Find here all the pictures from Goodwood Festival of Speed 

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is famous for bringing the greatest icons of motor sport history together with the latest technological innovations. In 2017, the FIA Formula E Championship is one of the centre pieces of the forward-looking aspect of the festival, with cars from Jaguar, Renault and Mahindra all on display.

The event’s hill climb is central to proceedings, and motor sport fans were also able to witness the first public running of a season four specification Formula E car, with Mahindra’s Nick Heidfeld taking his M4Electro up the course several times across the weekend.

“The changes to this car are all under the engine cover, everything else has not changed a great deal so it’s good to be going up the hill and have everything feeling familiar,” he said. “The other big change for us is that we’ve gone from having two gears to a single-gear system, it’s also a bit lighter and we’ll be making small improvements everywhere.

“We haven’t had too many tests with the M4Electro before, so it’s good to come here and show that the car is running smoothly and reliably.”

The Mahindra driver has been to the Festival of Speed many times, but his Formula E car undoubtedly provided a new experience and a different challenge.

 He continued, “I’m fortunate to have driven some very powerful cars up the hill in the past – the McLaren F1, Mercedes F1, an LMP1 car… so I had to adapt to having less power in this car, but it starts to be fun, it’s a car you can control very nicely and that allows you to push – although with this being a hill climb and not a normal circuit you have to be very careful not to go over the limit!

“Before coming here this time I hadn’t thought too much about the way Goodwood brings together new technologies with history, but when I was driving up the hill I really started to feel how important that is. We are currently one of only a few electric vehicles on the course, but over the next 20 years we will have plenty of them going up the hill. We’re really showing the future of what is likely to come.”

Heidfeld set the outright record time (41.6s) on the Goodwood hill climb in the 1998 FIA Formula One World Championship-winning McLaren MP4/13 - it’s a record which has stood for 18 years, however the German driver believes it may not be too long before an electric car can set a new benchmark.

“I think it will be possible one day to beat my record in an electric car. We’re getting faster all the time, and there are already electric cars which have more than enough power to do it, so one day it’s definitely possible…” he said.

The FIA stand, situated at the heart of the Festival of Speed, is showcasing some of the latest and most exciting racing cars in the world today, including cars from the Porsche 919 Hybrid LMP1 car from the FIA World Endurance Championship and the spectacular Hyundai i20 battling in the FIA World Rally Championship. 

The FIA Formula E Championship is also on-show here, with the striking Panasonic Jaguar Racing car amongst the impressive line-up. Drivers Adam Carroll and Mitch Evans paid a visit to see the car and show their support to the ‘From Track to Road’ message which showcases the various ways in which these racing machines are influencing the development of automotive technologies.

The pair echoed Heidfeld’s sentiments regarding the importance of bringing Formula E to Goodwood as a cutting-edge demonstration of electric vehicles and electric mobility.

“I think it’s very important to showcase Formula E here,” said Carroll. “Goodwood is always a fantastic place to come with all the history that’s here – you can see everything from our cars, which are the future, right the way back to the start. It’s really important for the fans to see these cars up close, they look fantastic and hopefully it will bring more awareness and more spectators.”

Evans added, “We’re really pushing out this new era of motor sport here at Goodwood. We’d love to create some new fans and get people involved in what we’re doing here. We have some great new fans of the sport, and as Adam said it’s all about sending out the message here, and it’s amazing to have the car here on the FIA stand. It’s a great way for people to come and learn more about the technology and what we’re trying to achieve in Formula E.”

This 2016/17 season of the FIA Formula E Championship has been the first both for the Jaguar drivers and the team itself, and with two events remaining in New York City and Montreal, both drivers have enjoyed being a part of the marque’s return to racing.

“I’ve enjoyed being a part of this new era, and the return of racing with Jaguar has been very special in this first year,” continued Evans. “I can’t wait to see the championship grow in the near future, the interest it’s grabbed in just its first three years is incredible.”

Carroll believes this is just the beginning of a period of unprecedented progress in motor sport and automotive technology, with Formula E playing a key role in bringing the developments to the heart of cities around the world. “The competition is so super high, and with Jaguar here as a premium brand more are sure to follow,” he said. “With the cities we go to, we can bring racing to new fans and new people, which is what it’s all about, and why Jaguar chose to come to Formula E. With the technology and the industry all heading in this direction, we believe there’s going to be more change in the next five years than we’ve seen in the last 20. What we learn here in motor sport, where we’re always pushing the limit, we can transfer to the road projects like the I-Pace concept which we’re showing here at Goodwood as well.”