The secrets behind a silent Formula E team

Formula

is a different category, for many reasons.

One of them is that it runs exclusively on urban circuits, which can change every year because they are installed in the heart of the cities that receive the E Prix that is part of the World Championship.

This characteristic is one of the reasons why this electric car competition has been gaining popularity since it was born, nine years ago.

But it is also one of the biggest challenges that the teams face on each date, in which they must work in a very organized way, with a special dynamic. 

Each team is a well-oiled machine.

Each member knows his role and knows when to intervene and when not, as told by the members of the

, in which the French-Argentine

runs , in the run-up to the test held in

this weekend.

"Unlike other categories, we don't really know the circuits. With a few exceptions, like Mexico or Monaco, we don't know the exact layout or the asphalt conditions until two or three days before traveling. And although we receive the geometry of the circuit from the FIA, when we arrived, perhaps we found that it was a few meters to the left because there was a pothole and they had to move it a bit. And that alone changes all the planning that we could have done", explained Tommaso Volpe, General Manager of the Japanese

.

The French-Argentine Sacha Fenestraz chatting with a member of the Nissan E Team.

Nissan Press Photo

The Italian said that, between one race and another, many simulations are carried out at the factory to analyze, for example, how the car can perform on the track or how they can manage energy during the race to make the most of it.

And different scenarios are considered, in case the car starts from pole position or further back.

But when they arrive at the competition site, the real work begins.

"The first thing to do is to understand the differences between reality and what we simulate at the factory. It is one of the most important jobs of the weekend. After the first practice session, in which we really understand how the car behaves and how the track behaves, the data is collected and a correlation is made between that information and the one we bring back from the simulation. And there we go back to analyze all those possible scenarios with the new data," Volpe explained.

That's just the first step.

"Then we have another practice session, which is generally in other conditions of temperature, wind and other factors. And you have to make another correlation. Basically, with each session you get closer to the reality of what the race is going to be like. And just before the race, when we already have the results of the classification -and we know from which starting position each driver- and all the data of the circuit, of the energy consumption and the degradation of the tires, we sit down with the engineers to plan the strategy”, he closed.

That work against the clock that they must do to ensure that the car arrives in the best possible condition for the race requires that everything in the garage work perfectly.

For this reason, it is organized in the same way for each of the appointments of the season.

Although the group that worked during the two weeks prior to the race is very large, the Nissan E Team arrived in Sao Paulo with a team of only 36 people (the standard for each date), of which 27 were engineers and mechanics.

However, due to a regulation issue, only 17 were authorized to be in the garage area or working on the computers in the engineering area during the sessions.

And those who did, moved very naturally, as if by inertia.

"The layout of the garage is the same at each race. It doesn't matter where you race, Formula E provides the structure and we accommodate everything in the same way. Each date is very compact, you have to do everything in a short period of time, especially on Saturdays, when we have free practice, qualifying and the race, all in one day. So everything has to be familiar to the mechanics, so that the work is as efficient as possible. So, we always have the same distribution, the two cars are always in the same place, we have the same mechanics with each car and the tools of the mechanics are always in the same place", explained one of the team members, while Fenestraz and his partner, the French Norma

, had finished preparing to take the first laps of the Sambódromo track during the Shakedown.

During this session, which consists of three laps and takes place before the first training session, it was possible to see how each person concentrates on their work.

While the mechanics finished acclimatizing the cars and, for example, they arranged the mirrors according to the indications of the pilots;

Others were already watching the computer screens, where they could see the images from the car cameras, and the race engineers occupied their booths and made constant adjustments to the software.

During sessions, only 17 team members are allowed to work in the garage or on the computers.

Instagram photo @nismo

Shakedown is very important to make sure the car is running well, because like cars, like all the equipment, they travel from race to race and never come back to the factory;

Neither the drivers nor the mechanics have contact with the car between one date and another.

Each movement, each data analyzed, each new information that arises from training and classification serves to finish adjusting details and putting together the strategy.

Then comes the most important moment: the race.

What is the biggest challenge during that final?

Volpe did not hesitate: "Keep the drivers calm. When they start to race, anything can happen: another driver touches them and causes problems or the Safety Car appears. And the driver has emotions on the surface during the races. We we have a plan A, a plan B, a plan C... So the biggest challenge is keeping them calm and focused so they stick with the strategy."

Volpe: "Sacha brought enthusiasm and a lot of talent"

"For Sacha to have taken his first pole position in his fifth race was impressive," commented Volpe.

Nissan Press Photo

Tommaso Volpe is the head of the Nissan team that started a new era this year, symbolized by the "sakuras", the cherry blossoms that signify a new birth and that adorn the cars.

It is that in this season, Formula E debuts the cars of Generation 3;

the Japanese company took full control of the team (which until 2022 it only managed, but belonged to another company);

and two new pilots joined, among them Sacha Fenestraz, born in France, but raised in Córdoba and with a very Argentine heart.

And the Italian had nothing but praise for the young runner.

"Sacha brought a lot of enthusiasm. The last two seasons were hard for the team and it was difficult to enter this new era after those years. And the arrival of Sacha helped a lot, because he brought the freshness of his youth, a lot of energy and great talent. Volpe mused.

And he continued: "Rookies

have a hard time at first in this category, because it's all new. You have to remember that there are no series or championships that can prepare you for Formula E, as happens with Formula 1, which has Formula 2, for example. And he, in his first season and in his fifth race, already got a pole position in Cape Town. It was impressive."

A Saturday to forget

The

had a Saturday to forget in Sao Paulo.

The great performance of

in the first practice session, with the second best time behind the Swiss Sebastien Buemi, had excited the Japanese team.

But the Franco-Argentine could not repeat the good performance in the practice sessions that opened the final day at the São Paulo Sambadrome, he fell far behind in the standings (15th) and ended up abandoning the race on lap 7, after touching the rear of his car against a wall and stop near turn 10.

The Japanese team had already lost their other driver, Frenchman

, who in the first corner after the start rear-ended Jake Hughes' McLaren and had to retire due to damage to his car.

Victory went to New Zealander

, in a Jaguar.

German

, from Porsche, finished seventh and continues to lead the championship, with 86 units.

Fenestraz is 18th with seven points. 

Saint Paul.

Special envoy. 

look also

Who is Sacha Fenestraz, the Argentine driver who competes in Formula E

"His wife is a prisoner": the harsh confession of the man who brought Schumacher to Formula 1