Techeetah signs Gutiérrez to replace Ma

Marina Bay Circuit, Marina Bay, Singapore.
Saturday 17 September 2016.
World Copyright: Andy Hone/LAT Photographic
ref: Digital Image _ONY7518

 

Former F1 driver Esteban Gutiérrez will make his Formula E debut with Techeetah, taking over Ma Qinghua’s seat for both next month’s Mexico City ePrix and the remaining rounds of season three.

Ma, who joined Techeetah’s forerunner Team Aguri last year, is yet to score any points in his Formula E career, and it is understood his disappointing results relative to Jean-Éric Vergne are the reason he is being stood down before the season’s end.

Although Techeetah has yet to officially confirm its revised lineup, it is expected that the team will announce Gutiérrez as Vergne’s new teammate shortly, as well as Ma’s retention in a reserve driver role.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Marrakesh ePrix, Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, Marrakesh, Morocco.
Saturday 12 November 2016.
Ma Qing Hau (CHN), Techeetah, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16.
Photo: Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _W2Q5594

Gutiérrez had previously looked set to replace Loïc Duval at Dragon but his management was unable to finalise a deal, and so settled instead on Techeetah following a visit to the team’s simulator.

The Mexican is also reported to have held talks with Renault e.Dams and DS Virgin after losing his F1 drive at the end of 2016, specifically to deputise should any of their respective drivers have to miss the Mexico City race for the WEC Prologue in Monza—an opportunity now unavailable, with Sébastien Buemi and José María López flying overnight from the Prologue to Mexico, and Sam Bird granted leave by Ferrari to skip the WEC launch event altogether.

But with Gutiérrez now off the Formula E market, Renault and DS Virgin are still searching for a stand-in apiece when July’s New York ePrix clashes with the 6 Hours of the Nürburgring. It is believed Renault would prefer to draft in a member of its driver development academy, although the top drivers from that pool have schedule clashes of their own in junior formulae; whilst DS Virgin has so far given no updates on who is in the frame to join its current reserve driver Alex Lynn to cover Bird and Lopez in Brooklyn.

James Matthews, Formula E editor

Header photo credit: Haas F1 Team

Q&A with Formula E driver Salvador Duran

Salvador Duran (MEX) Amlin Aguri at Formula E Championship, Rd10, London, England, 27 June 2015.

A few years ago I had the chance to interview the Mexican Formula E driver Salvador Duran. It was one of my best moments as a PitCrew writer. Enjoy it!

TPCO-How difficult is it to drive a Formula E and what makes it different compared with the other cars that you have driven?

SD: What makes really difficult to drive the car is the energy consumption. We have to regenerate a lot of energy and because of this situation; we have to do it with the braking. This means that the breaking gets very unstable. So you never know what to expect of the car in the next corner and the energy consumption is the main difficulty of the car. In fact, the main issue is that we don’t know how much energy we need to finish the race.

TPCO- In 2005 you won the British Formula 3. Did you ever dream at that time that you would drive in a higher series like Formula E?

SD: Yes, of course I had a dream every time. I was always dreaming of driving in a bigger formula, in a higher series and being successful. I’ve never thought about trying to race in a particular series, I was always trying to become a champion. For sure when I won that championship, it made me a lot easier the way for driving in the World Series and A1GP.

TPCO- Formula E is still something new for the fans. If you had the chance to change/improve something in the sport, what would that be?

SD: At the moment, I would say it’s very difficult to judge what I would change, because for being the first season, it has been successful. All the sponsors are really happy to be part of this project. I would say there’s nothing that I would like to change at this moment.

TPCO- How did you feel when you won the Daytona 24 hours? and how was it to drive alongside with Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Pruett?

SD: It was a very special occasion for sure. It’s one of the greatest races in the world.

In that moment I was very young, I had lots of expectations of what to do. Actually, I didn’t have the time to enjoy it as much as I would now, because I was competing in several series and I was trying to be always in the top championships.

At that time, this race was not my goal. When I had the opportunity everything came too quick. I’ve wished I were more mature by that time so I could enjoy it a lot more, but never it’s too late. I still have those memories and I’ve really enjoyed driving those cars under very difficult conditions, because in the middle of the night I remember it was cold and wet. So it was very special for me.

