Full Course Yellow ‘Bunch-Up System’ Trialled

Photo: Formula E

This season’s ABB FIA Formula E Championship races could see IndyCar-style closing up of the fields in Full Course Yellow periods.

The system was trialled at the ‘pilot race’ held in Valencia on Wednesday and is aimed at ensuring more potential action should an FCY be deployed during races.

E-racing365 understands that the championship’s race director Scot Elkins will be able to introduce the method at his own discretion during contests.

Similar opportunities exist in other championship, including the Verizon IndyCar Series and NASCAR, and are aimed at negating any particular status quo in the order when an FCY is called.

The current FCY rule in Formula E dictates that cars will slow down to 50 km/h, in single file, and maintain their distance to the car in front and the car behind.

Article 39.1.c of the 2018-19 Formula E Sporting Regulations has been expanded to incorporate the possibility of the field closing up to the leader on instruction by the Race Director.

“It will improve the racing for sure,” HWA Racelab’s Gary Paffett told e-racing365.

“When you close the field up you get another chance to overtake and another chance to improve your result and make the best of the race.

“Obviously, if you are the car in the lead and have used a bit of energy to get ahead and suddenly that lead goes and you don’t have energy to defend it is going to be frustrating.

“I think we will just have to see how it goes in the first few races and see how it goes. But it will change the way you think about a Full Course Yellow scenario quite a bit.”