While for some people, the most noteworthy event toward the end of November is Thanksgiving (at least in the US), there's something else to look forward to: on November 22, the 2019/2020 Formula E season kicks off with a double-header in Saudi Arabia.
Formula E isn't as popular as Formula 1, but it is catching up. Maybe you've heard the hype and are wondering how you can start watching races. Perhaps you're looking to learn more about Formula E before you commit several weekends over the next year to watching races. If you're looking to get into Formula E, here's what you need to know.
Where Can You Watch Formula E?
Watching Formula E is easy, but there are different levels of easy. If you want to watch races live as they happen in the U.S., you're generally stuck with Fox Sports. The occasional race will broadcast on mainline Fox, but that's the exception, not the rule.
This is far from the first time you'll read about this in this article, but Formula E maintains a healthy YouTube presence. In much of the world, this means you can watch races live on YouTube without paying for anything other than your internet connection. Unfortunately, these live races are geo-blocked in the U.S.
The good news is that only the live races are blocked in the U.S. on the Formula E YouTube. You can still watch the entire races on YouTube, just in the case of the U.S. you'll need to wait a week to see the full race. That said, the channel uploads highlights of the race on the day of.
Introducing the Cast of Characters
When you're watching a race, it's hard to care if all you see is a bunch of drivers' names you don't recognize. Formula E seems to realize this, which is why it has put a major emphasis on getting to know the drivers. As Formula E aims for a younger generation of fans than Formula 1, this all happens on YouTube.
Looking at the ABB Formula E YouTube channel, you'll see a bunch of race highlights, but that's far from all there is. You can learn French with Sebastien Buemi and Oliver Rowland, see drivers reflect and their first big crash and more.
You'll also see plenty of videos that have YouTube click-bait written all over them, but don't ignore them. There are plenty of Funniest Moments and Most Controversial moments videos that may seem cringeworthy based on the titles, but I assure you they're worth watching whether you're already a fan or just slightly interested.
Looking to Stay Caught Up?
Even if you're sure that you're interested in Formula E, it can be tough to stay caught up at first because of the infrequency of the early races of the season. Fortunately, there's plenty more gold to be mined from the Formula E YouTube channel.
To start, you can watch old races to get an idea of what racers you might like and what rivalries you might want to follow. On top of that, Formula E produces its own magazine-style show, Formula E Street Racers. This will run down upcoming races and reflect and previous races, give you an eye at the tech behind Formula E, and give you even more chances to get to know the drivers by name.
Not Sure If Formula E Is for You?
You've got plenty of options to watch and learn more about Formula E, but what if you're torn between Formula 1 and Formula E? You can do what I do and simply watch both, but you may not want to budget that time. If you'd rather focus on which is more exciting, take a look at our comparison between Formula 1 and Formula E racing.