TPCO- Mexico will host a F1 Grand Prix this season. Is your dream to sign a contract with a Formula 1 team and race in your home track?

SD: For sure, it’s an every driver’s dream to sign a contract in F1 and when you have a race in your hometown, of course it’s very special.

At this time in my life, Formula E is the best series for me for the future and right now my dream is to sign another contract for the next season in Formula E.

Therefore, things are changing every single year. Now my priority is Formula E and that’s my dream right now. F1 is something that I would really like to do, but by now as I said for me Formula E is better.

TPCO- Did you ever dream when you were younger that you would drive in Europe?

SD: No, I actually didn’t. When I started racing I was doing soccer as well in a soccer school; so my goal was to become a soccer player. It happened very quickly when my Dad purchased a go-kart for me and I started racing. When I won my first championship in Mexico, they invited me to participate in a formula race in America. I’ve decided to go and participate in two races. They went really well, I’ve had very good results and from there everything went too quick.

I didn’t even have the time to have a dream about that. After the second season I’ve moved to Europe. Then, I’ve realised that I really wanted to become a F1 driver, because I knew what it was needed and I knew that I’d really love to do it.

So, not when I was a kid, but when I was around 17 years old, I’ve started to dream about it.

TPCO- Do you know Roberto Duran? What’s your favourite Duran Duran track?

SD: Haha, I don’t actually (know Roberto Duran).

My favourite track is difficult to say.

I don’t listen too much Duran Duran, but I have very good memories about Duran Duran when Jo Ramirez gave me a CD as present. I remember I’ve listen the CD a lot when I was in Europe, just because it meant a lot for me, because Jo gave it to me.

That’s one of my best memories about this.

TPCO- Describe Aguri Suzuki in 3 words.

SD: He’s a charming guy, intelligent and funny.

TPCO- How close are you with your team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa?

SD: We have a very good relationship since a long time ago, when he was doing Formula Renault 2.0 and I was doing the World Series. We are very good friends, we share a lot about the team and the car.

I really like him as a person and as a driver I really respect him a lot. He is quick, he’s young and he’s very smart in how he does the energy consumption. He has a lot of experience on this and he does it very well.

TPCO-What do you miss the most from Mexico and how often do you go back?

SD: I miss everything. I really love my country. I love everything about it: Food, people, weather. I like everything. I try to go as much as I can. As soon as I have enough time, I go back to Mexico.

TPCO- Talking about Mexican culture now. Mariachi is quite famous in Mexico. Have you ever sung with them to propose to a woman?

SD: That’s a very unique and difficult question to answer, because that’s something very personal. So, I will pass on that one and talking about mariachi, I really love it. I love Mexican music. Actually that’s the kind of music that I listen the most. Mariachi not so much, but I like it a lot. I listen a lot of ‘banda’ and I really, really love all the Mexican culture.

Victor Archakis – @FP_Passion

Buemi makes the hat-trick as rivals falter

With crashes in practice, qualifying laps both heroic and scruffy, and a mixed-up grid fighting all through the race, no one could deny the 2017 Buenos Aires ePrix was full of surprises—and yet, for all that the result was still all too familiar.

The Puerto Madero street race began like every other round this season, with the grid headed by a driver sitting on their maiden pole position. This time it was the turn of Lucas di Grassi, who saw off Super Pole challenges from Jean-Éric Vergne and Sébastien Buemi by holding a lap together in the dusty conditions despite not having the fastest car.

But although he made a good getaway off the line, di Grassi could not hold on to the lead for long. Driving a chassis that had undergone repairs for a practice crash earlier in the morning, the Brazilian struggled with his setup and lacked the grip to fend off the Renault power of Vergne and Buemi.

On lap three Vergne moved his Techeetah into the lead, though the Frenchman remained there little longer than di Grassi before Buemi breezed through the inside of the turn one hairpin.

Once in front, the championship leader stretched his legs into a five-second lead over Vergne by the time of his pit stop on lap eighteen. Vergne gradually ate into that margin during the second stint of the race, but even with Renault power of his own he was unable to prevent Buemi from cruising home to a third straight victory and another 25 championship points.

