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In Formula E’s six most recent races in Berlin, we’ve been fortunate to finish on the podium on five occasions, but before Season 7, the German capital was a city that held few highlights.
Traditionally – throughout Gen1 and until the mid-point of Gen2 – Tempelhof didn’t suit our package until everything aligned in 2021, marked by vice World Championship success.
Most recently, our visit to Berlin was one for the history books when Maximilian Günther took the Maserati brand to the podium for the first time in World Championship single-seater motorsport since 1957.
This weekend, Maserati MSG Racing will return to Berlin, but with several changes – including a new circuit configuration – there’s plenty to get to grips with.
This is what to watch out for in the 2024 Berlin E-Prix.
Since Tempelhof has hosted 17 Formula E races since Season 1, the former airfield is a venue we know well, but thanks to a new track layout, we’re facing some brand-new challenges this weekend.
We’ve already touched on some of our past successes in Berlin, but when taking the altered configuration into consideration, each podium unfortunately counts for very little.
Nevertheless, every team on the grid is in the same position, and with 1,233 racing laps at Tempelhof under our belt, we’re still in an outstanding position, armed with prior knowledge.
Although we’re effectively starting from zero, our previous data insights – and in particular, our existing Gen3 data from Season 9 – will be invaluable across the weekend.
Pay close attention from the word ‘go’ and watch practice closely as teams and drivers alike start to relearn what it means to race in Berlin.
Berlin’s track surface is unique to Formula E. It is extremely abrasive, has high friction levels, and was designed to slow aircraft down when the site was still in use as an airport until 2008.
This has a direct impact on tyre performance, and alongside energy management, tyre management and specifically temperature regulation will play a critical role this weekend.
To maximise performance, understanding how our tyres react to the surface on the new configuration will be vital and will shape how we lean on our tyres over push laps and race distances.
By gathering a more complete picture of tyre performance in practice, we’ll be in a prime position to adapt our approach as a team, meaning we can optimise our performance to extract the maximum pace available.
In Formula E, a circuit’s level of energy sensitivity is critical to the style of racing we’ll experience, and with high sensitivity levels, Berlin is set to be an action-packed weekend.
With a form of the peloton set to return, expect to see wheel-to-wheel racing throughout the field as drivers jockey for position while sparingly spending energy.
Turns One, Two, and Six will be a hive of activity in particular but pay close attention to drivers and teams who strategically lose ground at the start of the race, all with the aim of fighting back at the end.
With the benefit of less air resistance in the pack, leveraging slipstreaming can improve efficiency by up to 10%, allowing for more energy saving opportunities alongside traditional regenerative braking and lifting and coasting.
Every energy sensitive E-Prix is built on intrigue, intuition, and pure excitement. The 2024 Berlin E-Prix may well be one of the highlights of Season 10.
Following on from Diriyah and Misano, the 2024 Berlin E-Prix marks the third double-header race of Season 10 and as such, opens a host of opportunities across the weekend.
Firstly, there are twice as many points up for grabs but crucially, it also presents teams with a key opportunity to improve performance as the weekend evolves.
This means that if Race One doesn’t go as planned, there is an invaluable opportunity to recover on Sunday, but as with everything in motorsport, there is also another side to the story.
A team which, by contrast, performs well in Race One will be able to refine performance further ahead of Race Two to theoretically strengthen their existing competitive hold.
From Berlin onwards, every remaining race in Season 10 will be a double-header, meaning that this is a rhythm the whole grid will be facing until the campaign’s close in London.
Whenever we receive an opportunity to run on track, we take it, and as the only in-season test of 2024, Berlin’s Rookie Test represents a critical opportunity to gather more data.
By maximising the time to collect more data than usual, we’ll be able to accelerate the development of our car, the Maserati Tipo Folgore, to improve performance for future races.
In Berlin we’re delighted to be joined by 2022 FIA Formula 2 champion, Felipe Drugovich – who previously tested for Maserati MSG Racing in Season 9 – and Stellantis Motorsport Young Driver Program member, Nico Pino.
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