ISE S1 R1: Beijing Preview - A NEW ERA!

On Saturday, International Sim League makes room for a brand new Formula E series, kicking off in Beijing at 1PM BST.

The season opener will kick off this weekend from the Beijing Lympic Green Circuit with some of ISAM's big stars making up the grid. On Wednesday, all the new teams for Beijing were announced.

Here's a run-down on how the grid is shaping up for this brand new championship:

ISR ZERO Sim Racing

1. W. Barnes #3

2. L. De Ciutiis #10

Sim Sport Martini E-Racing team

1. J. Cresswell #98

2. M. Wheway #23

Relentless E-Team

1. T. Brendel #42

2. J. Baktash #88

Squire Motorsports

1. Ron Squire #18

RNvolt E-Team

1. T. Nyerges #16

A new championship brings new regulations and challenges for the teams to overcome. One of the big talking points heading into the first race is how the battery systems work in the car. Unlike a normal car where less fuel means you go faster, the Formula E cars used in ISE will be much quicker during the EARLY stages of the system, obviously due to their higher battery percentage.

Managing power will be crucial if the drivers are to succeed, especially gathering how close things are shaping up to be in pre-season testing.

Another major talking point is the use of fixed setups, meaning that drivers will be extremely limited in what they can change. This means that overall there is less time to gain mechanically, therefore highlighting driver ability. It is of course important to mention that some may find this particularly challenging gathering that these cars have very unique handling capabilities and characteristics.

The challenging physics provided by WCP should provide an ELECTRIC first race, we'll see you on Saturday afternoon at 1PM BST (UK time) for GREEN flag racing!