With all the excitement of Formula 1 but none of the noise and fumes, electric motor racing reaches a dramatic climax in Battersea Park on June 27-28. Sophie Farrah meets the local boy creating a stir on the circuit
When asked if I was free to interview a Formula E racing car driver recently, I thought it was a typo. Formula E? They must mean Formula 1? No, not quite. Formula E, for those like me who don’t know, is the world's first fully electric car racing series.
Launched in September 2014, it is the highest class of competition for electrically powered racing cars; 10 teams, 20 drivers and 40 cars participate in an urban racing ePrix that takes place in nine cities across the world. This summer, for the first time, it is coming to London.
“It’s unique,” explains Sam, who is part of Richard Branson’s Virgin Racing team. “We only race on street circuits, we go to some cool venues around the world and race in city centres.” Halfway through the Championship and Sam has already raced in Beijing, Buenos Aires and Miami; later this month the final ePrix is to make its debut appearance in Battersea Park.
After a quick Google I discover that Formula E cars look very similar to most other Formula racing cars: sleek, fast, menacing, expensive. The Championship also appears to share similar big name sponsors, plus the glamorous enthusiasts and champagne-spraying celebrations that have become synonymous with Formula 1. So just how different is Formula E?
Environmental impact for one. As the ‘green’ alternative to its gas-guzzling big name cousin, many in the business hope that Formula E will not only show the motor racing world in a new environmentally-friendly light, but will provide a spur for electric car industry in general.
Like Formula 1, all the cars are single- seaters but there are significant differences: “We have to change cars half way through the race,’ Sam tells me. “Instead of doing a standard pit stop where we change tyres in Formula 1, we actually have to jump out of one car and into another, get belted up and off we go again!”
The skill of Formula E is driving as fast as possible up to the cars’ top speed of 150 mph but as efficiently as possible - the batteries will only last up to 30 minutes, around half the race.
To me, this sounds challenging but Sam takes it in his stride: “It’s part of this championship. If you’re at the top level of motorsport and the top level of your driving ability you’re able to jump from one car to another without too much difficulty…”
Now 28, Sam was fascinated with motorsports as a child: “I told my mum and dad that that’s what I wanted to do with my life,’ he recalls. “I had my first go in a go kart when I was 8 years old and never really looked back.”
Many youngsters dream of becoming racing car drivers when they grow up but it doesn’t exactly appear as an option on the careers form at school. Sam however was resolute, and his parents were supportive: “Once a month, if my grades were good, my mum and dad would take me to the indoor carting places in Clapham and Streatham, and I would be allowed to do a morning of carting,” he reminisces.
I ask him if there was a moment when he realised that his early dreams may actually become a reality. “There wasn’t an exact moment, but the further you get up the ladder the more serious it becomes and the more dedicated you have to be to the sport,” he says, matter-of-factly. “There comes a point where it is almost no return where you are so deeply into it that you realise that motorsport is going to be your life.”
And so it did. Sam emerged on the competitive karting scene in 2002, racing in events across Europe. He won a scholarship to race in the inaugural season of Formula BMW where he finished as one of the top novice drivers. After a number of years progressing through Formula Renault and British Formula 3, he became a test driver for Formula 1, helping test and develop Lewis Hamilton’s F1 car. Eventually, he joined forces with Mercedes for the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi in 2010 and began driving for Virgin Racing in Formula E last year.
We talk briefly about the known risks associated with the sport, particularly the danger of crashes. “It is a real risk but it doesn’t come into my mind when I am racing. If it did then I shouldn’t be a racing driver because I’d be too slow.”
Career highlights have been plenty: “Winning two years in a row at Monaco was pretty cool, I am going for a third win in a row, obviously. That would be an amazing - not too many people have done that. And being a test and reserve driver for Mercedes F1 for a few years, that was pretty special, working alongside Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton and Nicco Rosberg…”
Pretty far from your average 9-5 then. But is it all about racing fast cars and meeting your idols, or are there downsides to the job?
“The biggest challenge is probably the constant travelling. You do tend to spend a third of your life jet lagged.”
At the time of going to press, Sam is currently fifth in the driver table, a disappointing position after months riding at a more comfortable 2nd/3rd position. He is confident that the upcoming races in Monaco, Germany and Russia will propel him to a higher position before the final event in London.
As a local boy, nothing would make him happier than a win on home turf. The in Battersea Park circuit promises a dramatic finale.“I’ve seen the layout and I know it looks very fast in areas,” he says eagerly. “I am hoping that not only will the motorsport fans come down, but also regular Londoners can come by and have a look at some cool racing.”
The final 2014/2015 Formula E ePrix takes place in Battersea Park on June 27-28. Tickets from £15; concessions for under 16s/over 60s
