With the first series of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship docuseries ‘Formula E Unplugged’ having been a hit with fans, the series has returned for a second season, which UK-based fans can already view.
If you imagine Netflix’s Formula 1 docuseries ‘Drive to Survive’ but without the forced narratives, then that is effectively what ‘Unplugged’ is and why it went down so well the first time around. The docuseries gives a behind-the-scenes look at the championship, including, driver interactions that aren’t traditionally captured on TV.
The second season retells the story of Season Eight and the end of the Gen2 era of the all-electric series through six, thirty-minute episodes. Season Eight was an unbelievable one which saw the title fight go right down to the wire at the season finale in Seoul, something that will be portrayed in the second season of the docuseries. Stoffel Vandoorne ultimately walked away with the title, after beating Mitch Evans to glory.
Aarti Dabas, Chief Media Officer, Formula E gave an insight of what the new series is all about, and how the drivers were able to “reveal their real personality”, something which will make for fantastic viewing.
“The second season of Formula E Unplugged is about giving drivers the chance to take off their racing helmet and reveal their real personality, their motivation and fears in what is the emotional rollercoaster of world-class motorsport.
“This generation of sports fan wants to go beyond the sporting action and really understand the stories and backgrounds of the people involved. We also know this format of content is important to our broadcast partners to build interest in Formula E and help attract new fans to their live coverage.
“We are working closely with our international broadcast partners to give them the opportunity for exclusive distribution in their respective territories through early 2023 aligned to the start of our new racing season from 14 January in Mexico City. We will then look to expand distribution through our own digital platforms.”
Fans will be able to watch the second season of the series on a whole heap of platforms; however, fans in certain countries will have to wait a little while to watch it. Those in the UK, though, can already binge the second season over Christmas, with all the ways of watching the show explained at the bottom of this article.
Amongst the number of drivers who feature in the second season is NIO 333 FE Team driver Dan Ticktum, who spent Season Eight learning the ropes with it being his rookie year. During his junior days, Ticktum’s personality was something that perhaps wasn’t seen in the light that he would’ve liked it to come across in, with the Brit admitting that he was previously “painted as a villain”.
In the new season of ‘Formula E Unplugged’, the Brit is hopeful that fans will “understand more” about him and about the life of a driver in general, given the behind-the-scenes action involved in the episodes.
“My character often gets misunderstood, and I’ve definitely been painted as a villain previously. I opened up as a person a bit more this series and I think it is important for drivers and sportspeople in general to be themselves and authentically show who they really are.
“Formula E Unplugged presents a realistic picture of life inside the paddock and helps fans to understand more about what makes us tick and where we are coming from. I can be pretty fiery, but I think the ‘behind the scenes’ nature of Unplugged will show that sometimes there is a lot more to what drivers are going through than can be seen during races or on social media.”
How to watch Formula E Unplugged:
- 6 x 30-minute episodes
- Linear regional premieres:
- (Europe incl. UK) Eurosport 1, 21:00 CEST (two episodes), 20 Dec.
- (UK) Channel 4, 08:00 GMT (one episode), 15 Jan 2023
- (US) CBS Sports Network (all episodes) Jan 2023
- (SE Asia) SpoTV, 20:00 SGT (one episode), 20 Dec.
- (New Zealand) Sky Sports 5 (two episodes), 21 Dec
- VOD premieres:
- (Europe incl. UK) Eurosport Player (all episodes), 20 Dec.
- (Europe incl. UK) Discovery + (all episodes) 03 Jan 2023
- (UK and Ireland) All4 (all episodes), 15 Jan 2023
- (Germany) Ran.de (all episodes), 10 Jan 2023
- (India) Disney + HotStar (all episodes), Jan 2023
- (SE Asia) SPOTV NOW (first episode, 20 Dec. New episodes daily to 26 Dec.)
- (Australia) Stan Sports (all episodes), Jan 2023
- (New Zealand) Sky Sports Go (New Zealand) (all episodes) from 21 Dec