Round 6 of Season 9 takes us to another completely new track: Sao Paulo. What can we expect from the third newest addition to the electric calendar?
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This one has been definitely overdue for some time now. On the grid, we’ve had 6 different Brazilian drivers over the years, with local hero Lucas Di Grassi finally able to race on the streets of his hometown – São Paulo. Third new addition to the Formula E calendar will electrify the motorsports-crazy Brazil – so here’s our preview of the weekend.
This weekend a new generation of heroes will be born in the midst of the city’s contagious passion and culture considering that this city has a rich history of motorsport heroes like Senna, Massa, and Fittipaldi. São Paulo has humble beginnings, yet a creative spirit is evident in its love for coffee and cars, and its fast-paced way of life is akin to a never-ending carnival.
The track that will be used for the São Paulo Street Circuit spans 2.96km and includes a total of 11 turns. It incorporates parts of the previous layout used for IndyCar races up to ten years ago. The track has three lengthy straight sections which will surely pose a challenge to the newest generation of Formula E cars. Apart from the expected high speeds, the drivers will also need to navigate through a few difficult chicanes, along with a balanced combination of tight, 90-degree turns, a tight hairpin, and some sweeping corners. We can’t wait to see how the drivers handle this circuit. Or if chaos will commence!
A race in São Paolo was long overdue, and its announcement definitely excited many fans and people in the paddock. Here’s what some of them had to say in regards to the E-Prix.
Alberto Longo, Co-founder and Chief Championship Officer, Formula E, said: “We are delighted that the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will be heading to Brazil for the very first time pending approval at the FIA World Motor Sport Council in June. The country has a huge, long-standing passion for motorsport, it’s a big market as one of the largest countries in the world, and São Paulo itself is a historic race location.” (Source: Formula E)
Ricardo Nunes, mayor of São Paulo, said: “Hosting an E-Prix is completely lined up with the city objectives: to attract events that promote São Paulo’s image to the whole world, to move the economy and create jobs with events tourism; furthermore, to foment sustainable development.”(Source: Formula E)
Lucas Di Grassi, Formula E 2016/17 champion and Sao Paulo native, said: “I can’t wait to race in Sao Paulo. It’s been a dream since the first Formula E race for me, back in 2013. It has been close a couple of times and hasn’t quite happened but after 10 years of hard work and persistence it’s finally happening in Season 9 and for the start of GEN3 – it’s very emotional for me to be racing there. I’m from Sao Paulo, I was born just a few minutes away and grew up there. It’s going to be amazing racing in front of my home fans.
“The circuit at the Sambadrome looks like it will be amazing and the thousands of people that like to join carnival and spend some time in Brazil will be able to stay for the race, Zero Summit and the big music festival happening all on the same weekend. I’m sure the passionate Brazilians will fill up the grandstands!” (Source: Formula E)
Previous round of the championship provided a remarkable spectacle on the streets of Cape Town. Last time out it was Da Costa claiming the win, his first (and quite emotional) podium for his new team of TAG Heuer Porsche, who’s leading both the drivers and the teams championship. He was followed by his old teammate Vergne, with the Kiwi Cassidy joining the two on the last step of the podium. The fast track in sub-saharan Africa proved difficult for many drivers – Sebastien Buemi (Envision Racing), Sam Bird (Jaguar TCS Racing) and Edoardo Mortara (Maserati MSG Racing) were all caught out by the challenge, followed by mistakes during the race made by other drivers – most notably Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein, who’s currently still on top of the standings. Will he be able to remain on the top by the end of São Paulo E-Prix, or will we have a switch? There are many contenders for that spot, and many teams can get some outraging performance out of their cars in the right circumstances. Look no further than Envision on their Jaguar power-train in second spot in the standings, short only by 42 points from P1.
Here’s the sessions schedule for this weekend’s São Paulo E-Prix:
FP1 – 24/03/2023 – 20:25 – 21:15 CET
FP2 – 25/03/2023 – 11:25 – 12:15 CET
Qualifying – 25/03/2023 – 13:40 – 14:55 CET
Race – 25/03/2023 – 18:03 – 19:30 CET
With all of this information and the electric atmosphere taking to the streets of São Paulo, we hope you’re as excited as we are for this weeks E-Prix. You can find the coverage of the WHOLE weekend here at Pitdebrief.com
And don’t forget: enjoy the race, wherever you are! ✨
