Formula E is gearing up for the Mexico City ePrix, taking place for the second time at the AutódromoHermanosRodríguez.
It’s been six weeks since the series raced in BuenosAires, where Renault e.dams’ SebastienBuemi continued his streak of winning each race of season three to extend his championship lead to 29 points over ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport’s Lucas diGrassi. Even though the Brazilian driver picked up the first pole position of 2017, he had to settle for third behind Techeetah’s Jean-EricVergne.
Like his teammate at Renault e.dams, NicoProst has been consistent in his race finishes. The Frenchman has finished fourth in all three races and is currently third in the Drivers’ Championship behind Di Grassi and Buemi, but will be aiming to step on to the podium in Mexico.
The Teams’ Championship is looking to be Renault e.dams‘ to lose, even before the fourth of 12 rounds gets underway, as the French team find themselves on 111 points, 51 points ahead of nearest rivals ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport.
As part of our preview for the Mexico City ePrix, ReadMotorsport discuss Esteban Gutierrez’s impending debut in Formula E at his home race, the role that Toyota’s World Endurance Championship launch could have on the season, recap last season’s controversial Mexico City ePrix and look at the weather forecast & track ahead of the weekend.
Gutierrez to make his debut
After announcing that he would be joining Formula E for some races during the 2016-17 season in January, last week it was confirmed that he would join Techeetah as a replacement for Ma Qing Hua.
The move comes in time for Gutierrez to make his Formula E debut in front of a home crowd. The Mexican has previously raced at the track before, finishing 19th at the Formula 1 Mexican Grand Prix last year, which should make it easier for him to get used to his new surroundings.
For Techeetah the decision to replace Ma was relatively easy to make. After three races he was bottom in the Drivers’ Championship, with his best finish being 15th in Marrakesh. Compare that to his team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne, who finished eighth in the same race and made it onto the second step of the podium in Buenos Aires.
The Chinese team are on 20 points in the Teams’ Championship, with only seven points currently separating fourth and eighth in the standings. Consistent top ten finishes are needed to finish the season successfully, and Gutierrez has the talent to do well in Formula E.
Could WEC launches impact the championship?
With Toyota unveiling their new LMP1 car for the 2017 World Endurance Championship season this Friday at Monza, three drivers will be taking a long-haul flight the night before the Mexico City ePrix. They are Venturi’s Stephane Sarrazin, DS Virgin Racing’s Jose Maria Lopez, and the championship leader Sebastien Buemi.
After narrowly beating Lucas di Grassi to become the Formula E Drivers’ Champion last season, the Swiss driver has been a step ahead of everyone during season three after winning each of the three races and has amassed a 29 point gap to di Grassi.
Buemi and the other drivers travelling from Italy are bound to be at least slightly affected on Saturday. A direct flight from London to Mexico City takes up to 12 hours, and from Monza it will take even longer. While you can’t rule the defending champion out, a victory could be the beginning of a run of good results for anyone.
Last time in Mexico City
Formula E made its debut at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez last season and it is the only race on the calendar that takes place at a permanent road course. It provided intense action and twists in the championship story even after the race concluded.
Di Grassi made his way from fourth to second by the time everyone went to the pits to change cars, and not long after powered his way into the lead. However, it was the battle between Buemi and Jerome D’Ambrosio during the second stint that grabbed everyone’s attention.
The two drivers battled hard with Nico Prost, making the action more intense before Prost was given a drive-through penalty. Buemi and d’Ambrosio eventually finished the race second and third respectively, with just over a tenth separating them when they crossed the line.
Di Grassi won the race in style, however, he was disqualified from the race later in the day after it was found his first car was slightly underweight. The Brazilian continued his great form to win the next two races, but it was this disqualification that arguably cost him the Drivers’ Championship in the 2015-16 season.
Sunshine in Mexico
While Buenos Aires was forecasted to rain during the race, there will be no worry of that happening in Mexico City this weekend. The city is due to enjoy a day of sunshine and temperatures of 29C with 0% chance of rain during the day.
The race takes place on a modified Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit and makes use of the impressive stadium section. It is 2.092km in length with drivers going clockwise around the track and consists of 17 turns. Work has been done on the Turn 1 chicane ahead of the race, with the reprofiling at the first section of the course meant to aid racing.