Formula E Puts Fans In Driving Seat With Immersive Driver’s Eye Camera

Image Credit: Formula E’

Formula E Puts Fans In Driving Seat With Immersive Driver’s Eye Camera

• Innovative camera connected to the inside of the driver’s helmet provides viewers with a unique insight from behind the visor
• Driver’s Eye enables fans to experience the exhilaration of electric racing around the tight confines of city street circuits
• New camera technology pushes the boundaries of sports broadcasting by transmitting live footage of drivers working the wheel

LONDON, UK (January 23, 2019) – The ABB FIA Formula E Championship is putting fans in the driving seat and giving viewers a glimpse of what it’s like to sit behind the steering wheel, with the introduction of ‘Driver’s Eye’ – an innovative new camera connected to the inside of the helmet.

The pioneering camera technology pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in sports broadcasting, by transmitting live footage from behind the visor direct to television screens, which is a world’s first in any category of FIA-sanctioned single-seater racing.

Showcased fully for the first time in Santiago (see video below), the Driver’s Eye camera angle adds an immersive element to the viewing experience and enables fans to feel every bump and brush against the wall around the tight and twisty city-center circuits.

The FIA homologated device is perfectly positioned on the protective padding inside the lining of the helmet and sits exactly at the eye level of the driver.

The Driver’s Eye camera is 8 millimeters in diameter and weighs just 2.5 grams, taking many months of research together with the FIA and the teams in order to fine-tune the finishing product ready for race conditions.

Content, Editorial & Digital Director at Formula E
Sebastian Tiffert
“When you speak to Formula E drivers, the first thing they highlight is the thrill and challenge of driving on city circuits. Driver’s Eye provides a new perspective from inside the helmet in live race conditions, showing the skill it takes to thread the car between the walls while processing data and communicating with the team at speed. Driver’s Eye adds a unique dimension to the viewing experience and the innovative camera technology immerses fans in wheel-to-wheel racing. We are delighted to bring our fans closer to the drivers’ sensory experience and their engagement with Driver’s Eye content across social media demonstrates the value of innovations core to the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.”

 
Image Credit: Formula E’

ROKiT Venturi Racing driver
 Felipe Massa
“I think it is cool how Driver’s Eye shows fans exactly what I am seeing during a race in real time. It gives the viewers insight into the tight and challenging city-center circuits that we race on in Formula E and it demonstrates what drivers need to manage and control over the course of a race. I like tech like this, that brings fans even closer to the action. Driver’s Eye is a great way to show the work that goes on behind the wheel.”

 The view from behind the visor of Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes-Benz EQ) at the start of the 2020 Antofagasta Minerals Santiago E-Prix (Rd 3).

A close-up shot of the Driver’s Eye camera (right-hand side) housed inside the helmet of Felipe Massa (ROKiT Venturi Racing).

Felipe Massa (ROKiT Venturi Racing) holding his race helmet and looking down the lens with his head next to the revolutionary new camera.

To ride onboard with Driver’s Eye at the next race, tune in to watch the CBMM Niobium Mexico City E-Prix from Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Saturday, February 15 – www.FIAFormulaE.com/watch/ways-to-watch

To learn more about the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, find out where to watch race highlights and buy tickets, visit www.FIAFormulaE.com or download the app on iOS and Android.

Alternatively, follow the ABB FIA Formula E Championship on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. @FIAFormulaE #ABBFormulaE