The new Formula E racing series "has started with a bang into its inaugural season on Saturday," according to BILD. The series' debut race on the streets of Beijing "saw a spectacular crash of former F1 driver Nick Heidfeld in the final lap." Heidfeld "was uninjured and exited the wreck of his Venturi car on his own." Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag "was proud after the race and the spectacular images of the crash." Agag: "From a TV standpoint, it was the best thing that could have happened to Formula E!" The series' goal "is to deliver a similar spectacular show like F1 and also market itself in a similar fashion." However, Agag said, "Formula E cannot and should not be a competition to F1 but moreso an addition" (BILD, 9/14). In N.Y., Becky Davis reported the Bejing ePrix "took place in Olympic Park, site of the 2008 Olympics." The cars made 25 laps on the 3.44km course, "weaving between the Water Cube and Bird's Nest." Among the 75,000 people reportedly on site "were a large number of local residents who were pleasantly surprised to find an international sporting event to attend as long as they paid the park entrance fee." Unlike other racing series, Formula E "schedules practice rounds, qualifying and races into a single day’s program instead of three, making it less disruptive to the host cities where the street circuits have been built."
To engage spectators, "a gimmick called the FanBoost allows fans to vote for their favorite drivers; the top three get a chance to bump their car’s power for two and a half seconds." China Racing CEO Steven Lu said, "We have 1.4 billion people. If even .0001 percent of them vote, that’d be enough to win" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/14).
