How we won the 2022 Marrakech E-Prix

Temperatures were high in Formula E’s return to Morocco and ROKiT Venturi Racing and Edoardo Mortara kept cool amidst the searing heat of North Africa.

After setting the pace in FP1, Edo only grew in confidence as he mastered Marrakech’s Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan with great effect.

But how did Monaco’s only racing team control the pace to deliver a clinical third victory in Formula E’s eighth season?

We’ve jumped deep into our data to generate an insight-fuelled lap-by-lap guide as to how we won the 2022 Marrakech E-Prix.

FP1 – Edo takes to the track as the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan hosts its first session since the 2020 Marrakech E-Prix in Season 6. The track evolves and after completing 18 laps, Edo ends the session with the fastest time, a 1:18.670.

Group A – As the third-placed driver in the World Championship standings, Edo performs his initial qualifying efforts in Group A. He improves on his seventh and final lap in the session to set the pace, delivering a 1:18.386 which secures his place in the duel stages.

Quarter-Final One – After setting the fastest time in Group A, Edo faces Mitch Evans in the first quarter-final. Turning the car up to 250kW, he bests the Jaguar Racing driver by 0.474 seconds to advance to the Semi-Finals.

Semi-Final One – In the penultimate stage of qualifying, Edo faces Pascal Wehrlein. In a hotly contested head-to-head, he edges a 0.176 second margin over the Porsche pilot to win his 15th duel of the season and progress to the pole position shootout.

Final – Edo goes up against Antonio Felix da Costa in the final after the Portuguese driver defeated team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne in the previous round. Da Costa edges ahead by only 0.081 seconds to claim pole position, with Edo securing second on the grid for a fifth front row start in nine races.

Lap One – From the front row, Edo secures a clean getaway to maintain position into Turn One. He settles into a rhythm behind race leader Da Costa and winds up only 1.063 seconds adrift at the close of the opening lap.

Lap Two – Edo posts the fastest lap of the race, a 1:23.589, to reduce Da Costa’s advantage. He outpaces the DS Techeetah pilot by 0.042 seconds, with the gap now standing at 1.021 seconds.

Lap Three – Edo improves upon his previous personal best time by 0.396 seconds to set another fastest lap. He closes the gap to Da Costa further and begins to apply additional pressure, now only 0.849 seconds behind.

Lap Five – Da Costa dives around the outside of Turn Three to arm and activate his first use of Attack Mode, gaining a three-minute boost in power to 250kW. Edo snakes up the inside to take the lead.

Lap Six – With Da Costa closing in with his power advantage, Edo opts to activate Attack Mode. Driving through the designated zone, he loses 0.813 seconds and slips down to second. Da Costa regains the lead, with his first power boost close to expiration.

Lap Eight – Da Costa arms his final use of Attack Mode which allows Edo to regain the lead, with the pair exchanging positions for a third time in only four laps.

Lap 10 – Edo overcuts Da Costa’s second Attack Mode usage, and by deploying the device himself without sacrificing track position, holds the net lead in the race.

Lap 14 – Evans overtakes Da Costa to become Edo’s newest challenger. The Kiwi slices the gap to only 0.489 seconds and begins to apply pressure from behind while Lucas di Grassi sets the fastest lap with a 1:20.909 lap in Attack Mode.

Lap19 – Da Costa ends Evans’ charge by returning to second place. Edo’s lead stands at 0.578 seconds, with high ambient temperatures demanding careful energy management due to high battery temperatures.

Lap 25 – The DS Techeetah drivers exchange positions strategically, with Vergne overtaking Da Costa in an attempt to challenge Edo for the race lead. The Frenchman sits 0.950 seconds back, with the number of laps until the chequered flag waning.

Lap 29 – With Vergne failing to make an impression, Da Costa repasses to renew his challenge for the win. The gap stands at 0.789 seconds.

Lap 31 – Despite not having the advantage of Attack Mode, Edo sets his fastest lap of the race with a 1:21.787 second tour of the circuit. He outpaces Da Costa by 0.152 seconds to increase his advantage at the front.

Lap 34 – With Da Costa failing to match ROKiT Venturi Racing’s pace in the closing stages, Edo takes the chequered flag by 2.297 seconds to win the 2022 Marrakech E-Prix. He secures his third win of the season and the fifth of his Formula E career, rises to sixth in Formula E’s all-time winners list and ascends to the head of the World Drivers’ Championship with six races remaining.