The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship heads to Europe and the streets of the Eternal City on 9 & 10 April, with a Rome E-Prix double-header for Rounds 4 & 5 of the season.
Formula E will welcome thousands of spectators back to the Esposizione Universale Roma district of the Italian capital for a showdown in the country’s historical heartland on each of Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 April.
WAYS TO WATCH: Where and how to watch every minute of Season 8
There’s a home hero for the locals to cheer on in Antonio Giovinazzi (DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT) after his move from Formula 1, and with three different race winners from the opening three rounds of Season 8, the racing will be as intense as ever at the Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR – one of the calendar’s highlights for drivers and fans alike.
As it stands
Edoardo Mortara leads the way in the Drivers’ World Championship after a trio of top six finishes for the Swiss-Italian-French triple national, including a race two win in Diriyah. Silverware and strong points for his ROKiT Venturi Racing teammate Lucas di Grassi in Saudi Arabia helped ensure the Monegasque team had enough on the rest to leave Mexico as Teams’ pacesetters, just ahead of Mercedes-EQ.
Reigning champion Nyck de Vries (Mercedes-EQ) is second in the running, having made the top step in the season opener. The Dutchman and leader Mortara are two of only four drivers to have scored points in all three rounds of Season 8 so far – the others? DS TECHEETAH’s Jean-Eric Vergne – a winner in Rome last time around – and Avalanche Andretti driver Jake Dennis, who sit sixth and seventh in the standings.
Porsche throws down the gauntlet in Mexico City
The story last time out in Mexico City was undoubtedly TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team’s incredible performance. The cork is out of the bottle for the German team, who had long been searching for a first Formula E win.
Pascal Wehrlein delivered in style – securing his own maiden victory in the process.The 27-year-old led home a Porsche one-two, with Andre Lotterer in close company and the pair inflicted an extra lap on the rest to rub salt in the wounds, such was the team’s stategic success.
The pair feel a weight has been lifted, and they’re hungry for more, with Wehrlein and Lotterer sitting pretty in third and fourth in the championship. The former is hunting more silverware in Rome after making the podium in Season 7.
The Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR
The 19-turn 3.385km Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR underwent a number of amendments in close collaboration with local authorities for Season 7, which saw the track become the second longest in Formula E history after Beijing.
The Palazzo dei Congressi, Piazzale Marconi are major landmarks as the circuit winds its way around the iconic Palazzo della Civilta Italiana, known as the “Square Coliseum”. Ninfeo Park will also form a part of the circuit’s perimeter.
It’s a perfect mix of high-speed runs and tight, complex sections and undulations with plenty of opportunities for overtaking at the hairpin and some 90-degree bends – peak Formula E and a big favourite of the drivers.
A minor tweak this year sees the start moved between Turns 3 and 4 with the finish on the approach to Turn 19.
Formula E in the Eternal City
Street racing hadn’t been a part of Roman culture for 62 years prior to Formula E visiting in 2018, and the track uses parts of the old Tre Fontane circuit from the 1920s – with the start line on Via delle Tre Fontane.
Electric racing has been a fixture on the streets of Rome since that first trip in Season 4, when Sam Bird (Jaguar TCS Racing) took the chequered flag for DS Virgin Racing.
Bird’s teammate Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) and Andre Lotterer (TAG Heuer Porsche) fought tooth-and-nail for the full 45 minutes in Season 5. In the end, it was the Kiwi who held his nerve, forcing Lotterer to settle for second. Making up for a disastrous race the previous year, Evans defeated his demons to claim both his and Jaguar Racing’s first win.
Jean-Eric Vergne came, saw and conquered on his way to the top step in Round 3 in 2020/21 with a calculated drive from fifth to first.
“It takes a lot of commitment to win in Rome,” says the winner from Round 4 last year, Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes-EQ). “There’s a lot of bumps, it’s narrow and it’s very challenging with lots of big braking zones. You need a good feel of the car to place it right.”
Follow live
Follow every lap from Rome as it happens in the revamped Live Hub. Keep across Live Timing – including a real-time interactive track map and the ability to follow your favourite driver – plus detailed session reports, exclusive interviews, all the standings and results as well as reaction from the ground means fans won’t miss a moment.
New for Season 8, there’s a full race day rundown pulling together everything on-track with the best of social media and in-race clips – alongside the usual Live Hub experience that debuted in Season 7. Get involved using #ABBFormulaE.
The Formula E app allows fans to go behind the scenes and listen to Driver Radio for live reactions from the cockpit and the pit wall as the race plays out. To listen in, download now on iOS and Android.
Watch
Don’t miss a minute of Season 8. Keep track of the best ways to tune in where you are at fiaformulae.com/watch.
Get involved
Formula E blurs the lines between the real and virtual worlds of motorsport and there are even more opportunities to engage with the championship in Season 8, even if you can’t be at an E-Prix in person.
Formula E is the only motorsport in the world that lets fans play an active role in influencing the outcome. FANBOOST for Rounds 4 & 5 opens on Tuesday 5 April, until 15 minutes into race one. To give your favourite driver an extra boost of power, visit FANBOOST and the Formula E app.
Can you predict the unpredictable? The Formula E Predictor puts you in the hot seat to predict each round of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
It’s free to play, and points are awarded for each correct prediction. Make your picks for five race outcomes – selecting from the 22 Formula E drivers that you think will win the E-Prix, clinch Julius Baer Pole Position, set the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap, be the first to use ATTACK MODE and be the driver to make up the most places in the race.
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