formula e is extremely funny to me because it's like... EVs are simply too straightforward and consistent and 'ideal' to make for an entertaining racing platform, especially in a racing series that's meant to be relatively cheap to get into (ie, one where the cars are all very similar) so they have to do, you know, Game Design to make it interesting
and some of the Game Design they've done is uh, I uh would not have designed it that way
@SamKeeper in the comments asks how I'd design a racing series. Here's my uninformed yokel idea.
I think racing, like any sport, is more interesting when you have different skillsets and approaches competing with each other. EVs are very straightforward and simple, which takes away a lot of the potential wrinkles that exist in other forms of racing; and formula e specifically has a very tight car spec that makes it even more enclosed. The cars even look identical, because they all use the same body work that's part of the spec. There's still a lot of room for different strategies in the tournament format they do have, but I think we can do better (stupider).
Here's what I'd do. I'd come up with a bunch of specific advantages cars could have. A few more joules allowed in the batteries, a little more power, more downforce, different tires, extra boosts over the course of the season, etc. And at the start of every season, I'd have teams draft them. I'd do this with full pageantry, like, the draft is an event and all the teams show up and announce their picks then and there, live.
For maximum drama, I'd have the drivers be officially in charge of making the picks; whatever they say when they come up to the podium goes. Now, of course, teams would figure out their draft strategy jointly and drivers would just announce those decisions... but I'd write the rules so that the possibility of "no, fuck you, here's what we're doing" is open.
having just watched the nfl draft, which is my favourite live gambling show ever (it's like watching a bunch of very serious, contentious men argue about how another even more serious group of men will bet in a lottery), every sport should have a draft of some sort
i just wanna say that the first thing that came to mind when i read "formula e" was racing for trans women
