Home from Homestead
Longtime race director Scot Elkins told Formula E Notebook that aspects of the Formula E track at Homestead have been tweaked from the regular infield track specifically for Formula E this weekend to create more braking areas in relation to regeneration of energy. “Turn one, turn six, the chicane on the back, all of those things are elements for Formula E that wouldn’t normally be here,” explained Elkins.
Elkins actually drove a Skip Barber race car at the venue several years ago and will officiate as Race Director in Formula E for the final time this weekend before formerly handing over to Marek Hanaczewski who will work closely with fellow FIA official Benoit Dupont.
Elkins first took the race director role in 2016 but made the role permanent in 2018 and has missed just two events since that time. He is set to take up a position within technology and timing provider Alkamel’s new U.S based business but will also continue some consultancy work for the FIA within the track inspection department.
Reigning champion Pascal Wehrlein reckoned that a major talking point could be the exit from the last corner (T15) on to the start/finish straight at the 3.5-kilometre Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“That’s a big question mark we have for running here and for hitting the track tomorrow for the first time,” said the TAG-Heuer Porsche driver. “How big the compression will be I don’t know but that change from the infield to the oval and how much you bottom out and if you could damage the car, there is maybe potential. We expect quite a big impact from that.”
NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard generally agreed and told FEN that he believes that drivers “will even find out even in shakedown (today at 14.30 local time).”
“I believe when IndyCar were coming here that there were cones or something coming onto the banking,” he added. “I’m not sure if there’s a plan to do that, or if there is no plan to do that, but that would obviously change quite a lot how we’re going to approach it.”
DS Penske’s Maximilian Guenther will serve a five place grid penalty for the accident he was adjudged to have caused on the opening lap of round four in Jeddah in February. Guenther also received two penalty points for the incident which has brought his running total to seven right now.
At Homestead each team has a designated area in the working lane in the pit lane in front of each of the oval specgarages. The area between the paddock fence and the pit wall is considered as part of the garage during sessions (pit lane live), and pass restrictions are applicable.
Each team has been allocated an equipment and storage area behind the pit wall and the fire lane must be kept free of any obstacle at all times. Tyre storage during sessions in the team’s area behind the pit wall is allowed from 10 minutes before the start and until the end of each session.
Lucas di Grassi, Sebastien Buemi, Sam Bird, Jean-Eric Vergne and Antonio Felix da Costa are the only drivers still racing in Formula E that took part in the 2015 Miami EPrix held in March that year. Vergne took pole but didn’t finish while da Costa took sixth for Amlin Aguri, Bird was eighth for Virgin Racing and di Grassi ended ninth for Audi Sport Abt.
Remarkably only Andretti and Mahindra broadly retain their original entry names, while Renault edams (now Nissan), China Racing (now CUPRA KIRO), Dragon Racing (DS Penske), Virgin Racing (Envision), Audi Sport Abt (partly Lola Yamaha Abt), Venturi (Maserati MSG) have all changed in to different entities. The Trulli and Amlin Aguri operations are now defunct, although a large part of the senior Amlin Aguri squad such as Keith Smout, Mark Preston and Peter McCool now are part of the Lola Yamaha Abt entry.
Formula E cars have previously run at Homestead after a special ‘Driving Experience’ event as held on March 10, 2015 just before the Miami EPrix. Among those driving a Gen1 car that day were founder and Chairman Alejandro Agag and well-known commentator Bob Varsha.
FEN understands that the recent Evo Sessions was a positive event to try and accelerate the potential of the Miami F1 facility hosting an EPrix next season. Initial interest in Formula E racing on a shortened version of the track, which is used for track day style events, was luke warm. But one senior Formula E Operations source today told FEN that the technical success of Evo Sessions has much improved the chances of a downtown Miami race being one of two U.S events next season.
Gen4 Hook-Up Rumours
Nissan customer partner for Gen4 is crystalising with paddock word suggesting that a partnership with Andretti might be on the cards for the 2026-2030 racing period. Talks have long since been underway between the two parties, although Nissan team principal Tommaso Volpe said that “we are looking at possibilities for Gen4, which can make sense for us and the customer team.”
“We really care a lot on the manufacturers championship and we want to win the team championship as well, but the manufacturer championship is something we push a lot to get started by FEO and FIA,” added Volpe. “It is very important, because this is where you can really show that your powertrain, your expertise on R&D, can prove to be successful in racing as well. So that’s why we take it seriously”.
Envision Racing is believed to be negotiating with Jaguar about a continuation of its deal for Gen4, while Mahindra is known to have talked to Penske and Lola about a possible partnership for Gen4.
Porsche has spoken to most customer entities including recent technical partner CUPRA KIRO which is keen on continuing with the German manufacturer. Depending on the commitments of Stellantis and Mahindra it remains to be seen which manufacturer might supply more than once customer team as per Porsche this season.
