The 2022 Extreme E season will end with back-to-back races on the shortest tracks for the series to date. After racing the 3.05-km Copper X Prix in September, this weekend’s Energy X Prix tops that with a layout measuring just 2.9 kilometres.
Located in Uruguay, the course begins with a downward slope leading into the first corner on grass. As Extreme E cars typically navigate through sand and dirt, the grass presents new and rather unfamiliar terrain.
“This will affect the driving lines and affect the cars significantly in terms of grip, so the drivers are going to have to work hard to manage that,” explained Championship Driver Timo Scheider, who helped design the course. “The first sector is the fastest, so there we will see who can adapt quickest to the track conditions in that area. I expect plenty of track evolution as the drivers run lines into the course and form ruts, so they will have to hit the line perfectly otherwise they will have to fight hard to recover. I also expect next to the line it will remain very slippery so we will likely see the cars sliding all over the place.”
A pair of kinks leads into the Continental Traction Challenge zone that begins with a long straightaway, which presents a prime opportunity to utilise the ENOWA Hyperdrive boost. After moving through a chicane, there is a chicane sandwiched between two jumps. The final jump leads to the switch bay and the start/finish line.
Due to the short length, racing will be four laps long with drivers getting two apiece. Doubling up on the lap count also occurred at the Copper X Prix.
“Looking at the course overall, especially with the championship picture in mind, lap times will be super tight and to adapt driving styles and adapt the cars will be a pretty big challenge,” Scheider continued. “It is tricky to be consistently quick and hit the right line all the time here, and that’s something which is made more difficult the more cars you have around you.”
