Maserati’s victory in Tokyo, DS Penske was better expected

In the case of the Franco-American DS Penske team, which uses a common technical basis with Maserati, the hopes of placing all the cars in the points were high and legitimate. Especially since the Franco-American team has no equal when it comes to organizing races on new circuits. However, the final position is clear: Behind the victory of Günther’s Maserati, Jean-Éric Vergne finished 11th, and Stoffel Vandoorne 16th. This is proof that the Stellantis single-seat electric platform works well, but also that the Formula E is a championship where anything can happen, without much logic.

“It was a difficult weekend, without a single point, so it’s disappointing,” said Jean-Éric Vergne. “But the season is still long, there are many other races on the program, and everything is possible. We continue to work hard, it is up to us to analyze everything quickly and see how we can improve for the future. »

“It was a difficult weekend since we started it by missing FP1 due to a battery failure,” regrets Stoffel Vandoorne. “It’s more unlucky when we were on a new circuit. These laps would have been very important in trying to find a rhythm. So we found ourselves lower in the rankings all weekend, but I don’t want to use that as an excuse. We weren’t good enough, and we lacked qualifying speed. In race, we didn’t progress much, nor did we show the expected speed. We had to fight with the setup, the tires, the energy management… We have to learn from all that. »

Weekend course

On Friday morning, the morale of the troops was at an all-time low. If the wind and rain do not stop, the race may be disrupted. We see people carrying their umbrellas on the side of the road, and the tents behind the stand are making interesting noises. In less than two minutes without protection, we are soaked. Friday morning is also usually during the “track walk”, when the team explores the route on foot. Which is important, and even more so on the Tokyo track, because no one ever put wheels there. When the song was released to the team, the rain increased rapidly. Some teams asked to postpone the exercise, but the FIA ​​did not follow through. “We covered as much as we could but it was crazy to be honest,” says the race engineer. “We did what we could but the pilots, in general, did not come. To be honest, in these circumstances it was not of much use, and we do not understand why we did not try to postpone this session. »

In the afternoon the rain stops but the path is not completely dry. Some areas have large ponds and several pilots have been trapped. It must be said that this improved circuit around the Tokyo convention center is quite selective. The bumps – and even the breaks that make the cars soar – just like the track is fun and exciting, as is typical on a road circuit. But the drivers are not at the end of their surprise and this time it is the race in Sao Paulo, two weeks earlier, that reminds them of their good memories. Some batteries suffered from heat stroke in Brazil, and some are scarred. Many of them had to be replaced, including Stoffel Vandoorne, in DS Penske, who missed more than half of the session.

The light is green on Saturday

The next day, it’s a completely different context. The weather is calm, the sun is back and even if the road is not good it allows the drivers to do their job. From the metro that takes us to “Tokyo Big Sight”, we can see the circuit and the garage, which allows us to realize that organizing a race here is a big challenge. At 8:00 am, the cars started the journey but 5 minutes later there was already a red flag following departure from the track. Discussions continue again and dash cams reveal just how multifaceted the track is. Considering the adjustments that will be made and the delay the day before due to rain, it is impossible to get a solid leadership form at the end of the first session. But we still find in the top 10 the usual leaders of the championship: Jaguars, Porsches and DS Penske. In Group A qualifying Rowland, Mortara, Cassidy and Dennis are there.

Then we see that 4 manufacturers are represented: Nissan, Mahindra, Jaguar and Porsche, Andretti being the customer team of the German manufacturer. Note that Cassidy will then be demoted and replaced by his teammate Mitch Evans, the FIA ​​having deemed that Jaguar committed a “technical violation” with his car. In the qualifying rounds, faster than the rest of the day, breaks that cause cars to leave become a problem. Cars land sideways and sway.

In group B, we examine the performances of DS Automobiles, the only French brand to enter the championship. But holders DS Penske failed to reach the quarter-finals, and Vandoorne once again had battery problems. He will start in 18th place, with Vergne in 13th. At the front, we find Oliver Rowland (Nissan), who takes first place for the Tokyo E-Prix, ahead of Günther and Mortara. A great communication operation for Nissan in front of its many guests, the Japanese public. With this 8th pole position, Rowland joins Antonio Felix Da Costa and Stoffel Vandoorne in third place among the drivers who have led the most Formula E-Prix.

A race worthy of interest

As the lights go out, Rowland holds his place, but Günther goes next to Mortara. In the background we see a lot of dust. As soon as the driver tries to cross the line, he enters the dirty – and slippery – side of the road. But the circle is not very wide, and the opportunities are few. In the soft belly of the peloton we suffer, or rather we wait. The first energy strategies come into play when the first pilots activate the Attack mode, which gives them more power for 4 minutes. In the country we see go-karts on the streets whose drivers are disguised as Mario Kart, which means …

Although not much happened but the leaders were increasing the gap, the accident between De Vries and Di Grassi led to the intervention of the safety car. Which allows the slower cars to catch up with the peloton … At the restart, the attacks are increasing, but we will notice in particular that 10 laps from the end Rowland, who had led the race from the start, gave up his leading position. Günther, who immediately puts a second gap between the two cars. Then we wonder if Rowland’s Nissan doesn’t have a problem, but it’s clearly an energy strategy. In Formula E, depending on the circuit, being first for a long time during the race is not always an advantage. In the end Günther gave Maserati its first win of the season, ahead of Rowland and Jake Dennis.

The next meeting with the Formula E world championship is set in two weeks, with two races scheduled for April 13 and 14 at the Misano circuit (Italy).