By Carlo Platella
Formula E is exciting again. San Paolo does not disappoint expectations, overtaking for the victory on the last lap and officially crowning McLaren in electric motorsport. The Brazilian match is the perfect metaphor for a World Cup ready to surprise whenever it seems to lean in one direction. However, the growth of Nissan-powered cars is no longer a surprise, as with the double podium in Sao Paulo they are applying for the role of outsiders in the fight for the title.
New land of conquest
South America returns one of its great protagonists to Formula E, absent from the top step of the podium since 2022. The undisputed master of the scene is Sam Bird, author of a race constantly in the top positions, but overtaken a few laps from the checkered flag by Mitch Evans' Jaguar, in clear energy superiority. Bird, however, doesn't agree and, taking advantage of an overheating Jaguar, in one fell swoop he takes revenge on his ex-team and his ex-boxmate.
The overtaking on the last lap writes a new page in history for McLaren. After having won in Formula 1, on IndyCar ovals and in endurance marathons, the English company is now also a winner in Formula E. A team born on the ashes of the world champion Mercedes, forced to reinvent itself as a Nissan customer team, but with the habit of often putting the wheels in front of it.
Heat is the key
It is right to also recognize the merits of the Brazilian victory Nissan powertrain, who with Oliver Rowland's last-gasp lunge celebrated a double podium in Sao Paulo, in the wake of Diriyah's third place. Just after the Arab stage, Jake Dennis had turned the spotlight on the progress of Nissan engines: “Looking at the energy parameters of Nissan and McLaren that emerged in the race, they were definitely impressive. They used similar energy levels to me.”
Yet, despite the undoubted progress, it's not energy efficiency that decides the Brazilian E-Prix. The long straights of the San Paolo track bring energy management back to the center of the race dynamics, thanks to the stewards' decision to allow half a kWh less than in the previous edition, for the same number of laps. However, the intense regeneration during braking becomes a source of overheating problems of both the motors and the battery, exacerbated by the 35°C of the air recorded on the thermometer.
In this aspect, Nissan engines appear more effective in controlling overheating, thanks also to a careful driving style, with exiting the slipstream from time to time. While Evans battles temperatures in the finale, with the battery now in protection mode and with limited power, Bird takes advantage of this to land the lunge, despite having less energy than the Jaguar. The same goes for Rowland, capable of recovering from ninth to third place after the Safety Car, despite a deficit of energy from his rivals of up to 2%.
Porsche's consolation
Difficult day for the Jaguar motors. Evans' second place only partially alleviates the regret for Cassidy's retirement and the difficulties of Envision, tenth with Buemi. At Porsche, however, Dennis, Wehrlein and Da Costa classified from fourth to sixth place, but even more important is Pascal Wehrlein's pole position. The official team confirms the progress on the flying lap, the great Achilles heel during 2023, celebrating the second pole start of the year, moreover on one of the circuits less similar to the 99X Electric.
You have to go down to 7th, 8th and 9th place to find the Stellantis cars, which on the eve of the year were the main candidates to steal some victories from Porsche and Jaguar, now forced to also deal with Nissan. It must be considered that the hairpin bends of San Paolo were not ideal for enhancing the package, which nevertheless confirmed itself as competitive on the flying lap. Commendable then it is the comeback of Maximilian Gunther with the Maseratifrom last to ninth, showing good energy values despite the aggressive pace.
Towards Tokyo
The Sao Paulo E-Prix demonstrates how much Formula E requires energy management to provide a spectacle, a result that is only possible through a careful choice of energy to be granted in relation to the distance to be covered. The hope is that Brazil's experience will be taken advantage of in view of the next stage in Tokyo, scheduled for two weeks. The landing of Formula E in Japan constitutes a precious opportunity for the promotion and future growth of the championship, to be exploited to the best of our ability and with a race worthy of the name.
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