Mexico City Formula E Notebook – Post Race

The drama of the Porsche investigation in to what FEN believes was triggered by a suspicion of a possible launch control off the grid gripped the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on Saturday evening with rival team principals and managers discussing the matter openly in the paddock.
Several expressed off the record to FEN that they expected the topic to run in to the Diriyah event next week as further clarity is wanted on the details of the passements carried out by the FIA.
Jaguar TCS Racing team principal James Barclay gave his opinion to FEN regarding the one place grid penalties handed out to both Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy ahead of the Mexico City EPrix. The sanction related to the cars not going in to their boxes after Jake Hughes’ red-flag triggering accident in first practice.
“To be clear the regulation basically says that you have to return to the garage, what it doesn’t say is that you can’t fast charge or change tyres,” said Barclay.
“Given we were trialling the fast charging, we took the assumption that we were meant to be fast charging to test the data, because if we didn’t do it then, we wouldn’t have even had a chance getting the second (mandatory charge) in.”
That was because Jake Hughes caused a second red flag which curtailed the session and as a result, Jaguar TCS Racing didn’t get the chance for a second charge test.
“I think the view was that everyone acknowledged that we tried to do the right thing, but ultimately from the stewards’ point of view was they need to stick with the precedent of what they’ve done in the past,” added Barclay. “The regulation doesn’t actually clearly state [can’t change tyres or charge], it says that you just need to return to the garage.”
Jaguar new boy Nick Cassidy declared himself happy with his ‘Big Cat’ debut in Mexico City in which he scooped third place. “It felt probably like my most complete day I’ve ever put together in Formula E,” said the Kiwi.
“It’s a really good start with Jaguar TCS Racing and I honestly didn’t really feel connected with the package this weekend, I struggled a lot, so to have this result is a nice start,” he added.
Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns described his nightmare Mexico City EPrix, which started with a fluffed start and ended with a shunt exiting the Foro Sol complex, saying the incident at the start was “a mystery and I have no idea.
“The car went, so let’s say the first ten, fifteen metres it went, and then it stopped. Then I went off power and then back on power,” he told FEN.
As for the accident itself, Frijns said: “I was a bit frustrated at that moment being P15, all the hard work from qualifying was gone. Knowing that this track is very difficult to overtake so I was trying to get back, but I wasn’t so happy with the balance, so I was a bit struggling.
“I saw an opportunity for Edo [Mortara] to take attack mode, wanted to go around him and I completely lost the rear out of [stadium]. It completely surprised me.”
Sergio Sette Camara’s nightmare Mexico City EPrix ended before it had begun when he stopped on his reconnaissance lap to the grid. “There was a very loud noise in the rear, something kind of went bang, then some smoke, very bad smoke, and the car shut down,” he told FEN.
“I had to jump out, the FIA saw there was some problem with the car. Still don’t know exactly what happened because the car went to quarantine but we think it’s the inverter.”
Sette Camara’s teammate Dan Ticktum finished the race a distant last after the team chose to order him to bank energy and gamble for “super save” strategy according to deputy team principal Russell O’Hagan on a possible second safety car appearance.
Jake Hughes, who finished seventh in the Mexico City EPrix, had to contend with a monocoque change overnight on Friday after his red flag inducing accident in FP1. The survival cell change was completed by 12.30 on Saturday morning.
Hughes told FEN that he felt he and the NMFE team had a “solid start, and we got some points on the board. We’ve had good pace, strong pace all weekend really. It was a shame about the crash in FP1 and credit to the whole team for getting the car back out and putting it on track in such a good way.”
Sam Bird had a difficult Mexico City EPrix after his second group qualifying lap was impacted by a misjudgement from the NEOM McLaren team that saw him miss the timing cut-off for the session. He was on the periphery of the top 10 but a late second attack mode call ultimately shuffled him further down the order to an eventual 14^th place finish.
Abt Cupra’s Nico Mueller explained the incident triggered by Antonio Felix da Costa to FEN, saying that “he went for a very late move into turn 3 and there is only one line through that corner. If you go a bit off line there is all this shitty concrete that has rubbed off together with the marbles. You know that there’s only one line, he dived in very late and hit me on my rear wheel. I spun backwards into the wall, lost my rear wing, some more damage to the car.”
Da Costa was adjudged to have caused the accident and will take a three-place grid drop at the first Diriyah EPrix at the end of Janaury. He told FEN that the incident had its roots in the lap before it occurred when da Costa “tried to use energy to pass him and he’s fully closing the door, as he’s entitled to do.
“So, I have to get creative because we can’t be burning energy to pass him for P14 or whatever. I needed a little bit of cooperation from him, there is a point there where there’s enough car overlap and if he goes to the apex at that moment I cannot disappear anymore.
“Once I make the move that late, it is a late move, but once I make that move he cannot keep closing the door,” added da Costa. “We’ve been to the stewards now, we both have our views – all good; I respect Nico [Mueller] a lot and it’s not an easy situation for him as well, he wants to race. Today it didn’t go right for either of us.”
Mueller’s Abt Cupra teammate Lucas di Grassi also had contact with the wall but his accident was triggered by a suspected brake-by-wire issue which ended his race on lap two.
A major reveal regarding the future direction of global EV racing is being rumoured to be taking place later this month. A source involved in the new initiative, which is believed to include Formula E, told FEN in Mexico City that it would be a ‘a game changing announcement.’
Several drivers commented to FEN regarding the shift away from genuine street tracks to more permanent facilities this season. Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz said that for him “it’s definitely not the way to go.”
“The DNA of FE since the start was always the street circuits, why would we be changing that because we go faster? That’s not the point. We still can race on tracks like Formula One does in Monaco or in other tracks now, they do more street- we’re doing the opposite to Formula One.
“if you see Formula One they’re doing more street circuits and we are having more permanent circuits. It just doesn’t really make sense,” added Fenestraz. “It’s a bit wrong if we start doing that, with Misano coming in, Shanghai. It is a shame, because the DNA is like this; Formula E is known as the category that race in city centres and that’s what brings the action.”
Andretti has recruited Oliver Paynestone from the Alpine F1 team recently as a performance engineer. “He’s really got up to speed really quickly and his input has been great already,” Roger Griffiths told FEN. “He’s a great addition to the team.”
Departing Nissan technical chief Vincent Gaillardot is understood to be heading to work for the FIA as a replacement for Alessandra Ciliberti who left her position as technical manager. Gaillardot is expected to start his role in the spring after working a notice period at Nissan until the end of February.
The coloured stripes on the Hankook spec tyres, that were debuted at Mexico City this weekend, will be used for the duration of the 2023 campaign. Formula One used a similar initiative when Bridgestone were suppliers in 2007.