The quartet compromised by the conflict and planned to prioritize the Spa 6 Hours race in the World Endurance Championship on May 11th. Sebastien Buemi, Robin Frijns, Nyck de Vries, and Nico Mueller had hoped to participate in both the Spa and Berlin races of the Formula E double-header on May 12th.
Unanimous approval from all 11 teams was required to change the regulations, but the deadline for the electronic vote had already passed.
The group of drivers wanted to compete in both races but needed a rule change to Article 5.5 of the current sporting regulations, which states that driver changes are not allowed after the administrative checks, except in cases of force majeure with the stewards’ authorization.
According to Article 19.1 and 24.15, each team must specify which drivers will be driving their cars before the end of the initial scrutineering.
The result of the electronic vote meant that no special authorization for driver changes would be granted, and the original rules would remain in place.
“We all knew about the calendar clash maybe 10 months ago and we were all talking to drivers – and we [Andretti] passed up on a couple of them because they already had commitments that precluded them from being 100% dedicated to this championship. You have to decide which championship you are racing in. For us, we’re not racing in WEC and we’re fully focused on Formula E. Why would we want a driver to step out of the car and compromise his own chances of winning a drivers’ title and also the team’s chances of winning a teams’ title? It’s a bizarre one, as far as I’m concerned,” said Griffiths.
Teams cannot appeal the electronic vote, so Frijns, Buemi, de Vries, and Mueller will miss two Formula E races this season.
Envision Racing, which is most affected by the conflict due to employing Frijns and Buemi, is likely to replace them with Joel Eriksson and Tom Dillmann, who are respectively Jaguar’s test and reserve drivers.
Abt Cupra is expected to replace Mueller with either Kelvin van der Linde or Red Bull junior Tim Tramnitz.
The clash between the Formula E and World Endurance Championship calendars has caused a lot of frustration among affected teams and drivers. The supposed commission formed in 2017 to address these clashes did not seem to function effectively this time.
The promoters of both championships need to be more flexible with their calendars to avoid clashes. There are plenty of weekends available for both championships to coexist without conflicts.
The difficulty this year was that a fixed date for the Shanghai race in May made it impossible to adjust the Berlin race date. The Monaco weekend also plays a significant role in determining the timing of the Berlin race.
In 2024, Berlin will always be scheduled between the Monaco and Shanghai races in mid-May.
The World Endurance Championship had accommodated a change in the Spa race date for 2020, but due to the announcement of its 2024 schedule before Formula E’s schedule, similar flexibility could not be considered this time.
Griffiths’ opinions on the matter are strong, but they highlight the importance of making lineup decisions based on commitment to a championship and avoiding situations where drivers have conflicting priorities.
On the other hand, drivers who participate in both championships are facing compromises in their careers due to logistical challenges. Both sides of the issue have valid points, and it would be beneficial for the FIA to facilitate more dialogue between the two championships to avoid clashes.
The future may favor drivers who prioritize their commitments to either Formula E or the World Endurance Championship. This could lead to significant changes in the driver lineup for Formula E and the introduction of new talent.