Enlarge / Stoffel Vandoorne of the Mercedes-EQ Components E Group leads the pack on the Berlin E-Prix. (credit score: Andreas Gora/image alliance by way of Getty Pictures)
On Sunday, Components E’s seventh sequence got here to a detailed on the concrete of Templehof in Berlin. It was the game’s first season as an official FIA world championship, which technically makes the Mercedes-EQ staff and driver Nyck de Vries the primary ever Components E world champions. However the staff’s celebrations could have been temporary. On Wednesday, Mercedes-Benz confirmed that it’ll give up Components E on the finish of 2022, bringing a bittersweet finish to the season.
Components E’s low level was undoubtedly spherical 5, the Valencia E-Prix in Spain. This was held on a everlasting racetrack—Circuit Ricardo Tormo—which was a change from Components E’s typical MO of holding occasions at momentary tracks in metropolis facilities. Racing on tight road circuits with quick straights undoubtedly performed to the unique Components E race automotive’s strengths and labored with its weaknesses. The introduction of the quicker, extra highly effective Gen2 automotive in 2018 meant there was loads of curiosity in seeing what these vehicles may do on a everlasting monitor. However after the primary of two races at Valencia in April, I am certain many audiences had seen sufficient.
Between the heavy rain and a decent, momentary chicane on the finish of the lap, various drivers got here a cropper, leading to a number of durations behind a security automotive. Components E races are designed round power administration; with out recapturing power below regenerative braking, the automotive’s 56 kWh battery is inadequate to get to the end line. Though the organizers have entry to telemetry displaying each automotive’s battery state of cost, the groups don’t. That is performed deliberately to make issues a bit tougher. This data must be communicated to the groups by their drivers every lap.
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