All-electric racing series Formula E heads back to Mexico City today for the second time ever. The 20-car showdown will take place at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on a 2.1-kilometer course that weaves the drivers in and out of the famous Mexican race track. It’s the fourth race in the young series’s third season, one that has been dominated in the early going by Renault driver Sebastien Buemi.
Last year’s race in Mexico City was pretty exciting — you can see a short recap here — but the big story was how Audi driver Lucas di Grassi was stripped of his win because he was found to be 1.8 kilograms (just under 4 pounds) under the minimum weight limit during post-race inspection. It was a costly mistake, too — di Grassi wound up losing the season two championship by just two points.
This is an exciting year for Formula E and a great time to start watching the series, because big names like Jaguar and BMW have joined an already competitive field. The greater push toward electric vehicles has caused major automakers to either flock to the series or express their interest. (Mercedes has secured an option to enter in season five, and Ferrari even said it’s considering joining.)
You’re not alone if you don’t know about Formula E, but you should give it a shot — even if you don’t like racing
Formula E has only run 24 races so far, so you might be wondering just what the hell it is. You’re not alone! The series has pulled in hundreds of thousands of viewers per race in both the US and the UK last season, but the awareness is still pretty low — especially outside of the motorsports world.