By Carlo Platella
With the double round in Misano, Formula E enters a new phase of the championship. In fact, of the 11 remaining events, 8 will be held on permanent or high-speed tracks, far from the typical city tracks. In Emilia Romagna, teams and riders test themselves in a context that is the opposite of that of the last round in Tokyo, emphasizing the human factor. James Barclay, Jaguar Team Principal, explains why.
Structures to be reviewed
“It's a completely different context compared to what we raced before in Rome”Jaguar's number one makes his debut. “We will see some very different racing this weekend, because this track generates a type of racing with a high strategic component”. In Misano, Formula E races on a shortened version of the track that hosts the world championship, while remaining wide and smooth according to the standards of the category: “It is a track characterized by long straights and high-speed corners. All this requires a different strategic approach to the race”.
“Qualifying performance is a first aspect”explains Barclay. “To optimize the time you need to work on the mechanical balance in the high-travel sections, bringing as much speed as possible into the corners. If we take Tokyo as a counterexample, it was the classic city track, with 90° bends, low speed and bumpy asphalt. Misano on the other hand is extremely fast and has a level asphalt. The first challenge therefore is the set-up for qualifying.”
Decisive drivers
As important as it is and with some points up for grabs for the World Championship, qualifying takes second place in the face of a race with ample overtaking opportunities. A race with tactics similar to those of cycling is about to take place in Misano, where the key will be positioning within the group. The Jaguar Team Principal continues: “With the race comes another difficulty. If you travel in the lead you find yourself consuming much more energy than those who follow you. The result will be a race very similar to the one in Portland last season. In the first part it will be a matter of waiting and positioning yourself well in the groupwhile the ending will be incredibly exciting.”
As in cycling, exploiting the game between teammates will be important to reduce consumption and maximize results. Easier said than done though: “When there are these group races, working together is very important… if you can. […] In this type of competition we can witness a decidedly atypical result. It depends a lot on the skill of the pilots, avoiding contacts and being in the right place at the right time”. In fact, it will be the drivers' task above all to take the initiative and decide when to attack, since only they have all the information from the cockpit, in a championship where real-time telemetry is prohibited by the regulations. One more reason why the driver is the great protagonist at Misano: “We need to optimize the race strategy, but the drivers' positioning, experience and vision of the race will also count. It will be a very demanding race.”
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