Vergne followed Buemi across the line in second to collect the Techeetah team’s first podium, whilst di Grassi came through behind to complete the rostrum.

The podium had looked unlikely for the di Grassi as he struggled early in the race, and was passed by both Oliver Turvey and Nico Prost. But in his more stable second car, the polesitter’s confidence improved—and with Turvey dropping to sixth after being forced into an early pit stop, a comfortable pass on Prost’s inside was all di Grassi needed to take his second podium of the season.

Prost remained where di Grassi left him to take a third consecutive fourth place ahead of Nelson Piquet, who finished where he started after another strong qualifying performance saw both NextEV drivers round out the Super Pole shootout.

Dragon Racing bounced back from a poor outing in Marrakesh with Loïc Duval and Jérôme d’Ambrosio finishing sixth and eighth respectively; the two were split by Daniel Abt, the German putting in a solid recovery drive from fourteenth on the grid. Turvey dropped to ninth in the end as he struggled with energy conservation throughout the race, and home favourite Lopez put his qualifying crash and resulting back row start behind him to take tenth place.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Buenos Aires ePrix, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Saturday 18 February 2017.
Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _X0W5594

Mitch Evans narrowly missed out on claiming Jaguar’s first Formula E points on Saturday—one of the stars of qualifying, Evans started from seventh and ran within the top ten for most of the race, but through energy saving and a five-second penalty for speeding under a full course yellow dropped to thirteenth in the end.

Also unlucky were Buemi’s Marrakesh podium-mates, Felix Rosenqvist and Sam Bird—the former scuppered when his second M3Electro refused to start in the pits, and the latter retiring early after being sandwiched between d’Ambrosio and the wall.

The 2016–17 Formula E season resumes in six weeks time in Mexico City. With his win in Buenos Aires, Sébastien Buemi will enter round four with a 29-point buffer to di Grassi, whilst his Renault e.Dams team continue to rule the teams’ standings on a mighty 111 points.

James Matthews, Formula E editor

2017 Buenos Aires ePrix Preview

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Marrakesh ePrix, Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, Marrakesh, Morocco.
Saturday 12 November 2016.
Jose Maria Lopez (ARG), DS Virgin Racing, Spark-Citroen, Virgin DSV-02.
Photo: Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _W2Q7555

 

At long last Formula E’s winter break is over, and this weekend the 2016–17 season will resume on the streets of Buenos Aires.

This will be the series’ third visit to the Argentine capital and the first race of the season to take place on a returning circuit. After the opening two rounds in Hong Kong and Marrakesh saw the likes of Felix Rosenqvist make a meteoric rise to the fore, the familiarity of the Puerto Madero Street Circuit may hand the advantage back to Formula E’s established stars for now.

That ought to make this weekend’s ePrix a very welcome event for the likes of Lucas di Grassi and Sam Bird, whose respective championship challenges have so far got off to a mixed start—a strong showing here at a track with which they are well accustomed could bring them right back into the mix.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Marrakesh ePrix, Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, Marrakesh, Morocco.
Saturday 12 November 2016.
Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _L0U6880

Bird in particular seems to have a certain flair for the Puerto Madero track. The Briton has already notched up one victory, pole position and fastest lap from Formula E’s last two trips to Argentina, and in his lighter, single-motor DSV02 his chances of adding to that tally in 2017 are theoretically as high as ever.

Di Grassi, on the other hand, may not be able to directly challenge for the win on pace alone—his new ABT Schaeffler powertrain once again seems to favour consistency over raw speed, which could leave the Brazilian wanting on Formula E’s fastest circuit. But all the same di Grassi can never be truly discounted as a contender, thanks to his canny ability to put himself in a position to profit should his rivals come to any grief.

Nevertheless, even after just two of twelve rounds, it’s beginning to look like Bird and di Grassi will have to dig deeper than ever if they are to mount any assault on Sébastien Buemi.

