Formula E: Revised Season 6 Calendar Revealed

The 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship will resume on August 5th in Berlin, which will see a string of 6 races in 9 days.

The Berlin ePrix is held at Berlin’s disused Tempelhof Airport, making it a unique event in itself, but instead of being confined to a pre-determined street layout like traditional street circuits, Tempelhof provides the ability to create any track layout within its grounds.

Tempelhof has already seen 2 different layouts used by Formula E. After the Season 1 layout proved to not lend itself well to racing, a revised layout debuted in Season 3 and has remained since. Formula E raced in downtown Berlin in Season 2.

Season 2 Formula E Berlin ePrix

The revised schedule will see 3 different layouts of Tempelhof used, with 2 back-to-back races happening with each layout – August 5th/6th, 8th/9th, 12th/13th.

To meet the German government’s guidelines that are set to remain in place until September, all 6 races will be held behind closed doors and a personnel limit of 1000 people will be set.

The announcement comes after various rumours had begun to circulate about what may happen to the 6th season of Formula E. Some were suggesting a move to permanent facilities, with races at Formula E’s hub at Donington Park rumoured along with Silverstone, and Portimao in Portugal. Some were even suggesting the season could be scrapped completely, with no champion. The multi-race Berlin idea was by far the most popular amongst fans, so many will be glad to see this announcement.

The current Berlin circuit layout

Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle said, “Since taking action to suspend our season in March, we have emphasised a revised calendar which places the health and safety of our community first, represents Formula E’s distinct brand of city centre racing and offers an exciting conclusion to the compelling season of racing we had seen so far.

“We’re heading to Berlin Tempelhof, a venue that our teams, drivers and fans love, to stage a nine-day festival of racing with three back-to-back double-headers. The festival will feature three track layouts, presenting a new challenge and creating the conditions for an unpredictable and drama-filled climax to our season.

“The team at Formula E has been working incredibly hard over the past weeks to enable us to go racing again in Berlin. I’d like to thank the FIA, our manufacturers, teams and partners for their continued support, the city of Berlin for their cooperation and flexibility and our fans for their patience.”

The revised calendar also confirms the postponement of the inaugural Seoul ePrix, however it is understood that talks are ongoing with South Korea, a country which is willing to pay a hosting fee, about hosting the Season 6 finale due to the country’s impressive response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

DS Techeetah’s Antonio Felix da Costa currently leads the championship by 11 points over Jaguar driver Mitch Evans, with Virgin’s Sam Bird and BMW’s Alexander Sims and Max Gunther having taken wins in the opening 5 races of Season 6, at Diriyah (2 races), Santiago, Mexico City and Marrakesh.

Da Costa (centre) leads the championship. Gunther (left) is 4th and teammate Vergne (right) is 8th

Assuming the Seoul ePrix goes ahead, it would mean the Sanya, Rome, Paris, Jakarta, New York and London ePrix will all be cancelled permanently for 2020. So far, only London is officially cancelled.

There will be various driver changes for the 2nd half of Season 6 – the obvious one being the absence of Daniel Abt at Audi, as well as Pascal Wehrlein for Mahindra. It is understood Wehrlein will sign for Porsche, but will not make his debut for the German outfit until Season 7 as Neel Jani, the driver Wehrlein will likely replace, has a contract to the end of Season 6.

No driver has been confirmed for either Mahindra or Audi seats, with the Mahindra seat looking much more open. Audi DTM driver René Rast will likely replace Abt, and is testing the car at the Lausitzring in July in preparation for a possible drive.

The 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship calendar in full: