Phil Charles is a key figure in the world of Formula E: after several years at Jaguar as technical manager, the engineer joined the Franco-American team as vice team principal during the 2023/2024 season, officially taking on the new charged starting from the Sao Paulo ePrix weekend.
For him it is a new experience, with new drivers to manage. Speaking to Motorsport.com, the British engineer explained that it is “quite easy” to deal with Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne, both category champions: JEV is the only one to have won two titles, won in 2018 and 2019, while Vandoorne won in 2022. Having such an experienced pair represents a great advantage for the team because in difficult moments, when the desired results are not achieved, there is still clear and decisive communication despite the frustration.
The other side of the coin? The very high standards of Vergne and Vandoorne lead them to be very determined, because they are aware of having won in the past and the hunger to want to fight at the top again. Thus the role of pressure comes into play, which on the one hand motivates them, but which on the other must be kept under control not only by the driver, but also by the team.
Charles underlines that having drivers of such a high level also represents an advantage when it comes to another fundamental aspect for Formula E: energy management. Being able to best manage the kilowatts available during the race is the element that can make the difference in the electric championship, but it is a very complex exercise.
“Pilots alone cannot manage energy perfectly, they need an algorithm behind them to do it. And this is where the really complicated part comes in, because you have to create the best possible algorithm in mathematical terms, but you also have to make it work best with the driver.”
Other factors also come into play, such as driving characteristics or the need to be comfortable in traffic, ensuring that those behind the wheel can attack or defend themselves in the most effective way.
“It's more complicated than it may seem at first, but that's the point: you have to be discerning with the algorithm, making sure the driver is comfortable and can be fast.”
Braking is the most important phase for a Formula E, because 40% of the energy used in the race is obtained at that moment. It is there that pilots and software must find the right compromise, in order to make this phase as effective as possible. This work, however, is not only carried out during the race weekends, but above all in the French headquarters of Stellantis Motorsport, in Satory, where during the winter the DS Penske team focused on the implementation of the software to improve the braking phase and that of regen.
Being able to find a balance is essential to obtain good results in Formula E, but being consistent throughout the entire season is very difficult, because although the team continually makes progress by finding elements to improve performance from race to race, the calendar foresees different tracks, with different temperatures and conditions.
“To be honest, in the last two years, what the team has done to be consistent is to improve the simulations a lot. It's not something you can find in a weekend, it's something you find and, once found, it is tested in the virtual world in all possible scenarios, so as to understand when to bring it into play and when not to go fast in a range of different tracks”.
DS Penske's objectives for the rest of 2024 are therefore two: the first, obviously, is to win, because the team is aware of its competitiveness and of having one of the most complete line-ups, thanks to Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne . The second objective is to be consistent throughout the year, taking advantage of all the opportunities that arise in the remaining weekends. The start of the season for the Franco-American team has been positive, but only time will tell if they will be able to reach their set targets.
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