The reigning champion has been bulletproof so far this season, able to marry his natural ability with a newfound serenity behind the wheel, and boosted by a Renault that appears to be both quicker than di Grassi’s ABT and more robust than Bird’s Virgin. Provided he can still tap into the momentum of his Hong Kong and Marrakesh wins after so long a break, it’s hard to see how anyone but the racing gods can stop Buemi on Saturday.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Marrakesh ePrix, Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, Marrakesh, Morocco.
Saturday 12 November 2016.
Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16.
Photo: Andrew Ferraro/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _79P4925

Behind those three you can expect to see Mahindra’s Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld once again contesting for another plucky podium position, and most likely battling with Nico Prost, who is making quiet fourth place finishes his habit this season. But also watch for José María López—the Argentinian may have had a scrappy start to his rookie season, but that rapid DSV02 and a probable FanBoost from his home crowd could really set his fortunes alight at last.

Lower down the order, this looks to be another trying weekend for NextEV. As was the case in Hong Kong and Marrakesh, the multiple long straights of the Puerto Madero circuit will be punishing for the team’s long-running energy efficiency problems, and even with a good qualifying position points may not be a possibility once the likes of Andretti, Dragon and Venturi come into play in the race.

Nor is there much likelihood of seeing Jaguar’s two rookies scoring their first points of the season, as both they and the team enter this weekend considerably on the back foot compared to their more experienced opponents.

That said, what checks out on paper is rarely what plays out on track, and the Puerto Madero race has not been without its upsets in the past—in 2015, for example, when António Félix da Costa sailed through the attrition of the pack to take his and Team Aguri’s maiden series victory. With such a strong field ready to pounce on the slightest opportunity, it would not take much of an incident on Saturday for the Buenos Aires ePrix to produce another result out of left field.

 

James Matthews, Formula E editor

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Marrakesh ePrix, Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, Marrakesh, Morocco.
Saturday 12 November 2016.
Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _SLA7137

Hamburg pushing to replace threatened Brussels or Berlin ePrix

 

2015/2016 FIA Formula E Championship.
Berlin ePrix, Berlin, Germany.
Saturday 21 May 2016.
Lucas Di Grassi (BRA), ABT Audi Sport FE01
Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _79P2578

The German city of Hamburg has emerged as a late contender to host a round of Formula E’s European leg later this year, as the 2016–17 calendar faces the chance of losing both the Brussels and Berlin ePrix.

This is according to Hamburg politician Dennis Thering, who in an interview with e-formel.de confirmed that a proposal for the Hamburg ePrix will be put to the local government on 15th February, and if successful will be followed by a formal application to the FIA to host the race.

Thering also spoke of two possible locations for the race—Hamburg’s business district, the City Nord, or the HafenCity beside the River Elbe: “The City Nord would definitely be [on the list] because there is quite a lot of business area and only a few residents.

“The HafenCity would, of course, be very attractive and definitely an option, but in the choice of locations we want to leave the city all freedoms.”

The news of Hamburg’s bid comes as Formula E is now faced with the possibility of losing two of its major European races. The maiden Brussels ePrix has been left in search of a new venue after local government vetoed the proposed Elisabeth Park circuit this week, following protests from citizens similar to those that caused the cancellation of London’s Battersea Park race.

Meanwhile, the Berlin ePrix has been placed under similar doubt by a request from Berlin mayor Michael Muller—prompted by objections from the city’s green party—to move the event from last year’s Alexanderplatz circuit. Discussions are currently underway for the ePrix to return to its season one setting at Templehof Airport, although the switch has yet to be confirmed.

With Formula E still keen to retain its twelve-round calendar despite the setbacks, Hamburg’s ePrix bid has become a credible alternative for either of the threatened races.

However, it is understood that the preferable option if Brussels is lost from the calendar is to stage the Berlin event as a double-header at Templehof, rather than fast-tracking an unsuitable new circuit elsewhere.

James Matthews, Formula E editor

Coming Soon: Formula E, 2017

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Marrakesh ePrix, Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, Marrakesh, Morocco.
Saturday 12 November 2016.
Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _L0U7815

It feels like forever since the chequered flag fell at the Marrakesh ePrix, closing out the first act of the 2016–17 Formula E championship. But at long last the calendar has turned, and with just three weeks to go until the Buenos Aires ePrix, it’s time to take a quick look ahead to what’s next for Formula E in 2017.

When last we saw it, Formula E’s third season was firmly in the grasp of defending champion Sébastien Buemi. Having won both of the opening rounds in Hong Kong and Marrakesh Buemi is sitting atop the standings a mighty 22 points clear of Lucas di Grassi, and with the might of the Renault e.Dams ZE16 beneath him, he’s already looking like a difficult man to catch.

