600 kW fast-charging pitstops are coming to Formula E

“Choosing the right moment to pit, which balances the risk of losing track position with the extra power boost, will be essential, especially as only one car at a time will be able to come in for the pit boost, so we will have to go for slightly different strategies even if naturally it would seem going as soon as possible will be the best option. To add further jeopardy, pit boost will be available during the safety car, which could present a beneficial opportunity if you are lucky… but if not it could destroy your race,” Espinos said.

“Equally as important to the strategy of when to take pit boost is the execution of it. Although it isn’t somewhere you can really gain time, there is the potential to lose a lot, so practice will be key as we introduce this new feature. Ultimately, we can expect added unpredictability in the race and a lot of learnings for the teams, particularly in the early stages,” Espinos said.

Not every race will feature pit boost—the idea is to give the series some variation. So one race of the Jeddah double-header will require pit boost, but the other will not. “What we thought for season 11 is that basically, let’s launch this new system in places where we can do a completely different race the day after,” Longo said. “Let’s implement that in places where basically, in only 24 hours, you’re gonna see a completely different race. So you are actually going to be seeing the difference… by the pit boost,” Longo said.

That’s the plan for this season, at any rate; if it proves a success, Longo said it would probably be rolled out much more widely next year. Formula E says it’s confident in the reliability of the chargers or it wouldn’t be introducing them—it called off pit boost in both 2023 and 2024, after all. But there will be a couple of spares in the paddock in case a team (or two) experiences a failure, according to Formula E’s head of championship, Pablo Martino.

The Jeddah double-header will be held next month on February 14–15. If the first two rounds of this season were anything to go by, it should be worth watching.