Jérémy’s Notebook: Marrakech

Having last raced in Marrakech in Season 6, the Formula E field holds historic circuit data to shape strategy and influence understanding. With a presence on the grid since 2014, ROKiT Venturi Racing Chief Engineer, Jérémy Colançon, applies his experiences to provide the inside line on the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan.

‍Energy Management – The Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan ranks high in terms of energy sensitivity and management. The layout is extremely fast and with long straights, careful energy management is crucial to complete a successful race. Temperatures in Morocco are also very high at this time of the year, meaning that carefully managing battery temperatures will present an additional challenge.

‍Overtaking – The Marrakech E-Prix circuit offers multiple different opportunities to overtake, with the key places being before Turn One, Turn Three, Turn Seven and into Turn 11. The track’s energy sensitivity will also promote additional overtaking, meaning that a strong result in qualifying isn’t always required to deliver a good position in the race.

‍Strategy – Because of projected lap times and depending upon the presence of Safety Car and Full Course Yellow periods, we may face a scenario where the race is longer or shorter by one lap. This will influence our energy consumption strategy and whether we will be aggressive or conservative in terms of usage. Strategy will be fluid from start to finish and it will be important to be adaptable each lap.‍

Data – Although Formula E hasn’t visited the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan since Season 6, we have a strong understanding of the circuit. Our data from historic races and telemetry from past test sessions form a key basis of our understanding and by correlating this with our simulator, we have good knowledge at this stage.‍

Attack Mode – As one of the faster circuits on the Season 8 calendar, and because the track is so energy sensitive, we expect Attack Mode to be a key influencing factor during the race. As usual, the time loss upon activation will mean that it is crucial to time the deployment perfectly to avoid losing a position.