Racing on arguably the most iconic motorsport street circuit this past weekend, the FIA ABB Formula E took to the Monaco circuit for the sixth round of the 8th Formula E season. It was a significant event this time round as the new Gen3 car was also launched; the car which will race in Cape Town in 2023.
The Gen3 car
Seven manufacturers have already signed up to race in the ninth season next year. DS Automobiles will join Jaguar, Mahindra Racing, NIO 333, Nissan, and Porsche, while Maserati becomes the latest manufacturer to join this series.
The new Formula E car will undoubtably be the quickest yet and will also be the first net-zero racing car ever. Capable of 322km/h, the car will have two powertrains at the front and the back, delivering 250kW and 350kW respectively. With 600kW in total then, the Gen3 will deliver more than double the regenerative capability of the current Gen2 car.
The car will also have ultra-high speed charging capability of 600Kw for additional energy delivery during every race. This is more than double the charge rate of the current most advanced commercial chargers (for public road cars).
The Gen3 batteries will also be recycled and reused after the end of its life cycle. Recycled carbon fibre from the current Gen2 cars will also be used to construct the Gen3 cars, while natural rubber and recycled fibres will make up 26% of the new Gen3 tyres. These will also be fully recycled after every race.
According to the current Season 9 / 2023 calendar, these Gen 3 cars are set to race on the streets of Cape Town. For more information on the track layout, visit our NamWheels Instagram page or Galimoto Media YouTube page for a full track layout video.
Jaguar TCS on pole
Having won round 3 and 4 of the 8th season in Rome last time round, Mitch Evans (Jaguar) took another crucial pole position in Monaco. Arguably the most crucial track to do so, Evans edged Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) by 0.02 seconds.
Vandoorne and Mercedes into the championship lead
Coming into this race, third in the championship and yet to win a race this season, Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes) played the tactical game and won his first race of the season to move into the overall championship lead.
Evans managed to stay in the lead from the start, but Wehrlein always stayed closely behind. However, with 20 minutes left, the order changed as Jean-Eric Vergne (DS-Techcheetah) took the lead briefly, only for Wehrlein to steal the lead and edge clear of the rest.
Disaster then struck the Porsche driver as he clipped the wall, handing Vergne the lead once again. Amidst the chaos, Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes EQ) overtook Evans. Vergne also then went for attack mode, handing Vandoorne and Evans the first two places. The Frenchman, however, tactically lost out as a full course yellow was brought out as Wehrlein retired from the race.
Then race went from bad to worse for Porsche as Oliver Rowland (Mahindra Racing) understeered into the first corner, sending both himself and Andre Lotterer into the wall just after the pit straight, bringing out the safety car.
The field bunched up yet again, but Vandoorne managed a descent restart, from Evans, who managed to slightly clear Vergne. Evans then went for attack mode, handing second place to Vergne. The Jaguar, however, soon passed Vergne to set his sights on Vandoorne. Activating his fanboost soon thereafter meant that the Mercedes edged well into the lead of the pole sitter.
While the cars behind were all very close together, Vandoorne opened a gap to eventually win the race from Evans and Vergne.
The Mercedes EQ driver now sits on 81 points, 6 clear of Vergne, with Evans another three points behind. Mercedes also sits on 120 points, 15 ahead of DS Techcheetah, with Jaguar TCS Racing another 11 behind.