The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship brings the riveting drama of fully-electric motorsport to the streets of Monaco for the fourth time on May 8, the seventh round of the 2020/21 season. One of auto racing’s most celebrated venues, with a 90-year legacy of demanding the utmost from drivers and cars, Monaco is a circuit where winning has stood among the highest aspirations of generations of racing drivers.
This season’s Monaco E-Prix is a testament to the accelerating advances in battery-powered vehicles, and in that sense signifies a victory for e-mobility even before the racecars line up for the frenetic start. The 24 Gen2 racecars will compete this time on a 19-turn course that is 3.3 kilometers (2.1 miles) long – almost twice the distance of earlier seasons – and nearly identical to the layout used by Formula 1. The fabled corners at Casino Square, Mirabeau and the Grand Hotel Hairpin are now part of the ABB Formula E route, along with the tight right-hand Portier that leads into Monaco’s unique tunnel section. Modifications for the E-Prix include detailed corner reconfiguration and incorporation of the Attack Zone, where drivers activate temporary energy boosts during the race.
ABB Formula E’s demonstration of improved utility for electric power, likewise evident in everything from family cars to commercial delivery trucks and public transit vehicles, comes at a critical time for the sustainability of our planet. In recent months, a groundswell of announcements by government officials and automaker executives setting end dates for the sale of new combustion-engine cars has coincided with an expansion in new charging infrastructure projects, an area in which ABB enjoys global leadership.
Since entering the e-mobility market in 2010, ABB has sold more than 400,000 electric vehicle chargers across more than 85 markets; more than 20,000 DC fast chargers and 380,000 AC chargers, including those sold through Chargedot.
When Season 9 of the Formula E championship gets under way less than two years from now, ABB’s expertise will be pivotal in our role as Official Charging Supplier for the Gen3 racecars.
The Monaco race, set in the tiny principality carved from the Mediterranean coast of France, is perhaps the most scenic of ABB Formula E race sites, with the steep hillsides sloping down to a yacht-filled harbor. The maritime tradition of the region is another area of deep commitment to sustainability by ABB, from shore power connections and electric ferries to disruptive innovations like the ocean-going Azipod® propulsion systems.
The Monaco round is one that Sébastien Buemi, an ABB Ambassador and driver for the Nissan e.dams team, eagerly anticipates, having won this race twice. On this season’s longer course, Buemi’s familiarity is less of an advantage. In fact, other drivers who call Monaco home certainly have more day-to-day exposure to the course, though the city streets, normally bustling with tourist traffic, surely look different from the seat of a 170mph electric racecar.
The longer course, with a layout unlike the grids of other host cities, demands that teams adapt their approach to the conditions, especially the significant elevation changes. Simona De Silvestro, reserve drive for the Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E team and ABB Brand Ambassador, knows from her race-simulator work the balance that must be struck.
“Saving energy and getting the most regeneration is critical,” she notes as a baseline for race-day strategy, adding that factors like warmer weather can change plans on the fly. “Part of the driver’s job is to make the best use of the up and down sections. You can’t save energy on the uphill from the start to the Casino turn, but coming to the Hotel hairpin you can coast a bit and recover some energy. The road gets narrow there, so you can make the car wide and harder to pass.
“There’s a benefit to the new layout this year – the teams are on a level playing field, and new teams that haven’t been to Monaco before are not really at a disadvantage,” De Silvestro points out. “The important thing for managing the longer straights will be getting into a good flow, to have momentum through the whole circuit so you’ll have energy for a strong finish.”
When the 24 drivers line up on the Monaco grid, Nyck De Vries of the Mercedes-EQ Formula E team, winner of season’s opening race in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, and the fifth round in Valencia, Spain, will be leading in the tight points race for the season championship. Not far behind is his teammate, Stoffel Vandoorne, first to the checkered flag in Rome, round four. The combined wins place Mercedes-EQ at the top of the team standings, ahead of Jaguar Racing, the early-season leaders.
The action shifts to North America on June 19-20, with the series contesting rounds eight and nine in Puebla, Mexico, for the first time. About two hours southeast of the Mexico City circuit used in previous years, Puebla is likewise a high-elevation location. The electric powertrains of ABB Formula E cars don’t suffer the power loss that combustion engines do in the thin air at more than a mile above sea level – another reminder of the benefits of battery power.
Beyond its role as title partner for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, ABB provides further on-site support at each race with leading technologies such as ABB Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to ensure constant electrical power. Like all of the races staged during the pandemic, the Monaco event will follow strict COVID-19 protocols, created under the guidance of the relevant authorities, to enable a safe and responsible meeting.
