Formula E visited Rome for the first time in Season 4 (2017-2018) and have returned every year since, with the exception of 2020 due to the COVID pandemic. On April 11, 2018, the electric single-seater championship even received the blessing of Pope Francis, to whom the car was presented outside his home in the Vatican. This is not an absolute novelty for the Pontiff, who had previously blessed a Lamborghini Huracan donated by the Italian manufacturer before being auctioned off for charity, or a Harley-Davidson.
The EUR circuit, already appreciated by the teams in its original configuration, has been updated for Season 7 (2020-2021), going from 2.78km to 3.38km. This means that it is now one of the longest circuits of the season, typical of Formula E, with many corners and attack possibilities. Despite this, it’s quite fast and undulating, passes through a number of historic sites and ticks all the boxes for an urban circuit that doesn’t disturb the locals too much. The EUR district is breezy and green, and it’s not the most densely populated area of the Italian capital.
Two decisive rounds
With the exception of 2018 and 2019, when only one annual race was organised, the city of Rome became the scene of a double rendezvous to make the most of the heavy structures needed to organize motorsport events in an urban environment.
Jean-Eric Vergne, DS Penske
Photo by: DPPI
French rider Vergne has often scored big points here. Fourth and second in the 2022 races, plus race two, he is also one of the two winners of the 2021 races. His teammate Stoffel Vandoorne also loves the Roman track and last year with Mercedes he achieved a pole position and a podium in race one.
In general, the single-seaters prepared by DS Performance, the ‘competition’ arm of DS Automobiles, often performed well on the Roman track. The novelty of the 2022-2023 season is the arrival of the Gen3 electric single-seater, whose remarkable aerodynamic resistance will revolutionize energy strategies. The circuit will be the same as last year, with 19 corners, fast corners and fewer long straights, as we saw in Portland three weeks ago.
It should be more suited to the technical specifications of the cars and perhaps the drivers will be able to attack with less concern for their energy consumption. In Rome, DS Penske’s rivals will of course be the Porsches (works team and Avalanche Andretti), but also the Jaguar works team and the Envision customer team, which are often at home on the streets of the capital.
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