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The Portuguese DS-Techeetah driver, winner of the Monaco E-Prix last year, had warmed up quietly by setting the 4th fastest time in Free Practice 1, at daybreak, which was dominated by Nyck de Vries (Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team). Once wide awake, da Costa was the fastest in the second session, ahead of Mitch Evans (Jaguar) and Robin Frijns (Envision), two of the men in top form since the start of the season.
This session was meant to finalise set-ups before qualifying, but it was interrupted by a red flag for a few minutes. Two pilots saw their FP2 session end prematurely in the “S de la Piscine”. Oliver Askew (Avalanche Andretti) was the first to stop, then a few minutes later Alexander Sims (Mahindra Racing), with his steering broken after a contact against the safety barriers .
The immobilisation of the Briton’s single-seater, at La Rascasse, forced the race direction to interrupt the session. Other drivers also flirted with the limit, but without any damage, such as Dan Ticktum, Antonio Giovinazzi or Jean-Eric Vergne. The Frenchman and Championship leader finished 4th, more than 3 tenths behind teammate da Costa, who is now the new Formula E Monaco track record holder (1:30.435).
The Portuguese could start the qualifying session with maximum confidence, scheduled for 10:45 am.
The reigning Formula E World Champion was quickest in the first of the two free practice sessions scheduled for Saturday morning. The Mercedes-EQ driver came very close to the current track record in FE (1:31.118), posted last year by Mitch Evans in FP2, and kept Nick Cassidy (Envision) and Edoardo Mortara (Venturi) behind him.
1:31.154, this is the first best time of this Formula E Saturday in the Principality. De Vries set his fastest lap at the very end of the session, just after Cassidy had beaten Mortara’s best time. The reigning world champion – and Monegasque resident – thus put his name at the top of the time sheets, completing the 3,337km of the mythical track one tenth faster than the Envision driver.
Mercedes-EQ, starting its last Monaco E-Prix outing, will quit the discipline at the end of this season, but arrived in the Principality as leader of the FE Constructors’ World Championship. Belgian ace Stoffel Vandoorne could only post the 12th fastest time of this early bird session.
Antonio Felix da Costa, victorious last year before diving in the swimming pool, in his racing gear, was the best of the former winners of the event, putting his DS in 4th position, almost half a second behind Nyck de Vries (+0.499). His teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne, the winner in 2019, had to settle for 8th position while Sébastien Buemi (Nissan), a double winner in 2015 and 2017, made the most of his car’s ability to complete the 30-minute warm-up in 5th place.
The next session was due to start at 9:10 am, before the start of qualifications scheduled for 10:45 am.
A new qualifying format has been introduced this season, so it is about time to make a first assessment. One thing is certain, the new format is less chaotic and Robin Frijns took full advantage of it, until now: “I have always managed to get into the duel phase, and I hope it will be the same here in Monaco. With this new format, if you have a good car and you feel good in it, you always have a chance of finishing in the Top 8 in qualifying”, insists the Dutch Envision Team driver, who started this season well and often climbed on on the podium, even if victory still eludes him.
Until last year, with the different groups that followed one another on the track, “it was rather unsporty, it was a bit like gambling. If you were in Group 1, you were cleaning the track for the others. I am happy again to come to the races because I feel that if I make a good job, I will have a good result, it rewards the best team doing the best job, there is no excuse if you are not in the Top 4. You just need to work harder. It should be the case in any sport, without giving the pole position to a driver because he is far away in the championship and lucky to be at the right place at the right moment”.
As everything is relative, the opinion of Seb Buemi, a double winner in Monaco in FE (2015, 2017), is interesting: “The new qualifying format, when you are competitive, it’s good, because you really have an opportunity to go to the top eight. But when you’re a little on the inside, like us, it’s worse, because you can’t create a gap by being in the fastest group, because the track has improved”.
The new qualifying format, which is fairer on the whole, is therefore a guarantee that the best will be at the top of the starting grid more often, and that they will have less need to engage in extraordinary comebacks with the risk of causing collisions, accidents. But as JEV also points out this year, “the level of competition is extremely high, and the gaps are very small, because we are in the fourth year of Gen2 and each driver, each team, understands his car very well. He So you have to look for the small detail that can make a difference, the little thing that could have been done better in the previous race”.
