Renault e.DAMS drivers Sebastien Buemi and Nico Prost will, like the rest of the FIA Formula E Championship grid, get their first taste of the Mexico ePrix circuit this weekend.
The circuit, which is 2.092km in length and has a total of 18 corners, will play host to its inaugural ePrix on Saturday. Looking ahead to the event, current championship leader Buemi said: “…Racing on a street circuit at high speeds with walls everywhere, and trying to overtake at the same time, is really tricky. Unlike a normal circuit that has been purpose-built, there is not a lot of grip on everyday roads so we must adapt.
From our [drivers] side we’re able to practice on the simulator and study the track layout that the FIA give us. It’s not quite the same as being on the track, of course, but gives us the opportunity to learn it.”
“Energy management is obviously one of the biggest challenges in Formula E so it is vital that we have communication with our engineers,” commented Buemi, when discussing the work drivers must do with engineers throughout the race. “Energy consumption and regeneration numbers are not transmitted via telemetry during sessions so we need to relay this information to the engineers.
Then they can help us manage our strategy; how much battery we have, any loss of power regeneration towards the end of the race and temperature levels, especially given the high temperatures of the locations we go to with Formula E.”
At the moment, Prost sits ninth in the championship with twenty one points in total. The Frenchman said: “…Learning the street circuits is definitely a challenge although I honestly thought it would be much more difficult.
Something that is quite unique to Formula E is the format of race day. In other series, you have much more time to adapt and react to any issues but, with practice, qualifying and the race in one day, you don’t have that time.”
Prost, who has had one DNF in the four races so far this season also commented on how drivers work with engineers throughout the Formula E season –
“Information from our engineers means that we can adapt our driving style to the conditions and situation on track. It’s a constant balancing act for us as drivers between driving aggressively to win the race and driving conservatively to regen more energy.”
The first Mexico ePrix will get underway on Saturday 9th March.