Overall, the future of the NEOM McLaren team and the MSG element of the Maserati MSG element, in conjunction with the upcoming status conformations of Stellantis and Mahindra are, to a large extent, conducting the pace of some of the deals.
Gen4 development cars are still on schedule for a September delivery, while the first tests of the Spark Racing Technologies-run mule car are expected to take place later this month.
As expected Yamaha confirmed its continuation in to Gen4 with Lola for the 2026-2030 period. Speaking of the agreement Heiji Maruyama, Managing Executive Officer and Director, Yamaha Motor said that Yamaha Motor was “accelerating its research and development of various technologies to acquire and enhance new core technologies that will provide Kando (a Japanese word for the simultaneous feelings of deep satisfaction and intense excitement) that we experience when we encounter something of exceptional value to our fans and contribute to sustainability in the future.
“One of these initiatives is the acquisition of advanced energy management technology that will be honed in Formula E. We will continue to take on the challenge into the GEN4 season as a technical partner of Lola Cars. We are very proud and excited to enhance our technology on the world’s highest stage of electric racing with our reliable partner,” added Maruyama.
Envision Changes
There has been a significant change in the technical structure at Envision Racing after Mike Lugg exited the Silverstone based team at the end of March.
Speaking to FEN at Homestead, team principal Sylvain Filippi, said that the decision, which was made late last month and that it was “good for the team and we move on. It’s really as simple as that,” added Filippi. “There’s not much more to add to that at all really. It’s what I believe that’s good for the team and that’s it.”
Envision have been unable to get out of a slump in points hauls over the last 18 months. It has a poor average points score of just six points per race since the Mexico City ePrix in January 2024. This season it has accrued just one points score, the six gained via Sebastien Buemi’s seventh place in the opening Sao Paulo race last December.
Testing Updates
Nissan ran all three of its contracted drivers Oliver Rowland, Norman Nato and Sergio Sette Camara at the Mallorca track last month, with each getting several hours of running over the two day test. All four DS Penske and Maserati MSG race drivers got time at the wheel of the DS manufacturer car at Mallorca last month too.
Jaguar’s test and development Gen3Evo car was out running at Calafat in mid-March with Sebastien Buemi getting a full day under his and Envision engineer’s belt. Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy out to the test but their running is believed to have been washed out due to heavy rain. Both Jaguar TCS Racing drivers shared a day at the Bedford proving ground track in the final week of March.
Lola Yamaha ABT were in action at the Monteblanco circuit in Spain with Lucas di Grassi at the wheel as the team continues to try and iron out bugs from the first quarter of its first Formula E season.
Mikkel Jensen, who recently took part in the FP0 session in Jeddah, was on site at Homestead and acting as an official reserve for CUPRA KIRO this weekend. The Dane, who drives for Peugeot TotalEnergies in WEC with Jean-Eric Vergne and Paul di Resta, greatly impressed the team with his performance and is known to be interested in racing in the near future.
Jamie Chadwick is set to try out the ABB all-electric NASCAR this week. ABB was recently key to the installation of 30 Level 2 EV chargers at NASCAR’s Daytona Beach headquarters. The initiative was framed as aiming to ‘reduce NASCAR’s carbon footprint to zero across its core operations by 2035.’
Industry Latest
Nissan has seen a change at the very top of its corporate structure as Ivan Espinosa has replaced the retiring Makoto Uchida earlier this month. Espinosa visited the Tokyo EPrix last season in his then role as Chief Planning Officer and is expected to attend future Eprixs also.
CEO of SEAT and CUPRA, Wayne Griffiths, is no longer in that position after unexpectedly leaving the role recently. Griffiths had been the CEO of the two VW brands since October 2020. He previously worked for Audi from 1993 to 2016.
“It’s been an incredible journey, with too many highlights to mention,” Griffiths wrote on his LinkedIn page earlier this month. “But the most important thing for me are the fantastic people I met and worked with along the way, and I would like to thank you all for your friendship and loyalty.”
Maserati MSG ‘Takeover’ Fallout
The consequences from the planned takeover by the Maserati MSG team are believed to still be rumbling on almost a month since the deal for Brooklyn Earick to become Chairman and CEO collapsed. New investors for the Monegasque team are being sought after the aborted deal which is believed to have stumbled due to certain obligations not being met.
Talking on a round table hoisted by Maserati earlier this month, team principal Cyril Blais said that it was “business as usual for us and we won’t deviate from our trajectory”.
“I don’t want to take any attention on the back story and stuff and I want the team to focus on the performance,” added Blais.
Maserati is not expected to continue in to the Gen4 period and is likely to be replaced by an alternative brand.
To read about how Maserati MSG click HERE
Celebs at Homestead
Recent Evo Sessions star Emelia Hartford in addition to ‘Stranger Things’ actor and persistent ‘Upside Down’ botherer Caleb McLaughlin will be among the celebrity guests at the Miami EPrix this weekend.
