DS-Penske has solved the battery problems from the race in Tokyo and is ready for the double-header at the premiere of Formula E in Misano
The French-American team DS-Penske has prepared carefully for the Formula E double-header in Misano, Italy. It is a new track in the championship, where it will be important to perform well right at the start of the weekend.
For several years, the Formula E races were held on the streets of the European Quarter in Rome, but this season they will take place on the Misano circuit on the Adriatic coast. As it is a permanent circuit, the teams already have information and some drivers have already raced there.
For Formula E and its electrically powered single-seaters, however, there will be other points of reference as the track is being reconstructed for the races. The Misano circuit is 3.381km long and has 14 corners (instead of 4.064km and 16 corners in the original configuration) and is an energy-intensive track where battery management will be a key to victory.
“Qualifying will be very important, but after that we have to manage the energy well,” says Eugenio Franzetti, Director of DS Performance, the racing division of DS Automobiles that prepares the DS-Penske cars. “We had some problems with the battery in Tokyo, but now everything is back to normal and we are ready for the challenges of this double race, where it will be important to be on top of our game from the start of the weekend.”
“We know that the races in Misano will be ‘in the pack’, from which we will have to break away at the right moment to be at the front, as we did in Portland in June. Our riders can do that, and our DS E-TENSE FE23s are capable of leading us to victory. Now it’s up to us to give it our all on this crucial weekend,” said Franzetti.
Acute preparation
Immediately after the team’s return from Tokyo, preparations for Misano began at Stellantis Motorsport in Satory. As always, the aim was to analyze the data from the recently completed race and prepare for the next track in the simulator. In addition to the track information provided by the FIA and the championship organizers, the team also had to take into account possible unevenness and changes to the surface – both in terms of grip and energy strategy.
In order to obtain the most accurate data possible, DS-Penske first deploys simulator drivers. Regular drivers Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne then spend at least two days in the seat of the virtual single-seater. During this time, they work hard to identify all the subtleties and details that can save a few tenths of a second without using more energy
This is done in close cooperation with the track engineers, who are responsible for the optimum race strategy and the ideal compromise between performance and controlled energy consumption.
To successfully master this task, the driver must not only do his job with the necessary finesse, but also organize the recuperation phases of his race car. These can account for up to 40 percent of the battery charge on the race track. It is the science of using energy correctly that, together with the driver’s talent, can lead to success.