However, when it comes to Formula E, anything can happen—and indeed, it probably will. If the last two ePrix are anything to go by, as the Formula E championship progresses along its longest-ever calendar, Buemi will have to fend off some stiff opposition if he wants to defend his title.

If Mahindra’s Felix Rosenqvist doesn’t already factor in Buemi’s calculations, he should do. The Swedish rookie made a serious impression on his debut in Hong Kong before taking pole position and almost the victory the next time out in Marrakesh, and at fourth place in the standings can hardly be ignored by the traditional frontrunners. With his street-fighting pedigree and Mahindra’s rapid M3Electro, a maiden ePrix victory shouldn’t be too long in the coming—whether Rosenqvist can convert that into a credible title bid still remains to be seen, but he at least has the potential to deprive Buemi of some major points hauls.

Also likely to be a thorn in Buemi’s side is Sam Bird. The Briton goes into the next round in Buenos Aires as the defending race winner, and has a good chance of retaining that particular trophy in a Virgin DSV02 that is considerably quicker, if perhaps more fragile, than its predecessor. Nor can Buemi afford to discount the ever-tenacious Lucas di Grassi, despite a lacklustre last race for the Brazilian—if anyone can consistently pick points off the champion’s lead, it’s di Grassi.

But rivals aside, Buemi may face another obstacle in his title defence this year when June’s penultimate ePrix meet in New York clashes with his duties driving for Toyota in the Nürburgring round of the WEC. If, as Buemi and Toyota have suggested, his LMP1 role holds contractual priority, it will mean the reigning champion is set to miss out on a maximum 58 points across the weekend, and with only the Montreal finale to make up the difference—a boon for di Grassi, who is now clear to race in New York after Audi’s withdrawal from the WEC last year.

Devastating as that blow will be for Buemi’s campaign, the silver lining for spectators is that it not only paves the way for a more open title fight, but also opens several doors for new drivers to make their Formula E debuts deputising for the likes of Bird, Lopez, Piquet and Prost.

DS Virgin has already taken steps to cover the absence of both of its drivers in signing 2014 GP3 champion Alex Lynn to a reserve driver role, no doubt to acclimatise him within the team before making his ePrix debut later in the season. Expect similar announcements to come from the likes of Renault and NextEV in the coming months—especially as names like Pastor Maldonado and Marvin Kirchhöfer have been linked with Formula E over the winter.

One name already signed on for the New York ePrix is ex-Haas F1 driver, Esteban Gutiérrez. The Mexican announced earlier this month that he would be making his Formula E debut sometime in 2017 ahead of a full campaign in season four, with a programme which includes both the New York double header and his home race in Mexico City. Although no team has yet been announced as his employer, Gutiérrez has been strongly linked with replacing Loïc Duval at Dragon, deputising for the Frenchman when his Audi DTM drive clashes with the summer’s Paris and Brussels ePrix.

 

James Matthews, Formula E editor

Buemi sees off Rosenqvist for second straight win

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Marrakesh ePrix, Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, Marrakesh, Morocco.
Saturday 12 November 2016.
Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16, celebrates in Parc Ferme.
Photo: Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image 585A4976

Sébastien Buemi has continued his winning start to the 2016-17 Formula E season with victory in the Marrakesh ePrix, but it was Mahindra’s Felix Rosenqvist who stole the spotlight on race day.

Building on his promising Hong Kong debut, Rosenqvist hit the ground running in round two by fending off the likes of Buemi and Sam Bird as he flew to a maiden pole position in only his second ePrix. This put the Swede in the prime seat to command the race, and after seeing off Bird long before the braking zone for the first corner, Rosenqvist looked set to disappear into the Moroccan sunset.

But even after gathering a gap of several seconds in the opening laps, Rosenqvist’s lead was far from safe. Behind him, Buemi was making rapid progress as he sought to overcome the grid penalty that relegated him from second to seventh, and was clearly not prepared to bank on attrition helping him to the lead as it did in Hong Kong.

