FE | DS Penske is ready and excited for Misano

For several years Formula E races in Italy have taken place on the streets of Rome (EUR district), but from this season they move to the Misano circuit on the Adriatic coast.

Since the circuit is permanent, the teams already have information about the location and some drivers have already driven there. But for Formula E and its electric single-seaters, the reference points will be different and the venue will be adapted to the event.

The Misano circuit, 3.381 km long and with 14 curves (instead of the 4.064 km and 16 curves of the original configuration), is an “energy” circuit, where victory will depend on battery management.

“Qualifying will be very important, but then we will need to manage the energy with finesse,” says Eugenio Franzetti, Director of DS Performance, the racing division of DS Automobiles that prepares the DS Penske cars.

In Tokyo we had some problems with the battery, but now everything is back to normal and we are ready to face the challenges of this double event, where it will be important to be ready from the start of the weekend.”

“In Misano we know that the races will be tackled and run as a 'group', from which we will have to extract at the right time to be in the lead, a bit like in Portland in June.

“We have the drivers to do it and our DS E-TENSE FE23s are capable of taking us to victory. It's up to us to put it all together on this crucial weekend.”

Meticulous preparation

At Stellantis Motorsport in Satory, preparations for Misano began as soon as the team returned from Tokyo.

As always, the team analyzed the data from the race just concluded, while preparing the circuit for the next appointment in the simulator. In addition to the accuracy of the route validated by the FIA ​​and the championship organizers, the team had to anticipate any roughness and changes in the asphalt, such as bumps or bumps.

Everything is taken into consideration to understand the level of grip, but also in defining the energy strategy. To have the most precise data, DS Penske turns to the simulator drivers for initial references, and then to the official drivers, Jean-Éric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne, who spent at least two days in the seat of the virtual single-seater.

During this time, they work hard to identify all the details that can save a few tenths of a second without spending more energy.

This work is carried out in close collaboration with the track engineers, who have the task of defining the best race strategy and finding the ideal compromise between performance and use of calibrated energy.

To successfully complete his mission, the pilot must not only carry out his work with all the necessary finesse, but must also best understand in which phases to try to regenerate energy, which in this case represent up to 40% of the recharge of the battery for the entire race.

It is this science of good use of energy that, combined with the talent of the pilot, could lead to success.