Will someone stop the Mercedes powertrains?
Formula E returns in the bustling capital of Mexico, after a year at another circuit in the country. This means we cannot look to last year as a form guide, given the vastly different track layouts and surfaces, but instead to two years ago, where we saw a rather dominant performance!
It was Mitch Evans of Jaguar who put on that particular 45 minutes of brilliance, as he gapped the field by a long way. Two years later, there is no reason to suggest it couldn’t happen again. The team looked like they had pace in Diriyah two weeks ago, they were just bogged down by poor qualifying efforts. It has not really been the last year that Bird hoped for, as despite the wins he has taken for his new team, the consistency has not been there, and was not normally his fault. Watch out for him this weekend!
On the other hand, the Mercedes powertrain was just in its infancy back when Formula E last raced here, and they will be out for revenge after a trying second race in Saudi Arabia. There still seems to be no clear reason why they lost so much efficiency overnight, it may just have been complacency after such as strong first race. With arguably the best driver line up and best powertrain on the grid though, it surely won’t take them long to get over the issues they had.
Venturi could be a thorn in their side though, as they showed last time out that they can be a match for the factory team when they get it all right. The team is basically operating with just as much strength as Mercedes, but without the pressure and expectation on them, which affords them the opportunity to take risks and gamble more.
Envision slipped under the radar coming into the season opener, at least in my eyes, and proved that they will be a force too in 2022. Going off the performance of the Audi team last year, I would expect them to be able to be consistently in the top 10 or so on pace, with the odd weekend where they are right at the front, fighting for the win. Could this weekend be one of those?
Dennis is really coming of age in Formula E, and bearing in mind he barely missed out on the title last year, if their car is equally as good now, Andretti might have a chance to bring it home this year. Askew too starred very well on debut, and if he continues to build on that, he could be on a similar trajectory to what Jake was on last year. Expect him to be fighting for lower points this weekend.
Mahindra also showed glimpses of speed at Diriyah, but sadly for them it was mostly in practice. Rowland’s ability to come to the team and outperform Sims straight away, emphasises the skill that he has, and means that podiums could be on the cards for him in the coming races.
Techeetah did not have the weekend that we would expect, for a team which has been right at the front for the past 4 years or so. There was not one clear issue with the car, and luck was not on their side either, however, I just don’t feel like they have the package they need to go for the title. Watch as this comment ages badly this weekend, if they have been able to find the fixes they need.
Porsche, conversely, did much better than we could have expected, especially in qualifying. Lotterer was able to get the car right up front on one lap pace, and whilst it didn’t work out for him in Race 1, the team learnt from their mistakes, and brought home the points on Saturday. Wehrlein needs to step up soon, as otherwise he could be the one under threat for his seat. This track was where he lost out in a classic photo finish, and you wouldn’t bet against them being up there this weekend.
Nissan are just nowhere right now; the car doesn’t have qualifying or race pace. It is going to be a trying year for them. Dragon Penske and NIO fell back into their usual positions before last year, as without the crazy qualifying formats we have seen in the past, they can’t get towards the front of the grid.
The Mexico track isn’t the greatest for racing, as it can be quite tight in places, but the front straight normally can give opportunities for faster drivers. Also, being Formula E drivers, they will find any place they can to overtake, especially with so many passionate fans egging them on!
-M
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