The Notebook: Mexico City

Get the inside line for Mexico City with insights powered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise

With exhilarating on-track action, an intoxicating atmosphere, and a fearless fan base that matches the intense excitement of Formula E, the Mexico City E-Prix packs a punch.

It marks the start of a new season, and as Maserati MSG Racing returns to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez ,Racing Director, Jérémy Colançon, looks ahead to a new era of competition.

Holding four World Championship titles, Jérémy is one of Formula E’s most decorated technical figures, and as a two-time Engineer of the Year Award winner, is also one of its most celebrated.

With insights powered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Jérémy pinpoints every detail to watch out for during the opening race weekend of Season 9.

‍

The First Outing: In Valencia, we enjoyed a very promising and successful pre-season test, and while we gathered an incredible amount of data, it’s important to remember that the conditions in Mexico City will be vastly different to those in Spain. Crucially, we’re anticipating higher ambient temperatures, and this will impact various aspects of performance, including handling and efficiency.

‍

‍High Altitude: The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is located more than two kilometres above sea level, and the circuit’s high altitude will have an impact on car performance, as it has done in past races. Because the air is thin, we will have less drag on the straights which will make energy saving easier, but reduced downforce will also decrease the amount of load on the tyres. This means that we will see more sliding in the corners and therefore, more overheating, which may change the characteristics of the tyres.

‍

‍Track Changes & Strategy: For 2023, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez has one key change, with the addition of a new chicane on the approach to the Foro Sol. Not only will this new sequence alter our car setup, but it will also impact our strategy, with the additional braking zone allowing for more energy recovery. We’re at the start of a new era for Formula E, and during the Mexico City E-Prix, I’m confident that we’ll see a lot of different strategies from team-to-team.

‍

‍Overtaking: In comparison to other circuits on the Season 9 calendar, it is quite easy to overtake in Mexico City. The best place to overtake is into Turn One, but there are additional opportunities into Turn Three and Turn 12, although drivers will need to be brave on the brakes. An energy offset and advantage over competitors will also be a key performance advantage in race scenarios.

‍

‍Energy Management: When we arrive in Mexico City, we have two performance goals – being fast over one lap and having quick energy saving laps. To have the latter, it will be crucial to find a good compromise on energy management, carefully balancing recovery with having good deployment to fight with competitors. With increased power, regenerative braking is one of the key challenges and areas of optimisation in Gen3, and it will be important to validate our long-run performance findings during practice.