After taking a gifted position from teammate Prost, Buemi reeled in and passed Daniel Abt on lap 8 before joining the back of the battle for third between Nelson Piquet and Jean-Éric Vergne. Piquet then fell on lap 12 as Buemi’s Renault out-dragged the NextEV on the straight down to Turn 7.

Further up the road, Rosenqvist had opened up his lead to five seconds from Bird, who was forced to back off to defend from former teammate Vergne. Bird eventually yielded second easily as he conserved energy for a longer first stint – but by then their battle had allowed Buemi to draw up tight behind, and when the Swiss driver stayed out a lap later with Bird he was just close enough to pass the Briton and lead him into the pits on lap 17.

Now holding a net third, Buemi was restored to his original qualifying position of second when Vergne was hit with a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane. With the road then clear ahead of him, the championship leader set his sights on the win.

Using the advantage of both his conservative first stint and his extra FanBoost power, Buemi cut down Rosenqvist’s lead with six laps to go – going around the outside at Turn 11, Buemi assumed the lead without contest and cruised home to take his second win in as many races.

But the pressure was still not off for Rosenqvist, as Bird took advantage of the Mahindra’s depleted energy reserves to steal second place with two laps remaining. Nevertheless, the Swede still had enough time in hand over fourth-placed Nico Prost to end the Marrakesh ePrix in third, his first Formula E podium.

Meanwhile, after serving his drive-through penalty Vergne emerged behind Prost and began a heated battle for fifth place with Lucas di Grassi. The Brazilian had been having a difficult race without the pace to challenge the leaders, but managed to pass Vergne’s Techeetah in the end.

The demands of fighting at the front on an aggressive energy strategy then hit Vergne as they did Rosenqvist, and before the chequered flag the Frenchman had fallen to eighth place behind Daniel Abt and Oliver Turvey. Nick Heidfeld, unable to match his teammate’s speed in Marrakesh, came home in a quiet ninth place, and DS Virgin’s José María López took his first Formula E point in tenth.

Andretti, Venturi Dragon and Jaguar ended the race with both cars outside of the top ten, though Dragon still picked up a solitary point with Loïc Duval, who finished three laps down in eighteenth place but set the fastest lap before the end.

James Matthews, Formula E editor

2016 Marrakesh ePrix Preview

FIA Formula E Hong Kong e-Prix.
First Practice Session.
Ma Qing Hua (CHN), Team Aguri – Spark SRT_01E
Hong Kong Harbour, Hong Kong, Asia.
Sunday 9 October 2016.
Photo: Adam Warner / FE / LAT
ref: Digital Image _L5R7421

After a frantic start to the 2016-17 Formula E season in Hong Kong, the championship heads westward now to Morocco for the second of its five new season three races, the inaugural Marrakesh ePrix.

The battleground for round two of the championship is the Marrakesh Street Circuit. Located just outside the walls of the Jardins de l’Agdal, the track begins with a short straight and two long left handers in Turns 1 and 3. With a chicane at Turns 4 and 5 and a snap right hander at Turn 6, maintaining a good exit from this section will be crucial for drivers who want to avoid getting mugged on the long straight down to Turn 7.

Braking suddenly for Turn 10 after the fast and wide half-moon of Turn 9, the field faces the final angular section of the track, with a long back straight down to the alternating right angles at Turns 11 and 12 providing the last opportunity of the lap to effect a slipstream pass.

Reigning champion Sébastien Buemi won October’s Hong Kong opener in his usual comfortable fashion, but neither he nor his Renault e.Dams team appeared to have as much in hand as they hoped over their rivals across the weekend.

DS Virgin in particular should be a threat to Renault in Marrakesh. The Citroën-powered team was unlucky to leave Hong Kong with no points after being struck with technical and mechanical problems for both cars, but the pace that allowed them to lock out the second row ahead of Buemi bodes well for this weekend – especially if José María López can marry that up with his experience of three WTCC wins around the Marrakesh Street Circuit.

The Audi-aligned ABT team will also be buoyed by Lucas di Grassi’s surge from the back of the grid to second, and will be hoping Daniel Abt can also reap the rewards of his FE-02 instead of suffering another first lap retirement. Currently ABT stands joint with Andretti in the standings, and will want a good run this weekend to pull clear of second and keep touch with Renault ahead.

