The first day of track action in Miami concluded with an array of smiles, gasps, wow-moments and sweaty messes of influencers and celebrities.
We won’t know who was quick just yet but looking at this footage supplied by Formula E the Lola Yamaha Abt driver Scott Mansell, aka: Driver 61, was unsurprisingly very adept. Mansell was a promising single-seater racer in his youth and also regularly competed at a strong level in BOSS Formula machinery including a Benetton F1 car. He also raced in Indy Lights and Superleague Formula.
Watch the Action Here……
Footage courtesy of Formula E
The rest of the field seemed to acclimatise well with Sergio Aguero looking reasonably handy in the Porsche. NEOM McLaren’s American tech social media creator Cleo Abram has been one of the key engaging personalities indulged in a quick and harmless spin but re-grouped and completed her programme.
Talking to Formula E presenter Alexa Rendell, Jaguar’s Brooklyn Peltz Beckham said that his experience on day one was “absolutely amazing.”
Alexa: You survived, you did it! How were your emotions after that first run?
Brooklyn: Yeah, it was absolutely amazing. A lot faster than I had thought, a lot faster. But yeah, it was amazing, just trying to, the first few laps, just trying to get used to it, just trying to build up. But so much fun.
Alexa: Let’s talk through the start of the session. You went by following Bruno (Correia) around. What did you pick up from him? What were you learning?
Brooklyn: I was just trying to learn. Obviously he’s a pro, so just trying to follow his lines and how he does it. I was literally just focusing on him, just trying to follow as best I can.
Alexa: Did you feel yourself getting better, or did you have better stages?
Brooklyn: I did, definitely. I started on the lower level, just trying to get used to the car, used to the track, the lines, and then towards the end, I turned all the way up, put my foot all the way down, and it was fine.
Alexa: Bruno went, and you were left to your own devices. How was that?
Brooklyn: It was so fun. As soon as he came off, I, like, put my foot down. And yeah, each lap I think I got a little bit better, a little bit faster. It was just absolutely amazing. Such a cool experience.
Alexa: What were the most challenging parts out there so far?
Brooklyn: Just getting the lines right, trying to get around as fast as possible, just because on the straight I just put my foot down, I’m not really worried about that. So just, the lines going around the corners are so important. So just trying to get used to them.
Alexa: We’ve had snips team radio coming through in here. What kind of advice were they giving you?
Brooklyn: They were just telling me when to brake, and if I did a good lap or if I braked at the right time, they’d say, okay, that’s perfect. They were amazing, so they were giving me good feedback.
Alexa: Mitch, if you want to come up here, I’m just going to ask you a quick question. I saw you looking on in the garage, a big smile on your face. How do you think Brooklyn did?
Mitch: Amazingly. He did a really good job. All the preps, yeah, came off. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but he did a great job. We’ll debrief now and then come back tomorrow and hopefully take some more steps.
Alexa: Headlines in the debrief. School report went well. What can be improved?
Mitch: I’ll look at the data, but I think from just watching the videos, all those lines were spot on. Just keep trying to push, you know, the braking zones a bit more. But yeah, it’s been a very good start.
Here’s a reminder of the pair ups of mentors and proteges at Miami:
Envision: Tom Felton/Sebastien Buemi
Jaguar TCS Racing: Brooklyn Peltz Beckham/Mitch Evans
TAG Heuer Porsche: Sergio Aguero/Pascal Wehrlein
Andretti: Ammar Kandil/Jake Dennis
Nissan: Supercar Blondie/Norman Nato
NEOM McLaren: Cleo Abram/Sam Bird
DS Penske: Vinnie Hacker/Maximilian Guenther
Maserati MSG: Emelia Hartford/Stoffel Vandoorne
CUPRA KIRO: JUCA/Dan Ticktum
Mahindra: Theo Baker/Nyck de Vries
Lola Yamaha ABT: Driver 61 (Scott Mansell)/Zane Maloney
