Formula E Sao Paulo season-opener could be ‘temperature limited’ race

System E drivers have warned that this weekend’s season-opening Sao Paulo E-Prix could possibly be a ‘temperature restricted’ race, with automotive batteries set to be put underneath excessive warmth circumstances.

Temperatures for the primary race of the marketing campaign are anticipated to be effectively over 30C and just like final season’s occasion, which was held on 16 March 2024.

In the course of the earlier outing drivers suffered from de-rating, the place power from the batteries was not delivered at its optimum and dramatically decreased efficiency, and runner-up Mitch Evans cited it as the rationale why he misplaced victory on the ultimate lap to Sam Bird.

“I feel we have all ready for it [de-rating] up and down the grid,” mentioned Maserati MSG’s Jake Hughes.

“Final yr was a shock to all people to be trustworthy. From what I’ve heard I do not suppose actually anyone deliberate for it final yr and it was all about reacting within the second.

“Now we’re clearly very a lot conscious that we will have that this weekend, the temperature appears fairly comparable.

“I would not go so far as to say we’re anticipating it, however I feel it utterly depends upon the tempo of the race within the first half of the race. If it is rather a lot sooner than it was final yr, then I feel we could possibly be managing that for positive.”

With Assault Mode set to characteristic all-wheel-drive for the primary time this season because of the new Gen3 Evo automotive, it’s prone to carry larger strategic relevance with groups and drivers presumably deploying it later in proceedings.

Robin Frijns believes that drivers could also be pressured into utilizing it sooner than deliberate although, as any profit from the additional 350kW mode could possibly be negated by excessive battery temperatures.

“With the tyres it’s laborious to say as a result of we’ve actually probably not been in scorching circumstances with the tyres but, however for positive battery restricted,” he mentioned. “So in case you’re in Assault Mode on the finish, it does not make any distinction.”

Envision team-mate Sebastien Buemi additionally recommended that leaving it too late may trigger issues if the complete eight minutes, deployed over two Assault Modes, usually are not accomplished earlier than the tip of Saturday’s race.

“For those who go away it fairly late and you’ve got a security automotive and everybody’s bunched up and you continue to have an assault, it could possibly be a sport changer and you might go quite a lot of guys,” he mentioned.

“However once you go away it lengthy, in case you can not end the Assault Mode earlier than the tip of the race, you get disqualified so it is once more going to be a compromise between how a lot danger you wish to take versus battery temperature.”