Edoardo Mortara is hoping to have better results in Qualifying at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit after dropping down to Group 2 following a couple of difficult weekends in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
The ROKiT Venturi Racing driver led the standings after the Puebla E-Prix after a victory and a podium, but the Swiss racer has scored only two points in the subsequent four races, courtesy of a ninth-place finish in race one of the London E-Prix.
Mortara now sits down in ninth place in the Drivers’ Championship heading to the Berlin E-Prix, twenty-one points behind current leader Nyck de Vries, and he hopes to return to the form he showed in Mexico and make a bid for the title.
“Racing on two different circuits on one weekend is a new challenge for everyone in Formula E but I’m feeling quite optimistic for Berlin,” said Mortara. “I’m excited to get back into the car and being a part of Group 2 qualifying should benefit us because we’ll avoid the usual difficulties that come from Group 1.
“I think if we can qualify well, we should be able to score a big haul of points in both races and consistency is my main aim for the weekend. If we can establish a strong performance baseline, we should be able to perform well and given the pace we have shown at points this season, I think we have the potential to challenge for podiums.”
“I’m hoping to turn my luck around” – Norman Nato
Team-mate Norman Nato, who is under pressure to perform with his drive for the 2021-22 season uncertain, says it will be important to be proactive in Berlin this weekend, particularly with two different configurations of track.
Nato sits a lowly twenty-first in the standings heading to Germany, with only Dragon/Penske Autosport’s Sérgio Sette Câmara and Joel Eriksson, as well as NIO 333 FE Team’s Oliver Turvey and Tom Blomqvist behind him.
He has scored points on only two occasions, but the Frenchman has shown pace at times this year, and only missed out on a maiden podium in Rome due to a disqualification for excessive energy usage.
Nato says he hopes to end the year on a high after a run of bad luck, and he is eager to break into the points in both races in Berlin.
“Berlin is another new circuit for me but it’s one that I’ve driven quite a lot in the simulator already so I know it quite well,” said Nato. “Racing anti-clockwise on Saturday and clockwise on Sunday brings a new set of challenges, and although both races are taking place on the same circuit, we’re effectively running a completely different configuration by driving in different directions.
“Because of this, it will be very important to be proactive in our data collection on both days so we can adapt quickly and efficiently.
“After a difficult weekend in London, I’m hoping to turn my luck around and hopefully, we can end the season on a high.”
