Edoardo Mortara says the time for the final push to win the 2021-22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship title starts this weekend with the penultimate double-header of the season in London.
The ROKiT Venturi Racing driver could only finish ninth and tenth across the two races of the New York City E-Prix two weeks ago, and he is hoping for more this time around at the ExCeL London circuit.
Mortara says Venturi have shown themselves to be amongst the best teams on the grid when it comes to pace and energy usage, and he hopes this can help him close the gap on championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne this weekend.
“The ExCeL Circuit is still quite new to the Formula E calendar, and it’s quite a technical and challenging track, which when driven perfectly, is very satisfying to race on,” said Mortara. “
Because of the layout, it can be difficult to overtake, meaning that qualifying well will be very important if we want to achieve a good result.
“Our pace in the second half of this season has been strong and we have shown that we have one of the fastest and most energy efficient cars on the grid. With the end of the season in sight, it’s time for the final push so let’s see what we can achieve.”
“Track positioning is also very important” – Lucas di Grassi
Team-mate Lucas di Grassi enjoyed his best result of the season in New York as he finished second in race one, and he hopes to go one better and take victory this weekend in London.
The season two champion has had a mixed bag of results this year after joining Venturi following Audi Sport’s departure from Formula E, and he currently sits seventh in the standings with two rounds and four races remaining.
Like Mortara, di Grassi says Qualifying is going to be all-important in London as track position is key due to the difficult nature of overtaking around the 2.141-Kilometre circuit.
“In 2021 I came very close to winning in London and after finishing second in New York, I’m hoping to go one step better this weekend,” said di Grassi. “Both tracks are quite similar, in that they feature a variety of different corner types and have limited overtaking opportunities.
“Track positioning is also very important, and this means that it is important to execute a strong qualifying, which we have been doing all season. If we can piece everything together, I see no reason why we can’t be in contention for victory.
“As usual, I’ll be giving it my all.”
