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The 2023 São Paulo E-Prix was marked by disappointment, but there’s cause for optimism. It’s only a matter of time before Maserati MSG Racing achieves a breakthrough performance.
Despite the bitterness of missed opportunities, it’s clear that the pace is improving, and it’s from the hard days that we learn the most to strike back stronger than ever before.
Using insights from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Team Principal, James Rossiter, debriefs Formula E’s maiden outing in Brazil, and explains how challenges can be turned into strengths.
“Formula E is one of motorsport’s most demanding categories, and on-track, there’s nowhere to hide,” says James.
“In some series like Formula One, you can take to the runoff and run wide, but here, there’s no margin for error.
“The smallest of mistakes comes with a very high price, and we’ve made too many mistakes this year. That’s something we can’t hide from.
“I said this earlier in the season, but the most difficult thing to do in motorsport is to build a fast car, and that’s something we know we’ve done – it’s been clear over the past few races.
“In Cape Town, Edo was fastest in FP1, second in FP2, and Max qualified on the front row and again this weekend, Max was second in FP2, both drivers were in the duels, and we’ve been in the fight for pole position in the past four races.
“We know we have the speed– that isn’t a concern.
“At this stage, we just need to execute a mistake-free race weekend, and if we can do that, I’m confident that we can be in the mix to score some good points, and maybe even a podium.
“We just need to stay composed, measure risk versus reward, and continue to trust the process.”
Strong performances from Groups A and B were crucial to place Edo and Max in good standing for the race, with the Swiss-Italian lining up fourth and his German team-mate ninth.
“After qualifying, things were looking very promising this weekend, but unfortunately, we fell at the first hurdle,” continues James.
“The front wing damage on lap one makes it very difficult to assess Edo’s real pace, but after the Safety Car, he was one of the fastest cars in the field, going from 20th to 14th in only five laps.
“Having two race neutralisations in such a short space of time on an energy-sensitive circuit meant that we had to stay on top of things, but real-time strategy insights from Hewlett Packard Enterprise allowed us to adjust our energy targets each lap to run an efficient race.
“Edo was unlucky to be hit by [Nico] Müller later, and was forced to retire, but fighting through from the back of the grid opens risks like this. It’s another story of what could have been.
“Max’s pace was quite strong, and from the start he was in the mix in the fight for seventh with both McLarens.
“Unfortunately, we had a systems error on his car and this meant that he lost time in Turn One, and received a time penalty because he didn’t stop in the runoff.
“Max has come so close to securing a breakthrough result over the past few races, and I know that it’s only a matter of time before he returns to the top 10.”
After three consecutive races on new circuits, Formula E returns to a familiar favourite, Berlin, next month,which is the site of some of the team’s greatest successes, including two pole positions, two victories and four podiums in the past two seasons.
“Berlin is the next race of the season, and it’s a circuit that the team has enjoyed a massive amount of success at in the past,” adds James.
“Before that, we have a welcome break coming up and hopefully, we’ll be able to return more composed.
“As a team, there’s no denying that we’re in a good place mentally, and I think we have a healthy approach to facing our difficulties.
“Through everything we’ve experienced, we’ve remained united and that’s something I’m proud of. This season has brought us together, and we know that we’ll come back stronger.
“The success will come and when it does, it’ll be the result of the hard work, perseverance and dedication of every one of our team members.”
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