Top speed, lap times, tech spec and more compared : PlanetF1

Formula 1 (F1) and Formula E (FE) are two different categories of racing that have distinct differences in their cars and regulations.

Formula 1 is the more established and popular race series, while Formula E, although still a relatively new sport, is increasingly gaining popularity.

Below, PlanetF1.com compares the two cars and series in several different ways.

Power

The obvious difference being that Formula 1 cars are powered by a combination of a 1.6-litre V6 turbocharged engine and battery power, which produces more than 1000bhp, whereas a Formula E race car is fully electric, using batteries and electric motors for power which generate over 350 kilowatts, or the equivalent of 470bhp.

Formula E cars can go from 0-60 seconds in slightly under 2.8 seconds whereas F1 cars accelerate from 0-60mph in around 2.6 seconds, making them the quicker car of the two off the line.

Top speed and weight

The F1 cars are faster than FE cars, with a top speed of around 230 mph (370 km/h) while the third generation ‘Gen3’ FE cars have a top speed of around 200 mph (320 km/h).

The minimum weight of a Formula 1 car and its driver in parc fermé conditions in 2023 is 798kg, whereas a Gen3 Formula E car weighs around 760kg on its own without a driver inside.

Tracks

The tracks used for each series are very different. F1 races take place on a mix of street circuits and dedicated racetracks, while FE races are held on street circuits in urban areas.

F1 tracks are typically much longer than the Formula E equivalents. F1 tracks are normally permanent with a variety of corners designed to challenge drivers. By comparison, Formula E tracks are much shorter and designed to be more compact.

The only track the two series share is Monaco, with Formula E having moved to race on the full Monaco layout after initially racing on a shortened version of the famous circuit.

Lap time comparison

With Monaco being the only circuit on which Formula 1 and Formula E cars race, that is the only way of knowing an exact comparison for times between the two cars – with F1 machinery showing itself to be significantly quicker.

The outright pole lap record around Monaco in an F1 car came in 2019 with Lewis Hamilton clocking a 1:10.166, while the fastest qualifying lap in Formula E in 2023 was Sascha Fenestraz’s 1:28.773, several seconds slower than what the Formula 2 cars manage around the same circuit.

F1 vs Formula E race time

Due to the tracks and the engines within both cars, Formula 1 and Formula E races differ in time. F1 races tend to be much longer than FE races, at 300km plus one lap.

Formula E races are a lot shorter due to the cars’ limited battery life, and races last approximately 45 minutes to an hour. To continue the Monaco comparison, F1 races for 78 laps around Monaco, whereas FE runs for 29 laps around the same circuit.

Formula E races require no pit stops and can run on the same set of all-weather tyres for a whole race, whereas Formula 1 cars will…