For several years, Formula E races have been held on the streets of Rome (the EUR district), but this season they are moving to the Misano circuit on the Adriatic coast.
As the track is permanent, the teams already have information about the location, and some of the drivers have already driven there. But for Formula E and its electric single-seaters, the reference points will be different and the location will be adapted to the event.
The Misano circuit is 3.381 km long and has 14 corners (instead of 4.064 km and 16 corners in its original configuration), and is an ‘energy’ track, where victory will depend on battery management.
“Qualifying will be very important, but after that, you have to manage your energy with finesse,” says Eugenio Franzetti, Director of DS Performance, the racing arm of DS Automobiles which prepares the DS Penske cars.
“We had some battery problems in Tokyo, but now everything is back to normal and we’re ready to take on the challenges of this double-header, where it will be important to be up to speed right from the start of the weekend.
“At Misano, we know that the races will be ‘in a pack’, from which we’ll have to extract ourselves at the right moment to be at the front, a bit like Portland in June.
“We have the drivers to do it, and our DS E-TENSE FE23s are capable of leading us to victory. It’s up to us to put everything together for this crucial weekend.”
Stoffel Vandoorne, DS Penske, DS E-Tense FE23
Photo by: DPPI
Meticulous preparation
At Stellantis Motorsport in Satory, preparations for Misano began as soon as the team returned from Tokyo.
As always, the team’s process was to analyse the data from the race that had just finished, while preparing the circuit for the next trip on the simulator.
In addition to the accuracy of the route validated by the FIA and the championship organisers, the team had to anticipate any bumps and changes in the surface.
Everything is taken into account in terms of grip, but also in defining the energy strategy. In order to have the most accurate data, DS Penske calls on simulator drivers to “prepare the ground”, and then the incumbents, Jean-Éric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne will spend at least two days in the seat of the virtual single-seater.
During this time, they work hard to detect all the subtleties and details that can save a few tenths of a second without expending more energy.
This work is carried out in close collaboration with the track engineers, who are responsible for defining the best race strategy and finding the ideal compromise between performance and the use of calibrated energy.
To carry out his mission successfully, the driver not only has to do his job with all the necessary finesse but also has to organise the regeneration phases of his race car, which in this case account for up to 40% of the battery recharge for each distance covered.
It’s this science of making good use of energy that, combined with the driver’s talent, could lead to success.
