Getting underway in Beijing in September last year, Formula E is a new FIA single-seater championship and the world's first fully electric racing series.
While it may not have made as many headlines as Formula 1, it has nevertheless been an exciting and competitive inaugural campaign, which has seen the 20 drivers race in some of the biggest cities in the world.
The season will come to a close this weekend in London and ahead of that meeting, Sports Mole spoke with Virgin Racing's Sam Bird, who, with one win already under his belt, is determined to end on a high note in front of a home crowd at Battersea Park.
Formula E does not get anywhere near the levels of coverage that is given to Formula 1 and other motorsports. Could you explain a little bit about the sport and what makes it different?
"Formula E was a concept that has been in the pipeline for quite a few years now. As you can imagine, Formula 1 and other types of motorsport do not get the attention of greener companies that want to promote a cleaner way of living. Formula E has come onto the scene and had a massive response from many cities globally. It's a completely green form of motorsport. We've seen Formula 1 going hybrid, but this is a completely green, fully electric racing series. It's never been done before.
"There are 20 of the best drivers in the world, which makes it one of the toughest grids in motorsport. We take this sport to nine or 10 of the coolest cities around the world and obviously we have the finale this weekend in my home city of London."
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Yourself included, there are some big names in the sport like Nelson Piquet, Bruno Senna and Jarno Trulli, but is there room for the sport to grow? Maybe by incorporating more drivers and teams?
"You look at the grid now and you'd have to say that it would be very difficult for it to get any stronger because the depth of the 20 drivers is probably stronger than Formula 1. Most people would tend to agree on that point. It's got some amazing names and long may that continue. It's a great series to be in, not only driving, but because of the team names as well. We've obviously got Virgin, who are massive, and the likes of Dragon Racing and Andretti - they're all top racing teams. It's a very, very good place to be."
How can Formula E become more popular, perhaps one day competing with Formula 1 for exposure?
"Formula E is still a new championship and it's just going to keep on growing and improving. Next year we will be going to a couple more cities and that will gain more exposure in different parts of the world. I'm sure in season two, the support will be as big as it is at the end of this year and then even more. The aim isn't to compete with Formula 1, the aim is to secure our ground as Formula E and make it as big as we can. Formula 1 is Formula 1, but we are going down a completely different path. We show top-level performances from electric cars around the world, it's a different kind of concept."
During a race, you use two cars. How does that work?
"Every driver has two cars, because halfway through the race, you will have used up your 28 kilowatts of energy in one specific car. Then you have to jump from one car to another car for the second phase of the race. It's quite a strategic part of the race - how long you can make the first car last in order to get to push the second car, or doing it the other way around, pushing the first car and manage the energy in the second car."
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How long does it take to make the switch?
"We can jump in and out of one and into the other in about 25 seconds. Every round has been different because of the pitlane restrictions, but we're given around 45 seconds in total to do the full switch around. Obviously, that's much longer than 25 seconds because the FIA want to make sure that the driver is in securely and don't have people rushing it. If you hit a wall and your belt wasn't done up properly, there would be issues. It's longer than necessary due to safety basically."
What has been your favourite circuit this year?
"The one I won! Monaco holds a special place for me. Putrajaya means a lot because I won there and there was plenty of other cool tracks as well. But, every single city that we've been to has done an amazing job and we are going back to them all, which is great. I hope by Sunday night I can give you a new favourite because that means we've done well in London."
Talking of London, does racing in front of a home crowd excite you?
"Absolutely. It's the final race of the season and we are still fighting for a really good position in the championship. It would be amazing to put on a good show for the home fans and see the support in my local city."
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You sit in sixth position overall heading into the final weekend. Is that a position you're happy with, or do you feel should be higher?
"We're sixth because we deserve to be sixth. We've won a race, which was amazing, but recently we've squandered a couple of chances. We are learning from our mistakes and we as a team and myself as a driver hope to rectify that in these final two races, as well as next year."
Are you confident of putting on a good show in London?
"We've done as much homework as we can do before the weekend. There's been plenty of simulation and I've spoken with my engineer with regards to strategy and what we need to do to improve for this round. I go into London with every confidence that we can put on a very good show and challenge for two pieces of silverware."
What position in the championship would you regard to be a successful season?
"I would be extremely happy if we could come in the top three in the championship, that would be a fantastic weekend. I realise that's going to be extremely difficult, but it is possible. Top four is slightly more realistic, but whatever happens this weekend, I'm looking forward to the off-season and then working with the team for an assault on season two. We've won one race this season, so there's no reason why we cannot win another [in London]."
What are your plans going forward? Are you looking to race in Formula E next season?
"We are currently in negotiations with Virgin Racing about staying with the team. That's the plan and I'd dearly love to do that. The plans going forward look very promising so I'd love to continue my work in Formula E and the World Endurance Championships alongside it."
British driver Sam Bird was speaking ahead of the first ever FIA Formula E London ePrix where he will race for Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Racing team. Fans can vote for Virgin Racing and Sam to win FanBoost and earn an extra five-second speed boost to make him go faster in the London race by visiting fanboost.fiaformulae.com.
