The Notebook: Berlin

Get the inside line on Berlin with insights powered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Berlin is hallowed ground for Formula E. It has appeared in every season, hosted motorsport’s most intense finale in 2020, and has been the site of some of our greatest successes.

This week, Maserati MSG Racing returns to the famed circuit and with a pair of races in store, and the return of the series’ rookie test, has high aspirations and an eye on success.

Last season, the team triumphed at Tempelhof by securing two pole positions, a pair of podiums, a new lap record, and a crucial victory for Edoardo Mortara.

Our Racing Director, Jérémy Colançon, was at the apex of this effort and with a presence on the grid since the series’ inaugural season, is a paddock authority on all things Formula E.

He is a two-time Engineer of the Year Award winner, and a four-time World Champion, and with insights from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, highlights every aspect of performance for the Berlin E-Prix.

Prior Knowledge: Berlin is a circuit that every team knows well, but I expect us to face a number of new challenges, especially since this will be our first Gen3 race weekend at Tempelhof. Because of the new car and technical changes, past success will count for nothing this weekend, and we’ll essentially be starting from scratch, but knowledge from Gen2 should offer some insight in the right circumstances.

Track Surface: Berlin has an extremely high-friction, abrasive track surface which was designed to slow down aircraft when Tempelhof was still in service. This is different to any other surface we have raced on this season, and it will have a big impact on performance. Understanding tyre characteristics across push laps and long distances will be critical when trying to unlock the weekend.

Double-Header: Berlin is the second double-header of the season, and this will open more opportunities for learning and performance improvement between Saturday and Sunday. We’ll have more data, the drivers will have better references to push more, and the track should grip up. In the only double-header of the season so far, we saw good lap time improvements in Race Two and I expect to see that again this weekend.

Energy Sensitivity: Like the past few races, Berlin is a highly energy sensitive circuit, but unlike São Paulo and Cape Town, slipstreaming should be less of a factor. Instead, more of a focus will be placed on pure energy management throughout and the battle for victory will likely run until the very last lap again. Real–time data insights from Hewlett Packard Enterprise will be integral to our strategy across both days, so we can calculate our lap-by-lap energy targets accurately as the race evolves.

Rookie Test: Monday’s Rookie Test will be very important for us as a team. Since the start of the season, we’ve seen our performance improve race by race, although the points table might not reflect that. The Gen3 car is still in its development stage at this point in its lifecycle and because of this, it’s vital to keep collecting as much data as possible. Tests like this will be invaluable.