After the dust has settled and the E-Prix is done, here are our lessons from the streets of Monte Carlo.
Without further ado, let’s recap on the most important points from the remarkable Monaco E-Prix.
1. The rookies are up to pace
And we’re talking specifically about these two here: Sacha Fenestraz and Jake Hughes. These two provided remarkable results on Saturday, first with advancing to the duels, then beating some of the more established drivers on the grid to eventually start the race from P1 and P2, and finishing in P4 and P5. For Hughes, who finished the race in P5, this has been the third time he’s finished in that position this season, so far the highest achievement from the Brit. But he shines where he’s capable of it, proving to be a strong choice done by McLaren. P4 finish for Fenestraz in Monaco E-Prix has been his highest result this season so far. Out of the three rookies we have on the grid in Season 9 (other being Norman Nato), both Hughes and Fenestraz show they have what it takes to compete with the old crew in the front of the grid, whenever their cars allow them to do so.
2. Nissan power-trains love Monaco
Or at least it appears so. Three out of four Nissan powered cars made it into the duels, and out of these three all of them made it into semifinals, in order to finally lock the front of the grid with two out of three. The Nissan power-train proves to be tricky at times, but in Monaco, it appears the track did suit the Japanese manufacturer very well. McLaren is obviously a customer team to Nissan, and it seems that whatever changes and progress they’ve made throughout the first half of the season are working in places like the streets of Monte Carlo. Now, Nissan did have already a couple of good results. Both Fenestraz and Hughes having one pole position each. Hughes finished P5 on three different occasions and finished in points in 7 out of 9 races (proving that the Brit definitely has the pace necessary). Fenestraz was on the more “unlucky” side so far, but it seems it’s a matter of time that we will see the Nissan’s fighting up in the front of the pack.
3. Petition for Auckland E-Prix
Well, obviously. The Kiwis from Auckland seem to like the first step of the podium so much that they stood on it for the past four races in a row. Both Evans and Cassidy have two wins each this season on their accounts, and what a remarkable spectacle are they providing to everyone watching Formula E. Cassidy is having an incredibly strong campaign this season, a man on the mission currently first in the driver standings. Despite a slow start into the season, Evans seems to be catching up his mate. All done with clear racing on track and strong friendship outside of it, we’re betting it will be these two New Zealanders fighting it between each other till the end of this season. Evans is currently only one race win and a DNF for Cassidy away from being the first one in the championship, and as we all know – anything can happen in Formula E.
Regardless if one of them will win this years title, it’s about time for Auckland E-Prix, are we right?
4. How much more will Rossiter tolerate?
Another frustrating weekend for Maserati MSG Racing it seems. Despite both Mortara and Günther getting into the duels during qualifying, Gunther eventually DNF’d after contact with Ticktum, and Mortara finished on P11. The blue-and-white team was poised for a great result in Monaco, racing on their home soil (MSG stands for Monaco Sports Group after all) and picking up some momentum in Berlin, but it seems their drivers just can’t stay out of trouble. Both Mortara and Günther have proven that the car can really perform well on track, but drivers mistakes and overall bad luck mean that the team is nowhere near the position in teams championship where they should be. They’re currently only one point ahead of NIO333 and 2 points ahead of Mahindra in 10th place. Knowing that they could be fighting in the front in every race but they fail to so do must be a tough pill to swallow.
5. Can anyone stop the Jags?
That seems like a tough job, innit? The only manufacturer that could challenge the Jaguar powered cars is Porsche, but currently, they’re second in the championship standings, 13 points short of Envision in P1 and exactly 13 points ahead of Jaguar TCS Racing in 3rd. With Cassidy and Evans being on the hunt, and both of factory team’s drivers failing to score any substantial points in Monaco (Wehrlein got 1 for his P10 finish), it seems that the task at hand is becoming more and more complicated. Their customer team of Avalanche Andretti is currently 4th in the standings, but they’re 37 points short of Jaguar in 3rd and Jake Dennis can’t be the only one bringing the points for the team if they want to have a real shot for the title. Now, Lotterer got unlucky in Monaco, after collecting some damage and not finishing the race in Monaco. But by the end of the season, it will be points like this missing here and there that can have a real impact on the outcome. Let’s see how Porsche will respond to Jaguar “throwing the gauntlet”.
Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow to find out what the drivers had to say after the crazy round in Monaco. After all, they’ve added another 119 overtakes on the board, so we’re sure they’ve had lots to chat about. We’ve got around a month till the next race, and this time it will be the double header on the streets of Jakarta, Indonesia. Don’t worry – we have plenty of things coming at Pitdebrief to keep you entertained. Until the next time we see each other – enjoy the race, wherever you are ✨
