Monaco promises dramatic E-Prix as championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne seeks home comforts
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ByEurosport
Updated 28/04/2022 at 20:20 GMT
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns to one of motorsport’s most iconic circuits as the streets of Monte Carlo host the 2022 Monaco E-Prix. Fans will be in attendance for for the first time in three years as Jean-Eric Vergne looks to make a statement in his home race while Mitch Evans looks to continue his form from Rome.
Monaco
Image credit: Getty Images
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns this weekend to one of motorsport’s most iconic circuits in the streets of Monte Carlo for the 2022 Monaco E-Prix.
DS TECHEETAH’s French driver Jean-Eric Vergne is currently top of the Drivers’ Championship as he heads into his home race at the Circuit de Monaco on Saturday, while Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans is the man in form after securing back-to-back wins in Rome last time out.
Here are all the talking points ahead of the weekend...
Mr. Consistent Vergne looking to make mark in home race
Vergne is the only driver in Formula E history to have won multiple titles and is on course to extend his claim as one of the series’ most successful drivers, currently leading the 2021-2022 Drivers’ Championship on 60 points.
Vergne’s consistency has been imperative to his to climb to the top of the standings, but the 31-year-old is yet to win a race this season and expressed frustration after Rome that his DS team have lagged behind the likes of Jaguar and Mercedes.
He said, “I am going to urge my team to do better if we want to fight for wins because every time there is someone stronger than us. It is not good enough, so we need to work hard in Monaco to be the best.”
Vergne was in fact victorious at the 2019 Monaco E-Prix but narrowly missed out on a podium at his home race last season, finishing fourth, and with the stakes as high as ever all eyes will be on the Frenchman in front of a 37,000 capacity home support.
Opportunity to bounce-back for DS
Vergne’s team DS TECHEETAH currently occupy third in the Team’s Championship but all is not well in the constructor’s ranks.
The two-time champions have yet to win an E-Prix so far this season, and if they fail to win in Monaco it will be their longest start without a win since Season 3 of the all-electric racing series.
It has been a particularly uncharacteristically slow start for 2020 champion Antonio Felix da Costa, who is yet to secure a podium in the first five races of the season.
But the Circuit de Monaco has historically been a happy hunting ground for DS TECHEETAH, with da Costa winning in Monaco last year to add to Vergne’s victory in 2019, and the pressure will be on for a similar performance this weekend.
Can man in form Mitch make it three from three?
Mitch Evans is a man in red hot form after securing historic back-to-back wins in Rome. The 27-year-old has risen up the standings after picking up near maximum points in the Italian capital and now sits in fourth – just nine points behind championship leader Vergne.
An underwhelming start put the pressure on Evans to salvage his, and his Jaguar team’s, season with just 14 combined points from the first three races for both the Kiwi and his British teammate Sam Bird.
But confidence will now be high heading into Monaco, where Evans himself is a resident and secured a podium-finish in last year’s dramatic race. Another victory would be the first time that a driver has won three races in a row since da Costa in Season 6.
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Mitch Evans of Jaguar Racing celebrates after winning the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship - Rome E-Prix Round Five on April 10
Image credit: Getty Images
Monaco promises to stage dramatic E-Prix
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns to the famous streets of Monaco once again in what promises to be another spectacle of dramatic, wheel-to-wheel racing.
The iconic track is rich with motorsport history and will host a Formula E race for the fifth time on Saturday. The 19-turn, 3.337km track will see drivers travel through the iconic Place du Casino, Mirabeau, Grand Hotel Hairpin and Portier.
Despite the circuit featuring characteristically tight corners and narrow streets, the 2021 race actually saw 28 overtakes between the top six runners alone, with da Costa himself securing victory with an audacious overtake at the exit of the tunnel on the final lap.
And with the stands open to a full capacity crowd for the first time in three-years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race should be as spectacular as ever.
A glimpse into the future of electric mobility
A new era dawns for Formula E this week in Monaco as the Net Zero Carbon Championship launches the ‘world’s most sustainable racing car’ at an exclusive event at the Yacht Club de Monaco two days’ prior to Saturday’s race.
The Gen3, to be used for the 2022/23 season, will be net-zero carbon with all parts recycled for use in the aerospace industry, while 40% of the energy in a race will be produced by regenerative braking. The futuristic car will also be lighter and faster than the current Gen2 model.
Teaser images of the Gen3 were released in November 2021 ahead of pre-season testing in Valencia, but the actual launch itself has been long-awaited and is a milestone in the advancement of electric mobility.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s most extensive calendar to date continues in Monaco this Saturday 30 April live on Eurosport 1 from 14:00 BST.
Catch-up on all the information as the series builds up to the 2022 London E-Prix, which returns this year on 30 & 31 July: https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/championship/race-calendar/2021-2022/london
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