Mexico City Formula E Notebook – Part 2

FEN understands that formal notice has been given by the Abt Cupra team to end the relationship with its powertrain supplier Mahindra for the Gen3Evo period of competition. Abt Cupra is now talking to several manufacturers about a supply for seasons 11 and 12 and is set to make a decision imminently.
Formula E is meeting with the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this afternoon to discuss a new deal to extend the Mexico City EPrix beyond its present contract. The fixture ran from 2016 to 2020 before a break in 2021 when it was held in Puebla before the Mexico City venue returned in 2022.
Tomorrow’s EPrix will see a sell-out crowd for the second consecutive season. An estimated 40,000 ticketed race fans will be at the first round of the season.
The 15-minute Shakedown session this afternoon saw only one significant incident as Sergio Sette Camara touched a wall and displaced his front-wing on his ERT X24 car. Teams also used the attack charge energy boost equipment during the session with every team being mandated to utilise an Attack Charge Stop + an extra lap at 350kW at the end of the third lap. This exercise was to be done with ‘the 2 cars of each team and within the 15 minutes session time. – Mandatory at 600kW (1x car) & +3.85kWh.’
Porsche’s Florian Modlinger told FEN that 2024 is the German OEM’s “big chance” and that they “proved last year we had a very strong season, especially the first part of the season, we showed that our package is competitive.
“But I have also to say, as a brand, Porsche powered Jake Dennis to the driver’s championship,” added Modlinger. “This means that the car and the brand has a world championship won. As our factory team, clear, the target is to win a championship for the factory team.”
Former Stellantis motorsport director Thomas Chevaucher has started in his role as Technical Engineering Director at the FIA where he will report to his former DS Performance boss Xavier Mestelen-Pinon. Chevaucher will supervise the FIA’s Technical Cross-Disciplinary activities.
The Jaguar TCS Racing team have announced that Joel Eriksson and Tom Dillmann will both remain as test, reserve and simulator drivers for the 2024 season. Eriksson is present in Mexico, while Dillmann is working in real time at Jaguar’s DiL(mann) simulator within its new HQ in Oxfordshire, England.
Jaguar TCS team principal James Barclay told FEN that the recent departure of technical director Phil Charles has been absorbed by a structured re-shuffle of roles at the team. Patrick Coorey has taken the role of team manager, while Josep Roca who engineers Mitch Evans has an added engineering responsibility.
Barclay said that “like everything, there will be things that we want to refine, but as a team, one of the things I think which is strong about us is that we have had a lot of stability. Of course, as soon as you start being successful, your competitors start to want to buy that success and buy people from you and plug and play that. Where that works in their camp will be proof to be proven as well.
“You can’t just get people and just plug them in, that doesn’t necessarily work,” continued Barclay. “It’s actually the formation of the team is as important as the individuals so we’ll have to take a new step now and a slight change but we’ll play that out and see how those moves work for other teams who are heavily recruiting right now.”
Maserati MSG’s Max Guenther is unconcerned about the disruptive nature of the team’s off-season which saw team principal, James Rossiter, exit the team and co-owner Jose Aznar Botella assume interim leadership duties.
“I’ve got full trust in the team and I’m feeling absolutely positive and good about the season start and the situation,” Guenther told FEN.
“Jose Aznar Botella our CEO, one of our CEOs, is team principal right now. I’ve got full trust in him. I think he fills this role very good. Yes, there is a change, but you didn’t feel it which I guess is a good sign. Everybody is really taking the responsibility and doing a great job.”
Porsche will run with a special lilac livery in Mexico City this weekend. The colours are connected with a new range of its road cars, and team principal Florian Modlinger said that “the colour is called ‘Province’ and that’s a campaign for Porsche. What it’s for, there will be an announcement on the 25th January and until there I cannot say more.“
Mahindra has a new team manager as Elisa Sacchini takes over from Paul Willett who has returned to endurance racing with the Vector Sports squad in the European Le Mans Series. She will continue some of her sporting manager responsibilities in conjunction with her new role.
Andretti announced in Mexico City that it has a new primary sponsor, Guggenheim, a global investment and advisory financial services firm that engages in investment banking, asset management, capital markets services, and insurance services.
Long-time Williams Advanced Engineering and Jaguar TCS Racing manager Craig Wilson left his position as chief executive officer of WAE at the end of December. Wilson had worked for WAE for 11 years and prior to that had made the move from his native Australia to the UK to work at the legendary TWR Jaguar affiliate racing division in the late 1980s.
Wilson’s position at WAE has been taken by Judith Judson who was appointed CEO of Fortescue WAE earlier in 2023. A merger of WAE Technologies and Fortescue’s Green Industry team took place last year.
Following the passing of Gil de Ferran, the NEOM McLaren team will be paying tribute this weekend by carrying his name on its cars and visor strips at the Mexico City E-Prix. De Ferran’s death was mourned throughout the motorsport world after he died suddenly on December 29.
Robin Frijns has invited the surgeon who took care of him after his accident at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez last January to the race tomorrow. Dr Max Sarachaga will attend the EPrix as Frijns’ guest with his wife.
Tiziana Di Giola is the new chief commercial officer of Formula E, replacing Matt Scammell who left his position last summer. Di Giola arrives at Formula E Holdings from legendary Italian Serie A football team Juventus. Prior to that she worked as Head of Global Scuderia Ferrari Partnership Revenues, Marketing & Events.
The Nissan Formula E Team has partnered with biotech company VAXA Technologies to offset its carbon emissions generated during Season 9 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The deal has been made possible via Nissan’s long running partnership with Coral, a UAE based software company.
A Global Performance Index that measures and reports on the sustainability practices in two and four wheeled motorsports has been published for the third year. Established in 2020 by Dr. Cristiana Pace, founder of Enovation Consulting – an independent B Corp-certified sport consulting agency – and Professor Paolo Taticchi of the UCL School of Management, the Sustainable Motorsport IndexTM (SMITM) the initiative is a collection of indices that reviews, assesses and reports on sustainability-related public disclosures made by two- and four-wheel motorsport organisations. You can view the Index HERE.
Viktoria Wohlrapp is attending her final race as Porsche’s global communications manager this weekend. Wohlrapp has been a much respected presence in the paddock since Porsche gave notice of its intention to enter the championship in 2017. She will stay with the Stuttgart marque as a corporate strategy and procurement communications manager.
Formula E and the FIA announced at the end of 2023 that its FIA Girls on Track programme will be expanded in 2024 and include a role on the race winner’s podium. The programme for girls aged 12 to 18 will extend to all 10 race weekends in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in 2024, up from five race weekends in earlier seasons. Formula E said that the all-electric world championship had “positively impacted more than 2,500 girls at 15 race weekends, with leading female figures from a range of professions across the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship paddock delivering inspirational and educational workshops.”
Several writers and broadcasters have detailed their predictions of the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E world championship on The Race Media website. You can view the content, including lead TV commentator Tom Brooks and Formula E Notebook’s Sam Smith and Alice Holloway’s prophesies HERE.
Renowned British based magazine Motor Sport will be issuing a special extensive Formula E season preview bookazine this month. The production will feature articles by Formula E Notebook’s Sam Smith and is available from all good newsagents and some supermarkets next week in the UK, Europe and the U.S.

Should any readers have news on anything to do with Formula E please contact Sam and Alice on sniffermedia@gmail.com. Discretion and confidentiality is completely assured.

Lead image credit: Spacesuit Media.