The main similarity is obvious, but there’s another that isn’t immediately visible. As for the differences, there are two main ones – and only one can be spotted at first glance. There are two main similarities Formula 1, Formula 2, Formula 3, and Formula E have two fundamental things in common. The first one is in the name. They are all ‘Formula’ championships – a designation for single-seater, open-wheel racing cars with specific technical regulations. The wheels are outside the body, the car has a monocoque chassis, and they all feature aerodynamic wings and rely on ground effect. Ale Renesis/Supercar Blondie The racing format is also roughly the same, and the point structure is similar across all Formula championships. The second similarity has to do with the FIA’s ‘ladder,’ in that all four contribute to what’s known as the Super License. No matter how good they are, drivers cannot compete in F1 unless they have earned a certain number of points toward their FIA Super License, which they accumulate based on their final championship standings in series like Formula 2, 3, or E. Ale Renesis/Supercar Blondie Why Formula E sort of sits ‘parallel’ to the other three Formula 2 and Formula 3 basically only exist to support Formula 1. They form what’s known as the FIA Global Pathway – a structured, linear progression designed specifically to develop drivers toward Formula 1. The path starts with karting before progressing through F4, F3, F2, and – if you’re good enough – F1. The vast, vast majority of modern F1 drivers come through this exact route. Formula E is parallel. Supercar Blondie Nothing says a Formula E driver can’t move to F1, but Formula E was created from the start as an FIA World Championship with a focus on electric power. In fact, if you look at the track record, the driver movement often goes the other way around. Several Formula E champions – Sébastien Buemi, Jean-Éric Vergne, Stoffel Vandoorne, or Pascal Wehrlein – are ex-F1 drivers. Pictured below: a Formula 3 car – visually, Formula 2 and Formula 3 cars are very similar to F1 cars, just smaller Lukas Raich/Wikipedia Commons The key difference between Formula E and Formula 1, 2, and 3 So far, so obvious – that’s the main difference. But there’s another element that we shouldn’t forget about. Most Formula E races take place on street circuits. By contrast, Formula 1 only has a few street circuits, only one of which – Monaco – can be considered truly historic. The second and third street circuits with the most F1 races are Melbourne and Singapore.