Everything you need to know about Formula E

Like it or not, electric racing is here. And, like it or not, you've got to admit to being interested in how it pans out.

Ten teams, featuring a host of top professional drivers - plus leading engineers and management from across the highest levels of the sport - set out on their adventure in Beijing this weekend.

OK, we're purists, and we can't get our heads around FanBoost. But here's the crucial thing: there may be no sound, but it'll be proper racing.

This is your guide to the brand new championship on the eve of its ground-breaking first race, as we guide you through the key things worth knowing about Formula E:

1. Drivers are allowed to use 200kW (270bhp) from the McLaren powertrain/Williams battery in qualifying trim, but a maximum of only 150kW (202.5bhp) in races.

Formula E tyres are different to what we see on familiar single-seater racers © LAT

2. Even then, a driver will struggle to go above 120kW (162bhp) for the bulk of a race, meaning it could turn into a tactical battle. Do you go flat-out at the start if you're on pole and then throttle back? Or if you qualify badly, do you play it cool until late on?

3. FanBoost, voted for on social media, will allow three drivers five seconds each at 180kW (243bhp) - 30kW more than the regular race maximum - for overtaking. A driver can use this for either of their two cars, or across both.

4. Want to know what the laptime difference is between those different levels of power? Based on Donington tests, it's reckoned to be about 0.1 seconds per 1kW. So your 200kW qualifying and 120kW race average will be around eight seconds apart...

5. Speeds at the end of the start-finish straight at Donington in testing using the 150kW maximum race power were only around 105mph. In qualifying mode, laptimes just pip a Formula Ford EcoBoost: the quickest test time was 1m31.083s, while the FFord pole from 2012 was 1m31.589s.

6. Don't forget that the cars run on Michelin treaded tyres and the batteries weigh a hefty 320kg, so performance isn't that bad considering...

7. Drivers reckon you can feel a small drop-off in the Michelins on a qualifying run, but the comparative lack of speed on a race run means tyre behaviour will not be an issue.

8. The smooth track surface and flowing corners of Donington did not allow much regenerating via the MGU, but the stop-start street circuits on which Formula E will race should produce more 'regen'. Then again, this will be more rapidly consumed by the harder acceleration from tight chicanes and hairpins.

9. Formula E has had some 'dress-rehearsal' races at Donington behind closed doors. An early one ended with a rather bizarre shunt on the pit straight that resulted in one very angry driver and two badly damaged cars. Which is why rehearsals are a good idea.

10. The Beijing opener will run over 25 laps of the 2.14-mile circuit. It has four chicanes, five left-handers and one right-hander.

11. A driver must spend a minimum of 50 seconds in their pit awning while changing cars mid-race. In testing, teams have got car-change times down to 37-38 seconds, meaning they should have breathing space to deal with any glitches. There will also be a minimum time in the pitlane, which will vary from circuit to circuit.

12. Drivers reckon the biggest difference between qualifying and race trim comes from brake balance. This needs to be moved 16-18 per cent towards the front to prevent the rears locking, thanks to the regenerating and the heavy weight at the rear.

13. As if Formula E wasn't enough of a step into the unknown, the FIA has been holding its World Motor Sport Council in Beijing this week. Meaning that a thousand blazers will be watching the action on Saturday. No pressure then...

Time spent in the pits will be regulated strictly during the races © LAT

14. The one-day race meetings begin with a 30-minute practice session, followed by a 45-minute period. For Beijing only there is a 20-minute shakedown on Friday.

15. The 20 drivers will be split into four groups of five for qualifying, with each group getting a 10-minute session. You can only use one car in qualifying. The driver setting the fastest time in Beijing will become Formula E's first championship leader, as that's worth three points.

16. The Formula 1 points system will be used in races, which begin with a standing start. There will be an additional two points for fastest lap.

17. Thirteen of the 20 drivers on the grid at Beijing have competed in an F1 grand prix, so here are some stats: 796 grand prix starts in total; one win; 26 podiums; 661.5 points; five poles; four fastest laps.

18. With Formula E having such a radically different concept to anything seen before in racing, the sporting regulations will remain quite flexible. Better to have the freedom to tweak than be stuck with rules that don't work.

19. Formula E's course cars - including the BMW i8 safety car - are fitted with wireless charging technology from series partner Qualcomm. Theoretically, once this has been developed for racing use it could eliminate the need for car changing.

20. Formula E is being hailed as a great way for motorsport to connect with the world's youth, who don't like smoky, noisy old technology. Not sure that this applies to the Formula E Live concerts though. Beijing's will be performed by 54-year-old Sarah Brightman, whose first hit, I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper, came only two years after the death of Mao Zedong.

Follow the inaugural Formula E race in Beijing as it happens with AUTOSPORT Race Centre Live from 9am UK time on Saturday morning

BEIJING ENTRY LIST

Amlin Aguri
Katherine Legge, Takuma Sato

Andretti Formula E
Franck Montagny, Charles Pic

Audi Sport Abt
Lucas di Gressi, Daniel Abt

China Racing
Nelson Piquet, Ho-Pin Tung

Dragon Racing
Jerome d'Ambrosio, Oriol Servia

e.DAMS-Renault
Nicolas Prost, Sebastien Buemi

Mahindra Racing
Karun Chandhok, Bruno Senna

Trulli
Jarno Trulli, Michela Cerruti

Venturi
Nick Heidfeld, Stephane Sarrazin

Virgin Racing
Jaime Alguersuari, Sam Bird

2014/15 CALENDAR

September 13 2014: Beijing, China
November 22 2014: Putrajaya, Malaysia
December 13 2014: Punta del Este, Uruguay
January 10 2015: Buenos Aires, Argentina
February 14 2015: tba
March 14 2015: Miami, USA
April 4 2015: Long Beach, USA
May 9 2015: Monte Carlo, Monaco
May 30 2015: Berlin, Germany
June 27 2015: London, UK