Higher the risk, greater the reward: Tech forecast for Punta Del Este E-Prix
TECH TALK
Posted on: 15 March, 2018
After recent disappointments, the motivation to get back to winning ways in the Punta Del Este E-Prix is higher than ever. Ahead of this weekend’s race, we have our Chief Engineer Vinit Patel with the tech preview.
We’re back in Punta Del Este for the 3rd time after a year’s hiatus. Most of the teams love going there because there’s a little sun, sand and sea and it’s very picturesque. Probably about 40% of the grid have never been here before, and though drivers who have been here since Season 2 might have a slight advantage, I expect that to evaporate rather quickly.
Coming from Mexico, we’re looking to get back on the pace and points scoring in Punta. We were happy with the pace of the car till lap 15 where we got hit by reliability issues on both Nick’s and Felix’s cars. Although the gap between the two races is very small, it’s been a little difficult, but I think we’ve got the solutions to both issues.
8 different teams scored points in Mexico, and we’ll see more teams challenging for the big points. Audi have been resurgent as predicted, and Lucas Di Grassi will be back up there once he shakes off any penalties.
The Jaguars both had strong points finishes in Mexico as did Antonio Felix Da Costa’s Andretti. Half a tenth could now mean the difference between P1 and P5 which is huge when it comes down to racing.
Half a tenth could now mean the difference between P1 and P5.
Punta has always been a thermal strategy race and all the teams are aware of the challenges, and they need to make sure it doesn’t get too hot for the battery. Depending on the wind, there could also be a fresh layer of sand dusting the track before every session and we might see the later qualifying groups quicker than the earlier ones and that’s down to the luck of the draw.
It’s one of the more challenging circuits on the calendar, reasonably bumpy, but not too bad. The drivers tend to struggle to get into a rhythm and compared to all the tracks so far, it is definitely one to watch out for in terms of taking high risks to get ahead in a race. On the Punta Del Este track, it’s always been a case of the higher the risk, the greater the reward, and fortune most definitely favours the bold.
Don’t forget to catch us in action in the Punta Del Este E-Prix on 17 March 2018 at 19:00 UTC.
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