo Abrams’s videos, where she discussed the mechanics of the cars and stuff but I never really thought I would want to watch it but your video really made me want to watch it and I’m probably the exact target audience of early 20s gen Z so maybe they should just hire you for the marketing.

[@GraveMasterLament]

I would love you to do Kumori-con and Retro Game Convention here in Portland as well! I absolutely love your channel and would love to see what you think of our local conventions.

[@elhugo13]

So this is why i got recommended your new channel.