ABB FIA Formula E World Championship competitors are set to tackle an entirely new track this weekend in the shape of the Hyderabad Street Circuit.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will tread new ground on Saturday (11 February), as the all-electric single-seater series travels to India for the first time for round four of its 2022/23 campaign.
The lakeside Hyderabad Street Circuit is the venue for the Hyderabad E-Prix, whose 2.835km, 18-turn lap represents uncharted territory for all 22 of the championship’s high-calibre protagonists.
They are led currently by TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, who supplanted Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) at the summit of the standings courtesy of a dominant double victory in Diriyah. First and second in every race contested, the Porsche-powered pair have appeared unstoppable – with Dennis triumphing in the Mexico City curtain-raiser – but heading to India, their rivals are redoubling their efforts to redress the balance.
The chase is spearheaded by 2015/16 champion Sébastien Buemi. The Swiss star looks reinvigorated since his switch to Envision Racing and has been a contender in all three E-Prixs so far in Season 9, soaring to his first pole position in more than three-and-a-half years in Saudi Arabia and tallying a trio of top six finishes.
Like Buemi, Jaguar TCS Racing’s Sam Bird endured a season to forget in 2021/22, but the Briton has similarly been firmly in the mix since the beginning of the Gen3 era, reaching the rostrum around the Riyadh Street Circuit after leading the way for much of the first showdown in the desert kingdom.
Countryman Jake Hughes has been a revelation for NEOM McLaren Formula E Team in his rookie campaign in the fiercely-fought series, qualifying and racing consistently up at the sharp end. The 28-year-old stunned by taking his maiden pole position in only his third start last time out, and having displayed podium-challenging pace in every round to-date, he will be eager to make good on his palpable potential in India.
In the sister McLaren, Formula E returnee René Rast has also shown a strong turn-of-speed, taking the chequered flag third in Diriyah – the same result achieved by 2016/17 title-winner Lucas Di Grassi in Mexico following a defensive masterclass. The Brazilian and stablemate Oliver Rowland are sure to enjoy plenty of fan support this weekend on Mahindra Racing’s home soil.
André Lotterer (Avalanche Andretti) and António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche) have struggled to match their pace-setting team-mates thus far, but with no fewer than 24 podium finishes between them over the course of their respective careers in the championship – including seven wins and the 2019/20 crown for the latter – it seems much more a question of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ they join the hunt for silverware.
Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans led the initial stages of the second Diriyah E-Prix only to subsequently slip down the order. The New Zealander – championship runner-up last season – has been better than his early results would imply, so will be keen to kick-start his title challenge this weekend.
In the same way, a quartet of other expected front-runners have yet to hit the high notes in 2022/23. DS Penske duo Jean-Éric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne – Formula E champions both – as well as Maserati MSG Racing pairing Edoardo Mortara and Maximilian Günther have endured a difficult start to the campaign for a variety of reasons, but signs suggest the two teams are now beginning to make progress.
Vergne fought hard to secure seventh in Saudi Arabia, with Mortara getting Maserati off the mark 24 hours later when he crossed the finish line ninth. Following his qualifying accident on the Friday that ruled him out of that evening’s race, team-mate Maximilian Günther bounced back with a top ten grid position the next day, and previous form proves that he and Mortara are more than capable of extracting the very best from the equipment at their disposal.
Series sophomore Dan Ticktum has had cause to feel under-rewarded, twice starting inside the top five for NIO 333 Racing – underlining his innate pace – but counting only one point to his name. Nissan Formula E Team’s Sacha Fenestraz, by contrast, opened his own account with an impressive eighth place in just his fourth outing in Diriyah – something the Frenchman will be bidding to build upon in India.
At ABT CUPRA Formula E Team, meanwhile, Kelvin van der Linde continues to stand in for Robin Frijns alongside Nico Müller, as the Dutchman recovers from the hand injury he sustained in Mexico City.
The inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix will get underway at 15:03 local time (10:33 CET) on Saturday, 11 February.
WHAT’S NEW FOR 2023
– Introduction of the smaller, lighter and faster Gen3 cars
– Races will run to a set number of laps rather than time, in a bid to make them simpler to follow while allowing teams more control over their own strategies.
– The Safety Car or Full Course Yellow neutralisations will be compensated by added laps rather than added time.