Five big stories from Formula E's offseason

Published Sep. 8, 2016 3:27 p.m. ET

foxsports

We are just one month away from the season-opening Hong Kong ePrix for the third FIA Formula E season.

A lot has happened since the last time the series was on track at London on July 3. Here are the five biggest stories from this offseason:

1. More races

FIA confirmed the 2016-2017 FIA Formula E season just one day before the series 2 finale in London, so its announcement got a bit drowned out. The schedule features 14 events, although two of the locations are TBA. Alternatively, the first two seasons of Formula E featured just 11 and 10 rounds respectively. Races in Moscow, Beijing, Putrajaya, Long Beach and Punta del Este are missing from the new schedule, as is London as the city looks for a new location to hold the race. Monaco returns after a year off and rounds in Hong Kong, Marrakech, Brussels, Montreal and New York City have been added.

2. Jaguar returns

Jaguar returns to motor racing this year with the I-Type. Backed by Panasonic, this is the first all-electric Jaguar race car. The announcement of this new team brings the field back up to 10 teams and 20 cars after the Trulli Formula E Team dropped out during last season. Meanwhile, Team Aguri enters the sport with a new name after China Media Capital took over Aguri and renamed the team Techeetah.

3. New drivers

4. Drivers vs. gamers raced announced

During the three-month break between Round 2 in Marrakech and Round 3 in Buenos Aires, Formula E will host a drivers-versus-gamers race in Las Vegas in January, in which there is a pot of $1 million. The race will be held between 10 gamers and the 20 drivers on rFactor 2. Click HERE to find out how to enter the "Road to Vegas" challenge.

5. Sebastien Buemi is still fast

Sebastien Buemi reset the lap record for a Formula E car at Donington Park on the final day of preseason testing on Wednesday, as he ran a 1:28.910 in his Renault e.dams. The defending champion was 0.199 seconds quicker than Jean-Eric Vergne, who was driving the new Techeetah machine.