The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team is in Mexico this weekend for Rounds 8 and 9 of the 2020-2021 season (June 19/20). The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is being contested in Mexico for the sixth time since the series’ inception. The previous five races all took place at Mexico City’s Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
This season, though, the all-electric racing series will be competing for the first time at Puebla, some 100 kilometres east of Mexico’s capital, the reason being that parts of the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez are still being used as a hospital for COVID19 patients during the current pandemic.
After the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, the 2.982 km Autodromo Miguel E. Abed is the second permanent racetrack to host Formula E races this season. The track has 15 turns taken in a counter-clockwise direction. A large part of the circuit is situated in the infield of an oval normally used by, most noticeably, the Mexican NASCAR series. Leading back to the main straight, Turn 15 is a banked corner which Formula E will also use. Turn 1 at the end of this section is one of the best spots for overtaking on the whole circuit and Turn 11 at the end of the second sector is another good place.
The Attack Mode activation zone is on the outside of Turn 8, so cars will have to deviate from the racing line a little more than usual as a result. The loss in time is expected to be over 2.5 seconds which will be the greatest amount ever seen till date in Formula E history.
Drivers and cars will have another challenge to face in that Puebla is situated 2,200 metres above sea level and at an even higher altitude than Mexico City.
The Puebla E-Prix will be the fourth double header of the season, with one race taking place on Saturday and another on Sunday. Race start is at 4.04pm local time (10:04pm BST).