The first ever Spanish E-Prix, taking place in Valencia this weekend, is expected to be challenging with its own unique characteristics
Races 5 and 6 of this season’s ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will take place April 24/25 at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia. Ian James: “The team will face fresh challenges this weekend – and we like that. This weekend is our next opportunity to show what we are capable of, and knowing this team, we will gladly rise to the challenge.” Stoffel Vandoorne: “The racing will be intense and strategy will play a key role. Overtaking should be fairly easy, but will put you at a disadvantage in terms of energy management.” Nyck de Vries: “We know the Valencia circuit from testing, but it’s very different to the typical street circuits normally found in Formula E.”
For the third race weekend of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team will head to Spain where the team can expect to find a challenging track that has been slightly modified for Formula E and is very demanding, especially in terms of energy management.
The team is already familiar with the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia from winter testing in the past two years, most recently last December when Nyck and Stoffel tested in preparation for Season 7.
Compared to testing, the lap distance for the race weekend has been increased slightly and the new circuit layout now measures 3.376 km and has 15 turns. The activation zone for Attack Mode is on the outside of Turn 8. The track is only a little shorter than the street circuit in Rome but brings its own unique challenges for the team, with a higher average speed over a lap and very different characteristics.
As in Rome two weeks ago, the Valencia E-Prix will be a double-header, featuring two races. As usual, there will be two practice sessions on Saturday before qualifying and just one on Sunday morning. The race will start on Saturday at 3:04 pm and on Sunday at 2:04 pm.
Comments in the run-up to the 2021 Valencia E-Prix
Ian James (Team Principal):
“The right mindset and approach are everything in this championship. We’ve seen it this season before, and our last race weekend in Rome was another good example of this. Whether we face challenges that are controllable, or beyond our control, it’s all about how you react to those challenges as a team.
We’re heading into the race weekend in Valencia with a good position in both the Constructors’ Standings and the Drivers’ standings with both drivers, which is a great feeling. But the strong performance on track so far will also provide a bit of a challenge for us in Valencia – both our drivers are starting in the most disadvantaged qualifying group for the race on Saturday.
Valencia is also a new experience for all the grid. As Formula E teams, we haven’t had much exposure to permanent tracks like the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, so it’s hard to know what to expect. What is certain, is that the team will face fresh challenges – and we like that. This weekend is our next opportunity to show what we are capable of, and knowing this team, we will gladly rise to the challenge.”
Stoffel Vandoorne:
“The Valencia circuit is very different to the one we raced on in Rome. In fact, it’s almost the complete opposite. Rome was a narrow, bumpy street circuit while Valencia is a permanent circuit that has been slightly modified to be a little more twisty and better-suited to Formula E. The circuit characteristics are very different: the corners are actually pretty fast and long, making Valencia a major challenge in terms of energy management. In that respect, it’s probably one of the toughest circuits of the year, so racing will be intense and strategy will play a key role. Overtaking should be fairly easy but will put you at a disadvantage in terms of energy management. It’s not yet apparent where we will stand compared to the other teams. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be competitive at Valencia, but we all know how unpredictable Formula E can be. Anything is possible, and I’m approaching the weekend feeling very positive.”
Nyck de Vries:
“I’m really looking forward to getting back out on track in Valencia this week after a tough weekend in Rome. Unfortunately, the two races in Rome did not end as we would have wished, but we intend to come back stronger in Valencia after the setbacks. I’m very much looking forward to this third race weekend of the season and can’t wait to get started. I hope that the weather in Europe will be a bit better and not quite as unpredictable as it has been recently. We know the Valencia circuit from testing, but it’s very different to the typical street circuits normally found in Formula E. Anyway, we’ll have to wait and see how the weekend unfolds. We need to focus on our programme and hope to then have a good weekend.”