This makes the FE all the more interesting, Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes) adds, as the field is exclusively made up of “drivers who mostly have a big track record, a lot of experience in different categories, and are all supported by big manufacturers”. So the Belgian driver does not want to look elsewhere, even if Mercedes will stop its official commitment, with a full works team, at the end of this season. In the meantime, for this last outing of Mercedes EQS in Monaco, Vandoorne hopes to do better than last year, when precisely the qualifying format penalized the Mercedes drivers. To be continued, on Saturday.
Unveiled to the world Thursday night at Monaco Yacht Club, the future single-seater of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, baptized Gen3, is already very much appreciated, except by a few drivers for its futuristic design. But as Jean-Eric Vergne says, even if “all the drivers find the Gen2 quite beautiful, it is more important that we give our opinion on the technical aspects than on the design, whether we like it or not. For the look of cars, it is better to ask the fans.” With regards to Gen3 cars, “it’s going to be really nice, because the cars will be lighter, more powerful, faster“, JEV insists. “It’s a bigger step than between Gen1 and Gen2, in my opinion, and they’re also going to be more efficient, in terms of energy recovery, so it goes in the direction of today’s world.” About Monaco, “And it will be interesting to drive, especially in Monaco. But on a circuit like Rome, it may become scary if we have 350 kW instead of 220 kW. And we also want it to be a pleasure to watch for the fans“.
The two-time FE champion is joined in his comments by Robin Frijns, the Envision driver, for whom “what the Gen3 is going to produce in terms of power will be good for the racing”. As for the futuristic look of the Gen3, “it’s not my taste” admits the Dutchman, “but what really matters is that it is lighter, more powerful and faster. I’ve heard that it is interesting to drive, especially with the new tyres, and I’m really looking forward to test it on track.”
The first on-track testing sessions by the teams are planned “within the next two months”, reveals James Barclay, Jaguar Racing’s Team Principal. According to him, it is “a new chapter which opens, and an exciting challenge, in connection also with our future production cars“. Barclay also points out that the size of the car, “narrower, more compact“, will be “good for the drivers” because it will encourage overtaking on certain tracks. The next phase is, in the coming weeks, the adaptation of the new power units of each manufacturer on the new common chassis, and then teams will need to continue developing the software, to exploit the Gen3 as well as possible“.
The last reaction of the day, in the press conference, came from Tommaso Volpe, the Formula E project manager at Nissan Motorsport. The Japanese giant is currently in the process of buying out French team e.dams. “The Gen3 will allow us to show our expertise in regenerating power, as we are going to achieve a 40% recuperation rate which is unique in motorsport. We will have to continue to find compromises as this is a very complex subject. And we are going to make sure that we improve the synergies between the racing team (e.dams) and our Nissan Motorsport engineers who work on various technologies. We are a bit far from the top teams, at the moment, but we hope to move up one or two places in the championship,” Volpe concludes.
Not only was he the very first winner of a Monaco E-Prix, but he remains the one and only double winner: in 2015 and again in 2017, Sébastien Buemi was untouchable in the streets of the Principality. The first time was historic, as the first ever race for Formula E in Europe, along Port Hercule, in a shortened version of Circuit de Monaco. That day, starting from pole position, Buemi (e.dams Renault) won after a race started by a pile-up at the first corner, between six cars. Two years later, still on a shortened circuit, Buemi again started on pole and again he won, after 51 laps, ahead of Lucas di Grassi (2nd) and Nick Heidfeld (3rd).
We are now in 2022 and the Swiss driver is less often at the forefront, because his Franco-Japanese team is not as efficient as before, but he is optimistic because he is back in Monaco: “We are coming out of two difficult years, and for us here it’s is closer to Mexico, with very fast corners, for FEs, and a softer surface, very different from Rome, so it should suit us better. FE is very tight now, so you have to score points all the time, even if you don’t win. The winner is the one who makes the fewest mistakes, and not necessarily the one who is the fastest, because it is very difficult to optimize the whole package. In fact, you have to be consistent all year round”.
