This weekend, Formula E’s second season finishes on a high with two races in London and a championship going down to the wire.

On the Continent, F1’s most bloated season continues with the Austrian Grand Prix and a championship dominated, again, by a single team.

Yes, F1 is the pinnacle of motorsport and, yes, Formula E is slow and silent in comparison.

But… there are a few things that can set Formula E apart from the motorsport pack and steal some of F1′s thunder. Try these for size.





You can drink the fuel





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Drink the fuel? How, exactly, does one drink electricity?

One doesn’t. But one can drink the glycerine that fuels the two huge generators that charge every car on the Formula E grid.

The glycerine is, itself, a byproduct of bio-diesel production, and is safe enough to use in food.

I’ve tried it, I haven’t died. Now, I wouldn’t say it’s the tastiest consumable I’ve ever sloshed around my mouth – it’s stupidly sweet and a bit gloopy.

But, mix it with some vodka, triple sec, Szechuan buttons and special Japanese peppercorns, and it is transformed into an electric blue ‘Formula E Cocktail’ which is less like a syrup hand gel and more like, well, battery acid.

Here’s the recipe http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2016/07/cocktail-range-with-super-clean-car-fuel-launches/2/

The thing is, the glycerine burns very efficiently in a slightly modified diesel generator and causes far less pollution than dirty old diesel.

You genuinely can drink it – if you try that with petrol from your own car or an F1 supply, it will end badly.

Of course, glycerine cocktails aren’t why Formula E uses this tech – it’s green, and Formula E is big on the environment. The series is scheduled to minimise travel, and to use rail and sea as much as possible rather than those thirsty cargo jets.

But being able to drink the fuel… who knew Formula E would turn out to be the spiritual home of the Hunts and Raikkonens of racing?





Women. Actual women. In cars.





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Women are woefully under-represented in motorsport, accounting for around 8 per cent of motorsport licence holders in the UK – see here https://www.msauk.org/Development/Women-in-Motorsport for more info on the topic.

Now, Formula E isn’t going to pick up any equality awards just yet, no siree, but it’s already showing F1 up when it comes to women drivers.

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