Formula E has announced that the long-awaited Pit Boost feature will go ahead throughout the remainder of Season 11, debuting at next month’s inaugural Jeddah E-Prix.
The all-electric championship has confirmed that the feature, which was initially planned for Season 9, has finally been given the go-ahead, saying that it is “set to revolutionise the race-day experience,” and is “designed to enhance strategy, unpredictability and fan engagement.”
Its implementation is a cornerstone of Formula E’s and the FIA’s position as a “race-to-road” platform, which highlights focal points of electric vehicle technological advances, such as fast charging and efficiency.
Pit Boost will provide a 10 percent increase in energy [3.85kWh], and will take approximately 30 seconds, giving FE teams an additional strategic element, as well as the existing Attack Mode feature.
It will be used at selected races throughout the remainder of the season.
In a statement released by Formula E, it reveals necessary details of Pit Boost, which are listed below.
- Adds 10% additional energy (+3.85kWh) to race cars in the form of a 30-second charge, as part of a 34-second stationary pit stop at 600kW.
- Mandatory for all drivers in designated races.
- No more than two Pit Crew may work on the car during the PIT BOOST, plus one Pit
- Independent of existing ATTACK MODE rules, providing teams with two strategic elements to manage alongside one another.
- Crew member assigned specifically to stop and release the car.
- Only one car at a time per team may carry out PIT BOOST (not simultaneously).
- Highlights rapid-charging EV technology, reflecting Formula E’s race-to-road ingenuity.
- The FIA will determine the window to take PIT BOOST (depending on a certain ‘Status of Charge’ value), which will be shared with teams 21 days before each race.
FE’s Co-Founder and Chief Championship Officer Alberto Longo said: “After an extensive testing and simulation process, we’re pleased to finally present this game-changing technology to the world. It marks one of the most ambitious and impactful additions not just to our series, but modern day motorsport.
“PIT BOOST will challenge teams and drivers alike to make high-stakes decisions under intense pressure. The potential for dramatic overtakes, unexpected twists, and human ingenuity will elevate the excitement for our fans and showcase Formula E and the FIA’s relentless commitment to innovation. As a series born to enhance the technology transfer from the race track to the road, it marks a step change for consumer vehicles and the future potential of EV performance.”
Attack Mode not at risk as Formula E co-founder looks to the next decade
Speaking to media including Motorsport Week, Longo said that the implementation had been the result of “three-and-a-half-years” of talks with all teams and manufacturers, and asked if the feature may give teams further down the grid a better opportunity of scoring points amid potential chaos in races, Longo said the opportunity to benefit was equal across the board.
“I think anyone could get advantage and anyone actually could get a negative out of it, definitely, because at the end you are implementing one system that could completely change the strategy of a team, even within the team of the two drivers of the same team.”
Longo also played down any possibility that Pit Boost will be a long-term replacement for Attack Mode.
“In my view, as a promoter, I would say no, not a chance,” he said. “Attack Mode is a product that actually works very well. Definitely, our intention would be to have a much faster Attack Mode in the future.
Obviously, we are developing today, together with the FIA, what is going to be the technical roadmap of our championship for the future.
“When I say the future, I’m talking about 10 to 15 years. This is how much far ahead we are looking into.
“No, Attack Mode is not at risk. On the contrary, I think, if anything, it will be somehow enhanced.”
FE’s CEO and drivers have already given their approval
The feature was put into practice during November’s pre-season testing schedule in Jarama, during which FE’s CEO Jeff Dodds spoke to Motorsport Week about the idea, speculating the implementation of it might unsettle teams at the front of the grid, excite those at the back, and engage further with the fans.
“If you’re consistently performing well and winning stuff at the moment, you’re very nervous about any changes because any changes potentially put your success at risk,” he said.
” If you’re a team that’s at the bottom and not doing very well in races, any change that gives you an opportunity to get a point of difference is seen as a welcome change, so if you talk to teams, you get very different views.
“The fans, who are maybe the most important people in the process, they will judge it by what they see, and my personal experience of motor racing, having followed it my entire life is, pit stops create another moment of strategy.”
The idea has been met with positivity from some drivers, with Mahindra’s Nyck de Vries telling MW that he was “definitely for” the idea, and Lola-Yamaha-ABT’s Lucas di Grassi, who said: “[But] if you look at the perfect race with no problems whatsoever, the Pit Boost actually favours the more efficient guys.
“I like it… I think it’s good. I think it’s something that pushes the right technology, creates two different races, that you can do two different stuff. So I think it’s good.”