Finally, Techeetah will similarly be heading to Marrakesh with better fortunes in mind. After suffering a bitter double retirement in Hong Kong, the new Chinese outfit still has a lot to prove about its headline testing pace, and Marrakesh could prove an auspicious outing for them – like López, Techeetah’s Ma Qinghua has raced the Moroccan streets before in the WTCC, finishing second in the first of the 2015 races.

The 2016 Marrakesh ePrix gets underway this Saturday at 16:00 UK time, with full race coverage available on our Twitter feed.

James Matthews

Talking Points: 2016 Hong Kong ePrix

The rookies shone

One of the most obvious takeaways from the Hong Kong ePrix was the remarkable job done by Formula E’s five rookie drivers in establishing themselves amongst an already impressive grid. José María López in particular showed his potential pace in qualifying third, as did Felix Rosenqvist by starting sixth and setting the fastest lap of the race; and not to mention Maro Engel, who was not only the highest rookie finisher in ninth but also consistently outperformed his more experienced teammate Sarrazin through qualifying and the race.

 

The series’ two rookie teams also made strong impressions on their respective debuts. Although Techeetah’s day ended with a double DNF brought on by technical issues and a first lap collision, the Chinese team displayed considerable speed all weekend, suggesting even that Jean-Éric Vergne might have been a contender for pole had qualifying run uninterrupted. Jaguar also ran well despite lacking the pace to challenge the front, and it was a shame that their strategic dare of a long first stint could only net them twelfth.

Track layouts are still an issue

Formula E’s logistical side once again came under scrutiny in Hong Kong, after the profile of the Turn 3-4 chicane was controversially altered prior to qualifying. With the change contributing to heavy crashes from di Grassi, Frijns and Lopez across the day, it was no wonder the decision came under heavy fire from the teams and drivers, who reportedly were only notified of it a few minutes before qualifying.

Last-minute alterations such as this have unfortunately become a by-product of the “pop-up” nature of Formula E’s street tracks. But although these problems may always present themselves, the disorganised way in which they are solved does not likewise need to remain a fixture – if Formula E is to truly become a top-line series, it must remove these clumsy incidents from its DNA.

HONG KONG, CHINA – OCTOBER 9: In this handout image supplied by Formula E,
during the FIA Formula E Championship Hong Kong ePrix at the Central Harbourfront Circuit on October 9, 2016 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by LAT Photographic / Formula E via Getty Images)

Reliability will be key

Managing reliability emerged as one of the critical tasks for teams in Hong Kong, with mechanical or technical trouble contributing to at least three of the five retirements, and afflicting many more drivers besides.

With several teams incorporating new powertrain designs this season, a few technical gremlins are only to be expected, especially from the two new teams. But as Formula E is now reaching a level where it is attracting big name marques like Audi and Mercedes, it can’t be good to see its existing outfits still suffering from niggling technological troubles after three seasons of development.

The field is as close as ever

Although on paper another Buemi/ di Grassi podium looked to be all too predictable, the Hong Kong ePrix proved that Formula E’s third season will be every bit as varied as its predecessors.

Sam Bird looks set to be a true contender for the title this season, if his qualifying and early race pace are anything to go by. The improvements made by stalwart midfielders Andretti and Mahindra showed enough give the top three teams something to think about, whilst Dragon and Techeetah should also have the ability to mix it at the front if they can overcome their various reliability issues. According to Hong Kong, there is not a single team on the 2016-17 grid that could not be considered a regular challenger for points – and at least six of them should be targeting the podium from here on out, if not the occasional race win too.

FIA Formula E Hong Kong e-Prix.
First Practice Session.
Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16.
Hong Kong Harbour, Hong Kong, Asia.
Sunday 9 October 2016.
Photo: Adam Warner / FE / LAT
ref: Digital Image _L5R7464

James Matthews, Formula E editor

Buemi wins chaotic Hong Kong opener

HONG KONG, CHINA – OCTOBER 9: In this handout image supplied by Formula E,
during the FIA Formula E Championship Hong Kong ePrix at the Central Harbourfront Circuit on October 9, 2016 in Hong Kong, China. (Photo by LAT Photographic / Formula E via Getty Images)

 

Reigning Formula E champions Sébastien Buemi and Renault e.Dams got their respective title defences off to a perfect start, by taking the victory in Hong Kong as misfortunes carried their rivals out of contention.

