Written Umut Yelbaşı
Season 8 of the 2022 Formula E World Championship continues tomorrow for the 2022 Monaco E-Prix! The sixth round of the championship sees DS Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne as the current Drivers’ Championship leader, with Mercedes-EQ leading the Teams’ Championship.
Yesterday, Formula E revealed their Gen3 car to be used in Season 9 car at the Monaco Yacht Club and it’s safe to say it’s been a popular talking point among motorsport fans. 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. We can’t wait to see it in action, but before we get to that we have a season to complete.
JEV looks to return to the top step
Although he is the only multiple-time Formula E champion and the most successful Formula E driver, Jean-Eric Vergne is yet to win a race this season. He’s leading the championship thanks to his consistency over the last five races, but he has also been open about his frustration with his DS team’s performance deficit to rivals like Jaguar and Mercedes.
Vergne will be looking forward to his home race to break his winless streak, and what better circuit to do it than Monaco, where he won back in 2019 and narrowly missed the podium in 2021.
Opportunity for DS to avoid longest winless streak
Vergne’s team currently sits third in the Constructors’ Championship, right behind Mercedes and Porsche. They are no doubt aware that if they fail to win in Monaco, it will be their longest winless start to a season since Season 3.
The team seems to be struggling uncharacteristically, with Vergne’s teammate Antonio Felix da Costa still without a podium after five races. They have good memories in Monaco with da Costa winning last year’s race, and they will surely feel the pressure for a similar performance this weekend.
Mitch Evans on a roll
He went, he raced, he won. Mitch Evans historically took both victories in Rome, which helped him rise in the standings. He now sits in fourth place, just nine points behind leader Vergne.
His Jaguar team’s start to the season was underwhelming but the tables seem to be turning, and they will be looking to continue their journey to the top. If 2021 Monaco podium-sitter Evans can win this weekend, it will be the first time since da Costa in Season 6 that a driver has won three races in a row.
Monaco looking to impress once again
Formula E returns to the historic streets of Monaco for the fifth time. The 19-turn, 3.337km track will see drivers travel through the iconic Place du Casino, Mirabeau, Grand Hotel Hairpin and Portier.
Monaco is infamous as a hard-to-overtake track, yet the 2021 E-Prix saw 28 overtakes between the top six runners alone, with da Costa’s win coming after a bold overtake at the exit of the tunnel on the final lap.
The grandstands are open to full capacity for the first time in three years, which means the race should be as spectacular as ever.
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