In this barren and cold time of the year, when track-racing is just as scarce as water in the desert, the Santiago ePrix, which was the third round of the ABB Formula E championship came just about in time! Yet again, Formula E managed to deliver a short but kamikaze-style race with BMW i Andretti’s new recruit Maximilian Gunther snatching the win away from Antonio Felix Da Costa in his DS Techeetah to take his maiden win in the series. As we bid goodbye to a frantic, yet memorable weekend of racing, here’s a look back to five things that we learnt from this year’s Santiago ePrix!
The Future Is Now For Maximilian Gunther & BMW
For years now, Maximilian Gunther has been regarded as one of the most promising young talents to emerge out Germany in recent times, yet his career trajectory didn’t exactly stick to the intended plan. A bittersweet season in Formula 2 in 2018 was followed by a move to the electric vertical of motorsport with Dragon Racing. Inconsistent seat time and a rather uncompetitive car hampered his progress and made his records from season 2018-19 look rather underwhelming. Thankfully, the bosses at BMW saw the great potential that he offered and signed him up to fill the vacant seat left by Antonio Felix Da Costa. 2019 seemed to be the make-or-break year for Gunther and in only the third race he has proved that he is more than just an exciting prospect; a genuine race winner lies within Gunther and it was about time that he showed just what he was capable of!
Maximilian Günther (DEU), BMW I Andretti Motorsports, celebrates on the podium
Knowledge Is Power
If you come to think of memorable messages on the team radio, one that definitely stands out in the last few years is Kimi Raikkonen’s iconic “Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing” statement at the Abu Dhabi GP in 2012. While Kimi being Kimi is uniquely nonchalant and casual, Formula E drivers are much the opposite; in a race dogged by battery temperature issues, having complete information about the current condition of the car is quintessential to plotting out your race on the go. As demonstrated by Antonio Felix Da Costa and his team at the Santiago ePrix, being given the wrong information about the current state of the battery can potentially cost you the win with drivers going for the wrong approach as a consequence. Apparently, had Da Costa been given accurate information by the team about the energy remaining and the battery temperature, he would have been less conservative and could have prevented Gunther passing him for the lead towards the end. As the saying goes, ‘Knowledge is power’.
Antonio Felix da Costa (PRT), DS Techeetah, 2nd position
Is there light at the end of the tunnel for NIO 333?
NIO’s journey in Formula E would be best summarised by the phrase ‘downhill spiral’. From winning the Drivers’ Championship with Nelson Piquet Jr in Season 1 to scoring merely 7 points in Season 5, Formula E has been quite the trainwreck for the Chinese squad. A re-branding of the team and a switch to a ‘luckier name’ with 333 (believed to be a lucky number in China) added to the team name didn’t improve NIO’s fortunes for the first two races in Saudi Arabia. In Santiago though, Oliver Turvey managed to set a blistering lap time that took the NIO to Super Pole, much to the surprise and pleasure of everyone watching. The race initially seemed to be promising for Turvey too with the Brit moving up to P4 from P5 at the start but soon, their deficit in race pace caught up and Turvey finished in a tantalizing P11. NIO still haven’t opened their account for this season but their surprise qualifying performance suggests that the team isn’t just deadwood; perhaps some work on their race pace can see them fighting for points, which have proven to be harder to come by as a result of the larger grid this season.
Oliver Turvey (GBR), NIO 333, NIO FE-005
A change of trend for Mahindra Racing
In the last few years, Mahindra Racing have been strong starters, kicking off the season with a flurry of podiums and wins before an unfortunate turn of events that sees their championship challenge fizzling out after the midway stage. This trend has left many Indian fans confused and bewildered about why the team has been unable to sustain a season long fight, yet, they fervently support the team and hope for the best in every race. This year though, Mahindra Racing have unusually started slow, extracting only 14 points from the first three races of the Formula E season. While collecting as many points as possible should always be the main aim, the regular Mahindra Racing trend is seemingly being broken. By this logic, a strong finish awaits them but Formula E isn’t run by trends and omens; Mahindra Racing has always been an incredibly capable outfit and to finish higher than they ever have, the team must make the most of each of the eleven races left this season.
Jérôme d’Ambrosio (BEL), Mahindra Racing, M6Electro
Team-mate troubles
If there is any implicit rule of motorsport, it is to never hit your teammate. It is widely regarded as the golden rule of motorsport; the one thing that you simply cannot afford to get wrong. Yet, with your team-mate considered to be your first rival, things can spice up between drivers of the same team, sometimes to the extent of making Team Principals suffer through living hell! In the Santiago ePrix, both Rokit Venturi Racing and DS Techeetah witnessed extreme difficulties between their drivers that hindered the overall progress of each team.
At a stage when both drivers were in the Top 5, had Edoardo Mortara not squeezed his Venturi teammate Felipe Massa into the wall, both drivers could have potentially challenged for a podium instead of having to retire and finishing P9 respectively. The reigning champions DS Techeetah faced similar issues with Jean-Eric Vergne’s decision not to pit immediately after damaging his front wing costing his teammate Antonio Felix Da Costa dearly. Had Vergne pitted and not held him up, Da Costa could have been further up the field and would have made things even harder for Gunther towards the end.
(Photo by Sam Bloxham / LAT Images)
What could have been remains to be something that the team bosses would be pondering but one thing is pretty clear – do whatever you wish to but just do not hamper your teammate’s race!
The ABB Formula E championship moves on from the Santiago ePrix to Mexico City for the fourth round of the season on the 15th of February, 2020. Click here to know more about the race!
Read More: Santiago ePrix 2020 Race Results – Formula E
Media Credits: ABB Formula E
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