In typical Formula E style, the 2016 Hong Kong ePrix began with a vastly mixed grid. Pole position was claimed by Nelson Piquet Jr in one half of a surprising NextEV front row lockout, and was decided without the usual Super Pole session as a heavy crash by Robin Frijns meant the track needed to be closed down for lengthy barrier repairs.

Frijns was joined at the back of the grid by title contender Lucas di Grassi, who crashed himself in an earlier group session after being caught out by a late change to the layout of the Turn 3-4 chicane.

But whilst Formula E’s more experienced drivers struggled on their first weekend back, its rookies shone in qualifying, with DS Virgin’s José María López and Mahindra’s Felix Rosenqvist particularly impressive in third and sixth respectively.

But if qualifying was frenzied, the race was even more so.

Piquet made a good getaway from pole, and managed to make the most of the clean air to avoid getting swallowed by the quicker DS Virgins on row two of the grid. But as he and teammate Oliver Turvey settled cleanly into formation at the front, it was anything but behind as the rest of the field barrelled into the opening corners.

The two Virgins of López and Sam Bird were the first to come together at the Turn 1 hairpin, and though the pair escaped without any visible damage, the contact appeared to leave López with some internal damage, and sent the Argentine plummeting straight down the order.

Then at Turn 2, Ma Qing Hua was caught out under braking and hit the back of Nico Prost, and was in turn hit from behind by a trapped di Grassi, who managed to continue albeit after taking on a new nose in the pits.

As the order changed rapidly on the opening lap, several drivers who qualified outside the top ten benefited from the attrition to get into the points, with Nick Heidfeld making the biggest jump from eleventh to fifth ahead of his rookie teammate Rosenqvist.

But Mahindra’s shot at a solid double points finish was was soured when Rosenqvist lost the rear through Turn 5 and dropped it into the wall. The Swede managed to limp back to the pits and return briefly in his second car, and scored a single consolatory point by setting the fastest lap before retiring.

At the front, Bird and Buemi brought themselves up onto the podium after passing first the stricken López and then Oliver Turvey, and set about cutting down Piquet’s two-second lead.

For a while the Brazilian looked comfortably ahead, but disaster struck on lap 17 when he came up to lap López and found the DS Virgin beached in the chicane wall – taking avoiding action, Piquet moved to the escape road and was forced to watch as Bird and Buemi both went past.

Bird appeared to have the race in hand from then on, opening a gap to Buemi and pitting later to conserve energy for the final stint; but his own stint as race leader was even shorter than Piquet’s, with a gearbox issue on his second car leaving him stranded in the garage during his stop.

Buemi then inherited the lead, and found himself heading off a surprise challenge from Lucas di Grassi. The ABT driver’s race looked to be run after the energy demands of his climb from the back row of the grid forced an early stop, but the safety car brought out by López’s crash allowed di Grassi to conserve power without losing touch with the pack.

The two season two rivals then continued to trade lap times throughout the closing stages of the race, although Buemi was ultimately able to hold off di Grassi and cross the line with over two seconds to spare.

Heidfeld completed the podium, having just enough useable power on the final lap to see off Nico Prost.

Andretti also had a remarkable race after managing a best of just thirteenth in qualifying. Both da Costa and Frijns conserved energy in the first stint ahead of a late charge, and brought home fifth and sixth place respectively to tie Andretti with ABT for second in the standings.

Jérôme d’Ambrosio ended a disappointing day for Dragon Racing in seventh ahead of front row starter Oliver Turvey, whilst the points were rounded out by Venturi, with rookie Maro Engel edging out his experienced teammate to score his first Formula E points.

Jaguar Racing had a respectable debut with Adam Carroll finishing twelfth and fighting for points early on, though their result was soured by Mitch Evans suffering a technical DNF.

The British marque’s fellow debutants Techeetah endured a torrid first ePrix, failing to capitalise on their testing pace as Ma’s first lap crash and technical troubles for Jean-Éric Vergne ended in a double non-finish.

James Matthews, Formula E editor

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