YouTube creator Driver61 has praised the technology of the Formula E championship, describing the series as “very exciting” after sampling the GEN3 Evo car in last week’s Evo Sessions.
Scott Mansell, who set the fastest time over the two-day event at the Miami International Autodrome, has grown a new appreciation of the all-electric championship having now effectively experienced a regular Formula E driver’s race weekend.
Mansell was one of 11 personalities, made-up of YouTube creators, TikTok influencers and celebrities, who drove for each FE team on the grid in-front of cameras which captured the action for a future television documentary.
Speaking to Motorsport Week, Mansell praised the technical and engineering side of the series, which may not receive the sort of kudos it is due.
“I think the entire championship is very exciting,” he said. “The fundamentals are there. You’ve got technology, lots of incredible technology. It would be nice if some of that could be communicated a little bit more, because I think being on the inside now, the way that the teams are developing this car and what they can do with it is unbelievable.
“I didn’t actually understand how deep they were going with how they’re adapting the rear drive train of the car. That’s been super interesting.
“Formula E, it’s got fundamentals, as I said. It’s got the tech, which is super interesting; it’s got really close racing, which for me, is what I love about watching any sport – it’s the battle of it all, and I think that’s what Formula E does extremely well, you never really know who’s going to win.
“It’s always a great wheel-to-wheel battle all the way through the field and for me as a driver, one of the best things is that the drivers look like they’re working hard.
“You watch the onboard and you’re like ‘well, these guys are millimetres from the walls.’ The cars are jumping around.
“Also, a lot of the street circuits are less than perfect in terms of surface. If you compare it to Silverstone, super smooth, everything’s perfect, the kerbs are all the same.
“Go to Berlin [Tempelhof Street Circuit] or one of these proper street courses that are bumpy and difficult and a bit unusual, it’s a big challenge for the driver, and then add to that all of the power changes during qualifying and the race and the duels and all of that, there’s just many more things moving around.
“So when I look at it from a driving perspective, it’s a huge challenge, right? And that’s what you want as a fan, as a viewer.”
“And then events like this are doing a great job.
“I think it speaks volumes about Formula E’s mentality on the fact that they’re willing to put something like this together. It’s a crazy event. It’s shining a spotlight on this area of the sport.
“And hopefully they do it again at some point because it’s been fantastic. I think the engagement that us as creators are able to put on the sport again will definitely bring in some new viewers.”
Formula E’s drivers ‘underrated’
It has been suggested that Formula E drivers are not given the credit they deserve, given the skillset required to be a successful driver in the series.
The peloton races provide a lot of close-quarter action and the energy-saving and treaded tyres provide a unique challenge that no other series really offers, and when asked, Mansell is inclined to agree.
“I think, you know, like you said, if you’re comparing it to Formula 1, then they’re very different disciplines.
“But a great racing driver will get into anything and adapt themselves and learn, right? They’re just great learners and they’re great at adapting.
“If you look at the line-up here, these guys are fast. They’re really fast, so to answer your question, they probably are underrated.
“When I’m seeing them out on track and talking to them as well, they’re all fantastic drivers.”
One other thing that impressed Mansell was his tutor – Formula E rookie Zane Maloney. Laughing when he admits his age is double the Bajan’s, Mansell gave Maloney credit in how he taught him and echoed the thoughts of Lola’s owner Till Bechtolsheimer, who recently spoke of his praise of the youngster to Motorsport Week.
“Well, yeah, I’m twice his age, but he’s incredibly mature.
“The maturity that he’s got at 20 years old and the way that he’s able to explain the technical aspects of the car has been really impressive.
“Also, he’s a super nice person, he’s been so welcoming to me. He’s spent a lot of time with me, helping me out, so I’m very, very grateful for how much time he’s given me.
“For sure, he’s going to be bringing success to the Lola team.”
Evo Sessions ‘such a success’ says Mansell
Despite being a successful YouTube creator for a decade, Mansell has evidently got the Formula E bug, joking: “I’m trying to get the team manager here to get me on the rookie test, but I’m just saying it as much as I can everywhere, just so he gets it in his mind.”
Many eyebrows have been raised about the Evo Sessions event, which was organised as a replacement for the cancelled Thai E-Prix set for this month, in order to fill what was a two-month gap on its regular calendar, but Mansell is in no doubt – minus other YouTube creator Mr Beast’s crash, perhaps – as to how smoothly the event has gone.
“I think it already looks like this has been a success, and actually, we’ve only done one day of driving, right? And all of the content hasn’t gone out yet.
“Yeah, it’s been fantastic here. I’ve been seeing everything on social media and obviously, we’re putting content out on YouTube as well.
“I think it’d be wonderful if it could happen again. To be honest with you, I can’t see why not. It’s been such a success. And everyone has been… I don’t want to speak too soon, because we’re only in the morning of the second day, but everyone’s been very sensible and driven the cars well.
“It’s been impressive, right? Some of the drivers have been quick. JUCA, who’s a Mexican content creator, has been very fast; Sergio Aguero was very fast and Brooklyn Beckham did a really good job as well. So it’s been impressive.”
READ MORE – YouTube creator needed ‘no convincing’ to take part in Formula E Evo Sessions