A former FE champion, in 2016, a double endurance world champion, a three-time Le Mans winner, Buemi is well placed to judge the new regulations that are being put in place: “It’s difficult to get everything right with the regulations, because you have to make a compromise between technology, the show and the rest. In Europe, it’s cultural, we always want to have a lot of technology in the cars, whereas in Indycar it seems that they have had the same cars for 15 years”, Buemi smiles. “Before in FE, there were big gaps between the teams, but this year it’s very close in performance, only a few tenths between several teams,” adds Buemi. This is precisely what makes him optimistic for this weekend, because the famous cliché is “never two without three” and he feels that he has a chance.
Then remains the topic of the moment, the Gen3 presented on Thursday 28 April in Monaco as a world premiere: “The new Gen3 single-seater will correspond to a +step+ of a few seconds per lap, but it may be necessary to wait for another generation of cars until it really becomes impressive”, tempers Buemi. He continues endurance, with Toyota, but he still loves FE. He was entered in all eight seasons since the founding of the discipline (4-time vice-champion, in addition to his 2016 title), he won 13 times, he scored over 800 points, so he remains one of the benchmarks of the category: “It is progressing well, there is a much better brand awareness all round, but FE should never stop improving”, Buemi warns. He is as wise as he is lucid, and aware that the competition remains severe, from other categories. It’s up to the FE to play, again this weekend in Monaco, and then with the Gen3. Game on.
Formula E’s Gen3 all-electric race car was unveiled on Thursday at the Yacht Club de Monaco, ahead of the Monaco E-Prix race weekend. And everybody invited was stunned by the sheer beauty of the new car, set to race from Season 9.
The official unveiling was a very special event on the site of one of the most glamourous motor racing events of this world. A special event for manufacturers, teams, drivers, partners and VIP guests, but fans all over the world were also able to experience the show via the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s digital channels, in order to get a first in-depth look.
“Formula E’s Gen3 race car represents a leap forward for motorsport and electric mobility,” sayd Jamie Reigle, Formula E CEO. “Designed to demonstrate that high performance, efficiency and sustainability can be packaged together without compromise, the Gen3 car is our most powerful, lightest, and fastest race car to date. We are happy that we finally took the covers off the Gen3 in Monaco, a location steeped in motor racing history, and we are eager to see this car lighting up city streets around the world next season.”
While the world saw the Gen3 race car for the first time, on Thursday, Formula E has its sights further into the future of all-electric single-seater motorsport. In Monaco, Formula E and the FIA have also planned to host a roundtable event bringing together leaders from manufacturers across the automotive sector. This summit is designed to focus on potential innovations and technology roadmaps for the Gen4 era, as Formula E affirms its position as the pinnacle of electric mobility development and racing.
Many topics were discussed in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. « Have you ever been scared? » / « Is the Monaco circuit the most difficult? » / « Why did you choose this profession? » / « What is your salary? ».
This unusual moment for the pilots, who usually have a very tight routine, delighted more than just the children. “Your questions are not simple,” replies Jean-Eric Vergne with a smile. It also provided the drivers with the opportunity to ask the children questions: « Who is your favourite driver? » or « What is your favourite sport? ».
Our interviewers of the day questioned their champions for almost 30 minutes before moving on to the long-awaited signing and selfie session. Caps, flags, E-Prix tickets, kit and even the forearms of some schoolchildren have been autographed! Everything was good enough in order to keep a memory from this unique meeting. A football game was even started between the DS Techeetah pilots and the students of the FANB school on le Rocher in the playground. The enthusiasm for the Monaco E-Prix 2022 is rising in the schools.
Tomorrow, pupils from the Principality will once again have the opportunity to meet their heroes during a visit to the pit lane which will be organized on Friday morning.
One of motorsport’s most famous challenges awaits ABB FIA Formula E World Championship competitors this weekend – the legendary Monaco Circuit – with the glamorous Principality also due to play host to the eagerly-anticipated public unveiling of the Gen3 single-seater at the Monaco Yacht Club on Thursday evening.
