São Paulo 2024 ePrix: Presentation and Stakes

The 22 Formula E cars are back on track this weekend. After the first three races of the season, all held in January, the month of March marks the beginning of a nine-race marathon culminating in the Shanghai ePrix scheduled for the last weekend of May.

A first edition in the end incredibly tight.

With three drivers finishing within half a second under the checkered flag, the first ever Formula E race held at the Sao Paulo circuit had made a lasting impression. The sixth round of the championship in 2023, it was Mitch Evans in Jaguar who claimed victory ahead of his compatriot Nick Cassidy, then with Envision Racing, and the British driver Sam Bird, securing the top three podium positions for the Jaguar powertrain.

No less than 114 overtakes had been recorded while 11 leader changes had taken place, the first of which was Stoffel Vandoorne, who secured his first pole position with the DS Penske team in Brazil.

A fast track at impressive speeds

When it joined the FE calendar last year, the São Paulo circuit was the third in a row to host a race for the first time, following those of Hyderabad and Cape Town. The only destination among these to stay on the calendar this year, the 2.93-kilometer Brazilian circuit offers a fast layout composed of three long straights and eleven corners.

The beginning of the lap includes a chicane and a hairpin leading to the first full throttle. A bit like the straight line of the Hunaudières at Le Mans, a chicane breaks the rhythm before a new full throttle to turn 7. Two right angle right turns conclude this fast section before a more classic end of the lap with turns 10 and 11.

Top speed and energy regeneration are two key elements in São Paulo. Heavy braking at the end of the straight allows the front-placed motor to recover maximum energy to power the batteries. In 2023, the highest speed was achieved by Sergio Sette Camara’s Nio reaching a top speed of 264.1 km/h.

Jaguar is (slightly) emerging as the favorite.

With three podiums including a victory in three races, Nick Cassidy logically positioned himself at the top of the drivers’ championship after the two races in Diriyah. The New Zealander seems to have perfectly adapted to his new environment at Jaguar and emerges as a strong contender for the title at the end of the season. Alongside his teammate Mitch Evans, he is among the favorites to win in Brazil.

The two teams powered by Porsche are also expected to be at the forefront. Second in the championship and winner of the opening race in Mexico, Pascal Wehrlein will be one to watch, as well as Jack Dennis, impressive in his Andretti during the first race in Saudi Arabia.

Finally, it will be necessary to closely observe the performances of the DS Penske team. The engineers of Stellantis Motorsport have taken advantage of the past few weeks to work on the software of the DS E-TENSE FE23, which should result in an improvement in performance. Second in the team championship, DS Penske and its drivers Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne intend to get involved in the fight for the lead and achieve a first victory this season.