ePrix Buenos Aires: Overview and challenges

Sébastien Buemi: never two without three?

We had left him in great shape. After two races with as many victories, Sebastien Buemi has made an almost perfect start to this third Formula E season. The defense of his championship title is already well underway, with a nice total of 50 points in the overall standings. That’s 22 more than his closest pursuer, Lucas di Grassi. The Brazilian, runner-up last year, made a nice comeback in Hong Kong (from 19th on the grid to 2nd at the finish) and settled for fifth place in Marrakech.

Behind this duo, the Mahindra team made its mark with two third places, secured by Heidfeld in Hong Kong and Rosenqvist in Morocco. The Swedish rookie even managed to clinch pole position in the second race, leading a good part of the round before giving in to the assaults of Buemi, and then Sam Bird in his DS Virgin Racing.

Attention will also be turned towards the Franco-British team this weekend. However, the public’s favor will mainly go to the local hero: José Maria Lopez. Pechito is simply the most accomplished driver in Argentina. A three-time champion in the national super-tourism category, the former GP2 Series driver is also, and especially, a three-time world champion in WTCC with Citroën (2014, 2015, 2016).

For his first two races in Formula E, José Maria Lopez has already made a mark with his speed, finishing third in the qualifying session in Hong Kong. And he’s gaining experience: after his crash in the first race, the Argentine scored his first point with this 10th place finish in mid-November in Marrakech.

The feat will be difficult. Despite a supportive audience, he will still compete to win his national ePrix. In 23 races in Formula E, only his teammate Sam Bird has achieved such a performance: during race 2 in London in July 2015…

An unchanged décor

Buenos Aires retains the full confidence of Alejandro Agag and the promoters. Now, the Puerto Maduro circuit can boast of being the only one to have hosted all three seasons!

The competitors will face off once again on a track located in a very touristy neighborhood, situated on the coastal section, not far from the city center. This barrio, only developed in the 1990s, features a 2.480-kilometer-long track. Contested in the counterclockwise direction, the circuit consists of 12 turns: 8 to the left and 4 to the right.

The main overtaking opportunities will occur around turns 1 and 7. The chicane between T8 and T9 is very tight and very tricky. Successively leading the race, Sébastien Buemi and then Lucas di Grassi had a bitter experience in 2015. Under the watchful eye of the Juan Manuel Fangio statue, this elimination race favored Antonio Félix da Costa. Last year, Sam Bird won after resisting Buemi’s attacks until the end. The former Toro Rosso driver had climbed from 18th place on the grid!

One month left for the Buenos Aires #ePrix. Who do you think will win the third @FIAformulaE season ePrix? 🤔 Quién ganará el #BAePrix? pic.twitter.com/JZFxCMm9EF

— Cloud Sport (@Cloud_Sport) 18 janvier 2017

What’s new from Marrakech?

The Berlin ePrix returns to Tempelhof Airport

The German round of the Formula E championship will return to the tarmac of the former Berlin-Tempelhof airport. The airport, which ceased all operations in 2008, played a significant role during World War II and the Cold War. The Berlin ePrix had already been held on the Tempelhof runways during the inaugural season of the championship, on a 2.5 km track that then had 17 turns. It will be significantly revamped for the June edition.

Note that the race had to find another location to take place last year. The German government had indeed requisitioned the airport to temporarily accommodate refugees. Therefore, the ePrix was held in the streets of the German capital’s city center, along Karl-Marx-Allee. The promoters of Formula E initially intended to stay at the site, but this was not possible for primarily political reasons, hence the return to Tempelhof. It’s worth noting that the possible cancellation of the Brussels race at the beginning of July could lead to the organization of a second round in Germany: Hamburg would be the most likely destination.

Felipe Massa tested Formula E with Jaguar

This winter, the Williams driver participated in a test day in Spain at the wheel of a Formula E with the Jaguar team. The session was held as part of the 15 test days allocated to each team to develop powertrains for the next season. This test day was made possible through the partnership between the team and Williams Advanced Engineering, a company owned by the Williams team, which employs Massa. No details about the day’s proceedings were revealed. It should be noted that the Brazilian was considering a potential engagement in the 100% electric discipline with this same team. The South American had initially retired from Formula 1, allowing him time to focus on this program. However, a change from the premier category altered everything. The Williams team indeed asked him to drive for an additional season, replacing Valtteri Bottas who was heading to Mercedes. It might only be a postponed opportunity, as at the end of the 2017 season, the Sao Paulo native will be available again…

Spark presents its SRT-05 concept for season 5

The Formula E chassis supplier has revealed its concept for the future of the discipline. This new generation of single-seater is set to be operational for season 5, during the 2018-2019 edition. The presented concept is, of course, different from the final version, as it is one of the various projects communicated to the teams. The chassis is more aerodynamically advanced than the current generation and also 40 kilos lighter to accommodate a powertrain that is expected to be heavier. It should be noted that the car would be equipped with an aeroscreen, a kind of windshield similar to the concept invented by Red Bull, to protect the drivers’ heads. Lastly, there are rumors that the average battery capacity would increase from 28 kWh to 54 kWh in 2018, enabling the race to be completed without changing cars.

Prototipo del coche de #FormulaE para 2018 (Spark SRT-05)pic.twitter.com/e9Mw27lxh1

— motorygas.com (@motorygascom) 12 février 2017

Your TV Program

Still the rights holder, the Canal+ group will offer you the chance to experience this Buenos Aires ePrix live.

Join us for this on Saturday, February 18 at 3:55 PM and the Qualifications, broadcast on Canal+Décalé.

You won’t have to change the channel to follow the Race, with coverage scheduled to begin at 7:55 PM!