Following three editions held around a shortened version of the famous Monaco lap, last season, drivers tackled the legendary 3.337km, 19-turn street circuit in its entirety for the first time – albeit with a couple of tweaks to make it better-suited to Formula E’s requirements. Those small modifications have been removed, meaning competitors will do battle on the historical layout, with its hills and high-speed sections sure to put their energy management skills to the ultimate test.
What’s more, if the nail-biting 2021 Monaco E-Prix was any indication, fans are in for another thrilling contest this weekend, and while it is a race that has always been won from pole position – highlighting the importance of maximizing qualifying – twice, victory has been decided by less than a third-of-a-second, accompanied by some spectacular displays of overtaking prowess.
The man who won three years ago – two-time champion Jean-Éric Vergne – tops the table arriving in the glamorous Principality for round six of the current campaign. The DS-Techeetah star turned 32 last Monday, he is a double Formula E champion and he vaulted to the summit of the standings in Rome last time out. Another man to have proven his pace in the Principality in the past is 2019/20 champion António Félix da Costa, JEV’s teammate at DS-Techeetah, who prevailed in last season’s crowd-pleasing encounter. He will be targeting a big result again this weekend as he seeks to kick-start his quest for a second Formula E crown.
But as ever in Formula E, the margin is narrow, with Envision Racing’s Robin Frijns just two points behind in second. The ultra-consistent Dutchman has three podium finishes to his credit already this season, and placed runner-up in Monaco last year following a lengthy spell at the front of the field. Frijns is in-turn two points ahead of Mercedes-EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne, who posted fastest lap in the race in 2021, while Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans is unquestionably the form driver in Formula E at present, dominating both legs of the Rome double-header to catapult himself into championship contention. The New Zealander was another to lead in Monaco last year, eventually winding up third.
Another quick Dutchman, reigning champion Nyck de Vries (Mercedes-EQ), has endured a challenging start to the defence of his hard-fought laurels, finishing no higher than sixth since his curtain-raising Diriyah triumph, while fellow title-winner Lucas Di Grassi has swiftly settled into his new surroundings at Venturi, reaching the rostrum in only his second race for the team in Saudi Arabia. The Brazilian, moreover, has twice secured the runner-up spoils in Monaco.
This is the weekend when Venturi, the one and only Monaco-based Formula E team, is ready to prove that it is now a regular title contender in the electric world. Edoardo Mortara will be eager to rapidly bounce back from a disappointing weekend in Italy, in Rome, that saw him surrender the top spot in the title chase. The ROKiT Venturi Racing ace – now down to fifth in the classification – will be hoping for a change of fortunes after failing to score in either of his two previous trips to Monaco.
Nissan e.dams’ Sébastien Buemi is statistically the series’ most successful driver in Monaco, having won the first two editions of the E-Prix, while Oliver Rowland (Mahindra Racing) came within a whisker of etching his name onto the prestigious winners’ trophy as well in 2019. The Briton was quickest in qualifying, only to be relegated to third on the grid due to a collision in a previous race. He went on to take the chequered flag second to Vergne, a scant 0.2s shy of victory.
TAG Heuer Porsche teammates and countrymen André Lotterer and Pascal Wehrlein are evenly-matched in sixth and seventh in the classification, the latter demonstrating his potential with fastest lap in Monaco in 2019 – and the German duo showed in Mexico in February that they can be more than a match for any of their high-calibre adversaries.
Jake Dennis’ raw speed for Avalanche Andretti has not always been reflected in his results so far during his sophomore campaign in Formula E, with much the same to be said for experienced compatriot Sam Bird. The Jaguar star, however, set fastest lap in Monaco in 2017, so he knows how to shine around its unforgiving streets.
The 2022 Monaco E-Prix will get underway at 15:04 CET on Saturday, 30 April.
The 5th edition of the Monaco E-Prix will take place on Saturday 30 of April. Tickets are still available to attend to the 6th round of the FIA ABB Formula E 2022 World Championship. A single price of €30 is applied to access to the event. Children aged between 6 and 15 years old will benefit from free tickets.
Where to buy your tickets?
Online: www.monaco-eprix.com
On site: ACM Official Ticket Office – 44, rue Grimaldi – Monaco
Other points of sale in Monaco:
