Five takeaways from the Miami E-Prix
- Teagan Crump
- 13 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Written by Teagan Crump, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Formula E’s newest race venue, the Miami International Autodrome, made for an interesting race that featured some dramatic moments, leaving fans and pundits wondering if the move to Miami was the right call for the championship. Teagan looks at five major takeaways from the race weekend in Miami
Porsche v Jaguar: The reprise
For the last two seasons, Jaguar and Porsche have been battling at the top of the teams' standings, and Miami seemingly showed that they were willing to fight once again.
Nico Müller’s maiden pole and incredible defensive driving showed that he has potential and can earn Porsche plenty of points. Combine that with Pascal Wehrlein’s experience with the German team, and they are proving themselves as having one of the strongest driver line-ups for Season 12.
Mitch Evans proved that he still has the fighting spirit and is happy to take part in wheel-to-wheel battles. He has also cemented himself in the history books by taking his fifteenth win and becoming the driver with the most wins in the history of Formula E.
While teammate António Félix da Costa did not have the ideal Miami race, with him being hit from behind by Felipe Drugovich, the former champion showed that he still has pace and potential having qualified third for the race.
Rookies stepping up
The Miami FP0 session showed plenty of young drivers interested in the all-electric series, who also showed that they have pace and potential.
Zak O’Sullivan topped the timesheets at the Miami International Autodrome, and was closely followed by Théo Pourchaire in second, while Gabriele Minì finished in third.
The full-time Formula E rookies also had positive weekends as they all scored their best starting positions this season. Andretti’s Felipe Drugovich claimed second in qualifying and went on to lead the race for several laps.
Joel Eriksson also claimed a career-best fourth position after starting the Miami E-Prix in sixth place, while Pepe Martí also made up three places, finishing ninth after starting 12th
The rookies scoring stronger results shows that they are adapting to the Formula E machinery and becoming more confident after every race they participate in.
Is late attack mode the way to go?
Attack Mode has always been a vital element in Formula E- it gives drivers an extra 50kW of energy that assists with overtaking. However, one of the key issues is when to take it - if you take it too early, you risk not getting the full benefit of the extra power. Although if you take it too late, other factors may intervene and may cost you significantly.
Additionally, if you take it too late, there is a risk that external factors, such as a safety car or a red flag, prevent you from taking Attack Mode and could result in disqualification from the race.
At the Miami E-Prix, drivers proved that Attack Mode timing was imperative and dependent on their strategy. For Felipe Drugovich, an early Attack Mode was vital and allowed him to take the lead and stay at the front of the field. However, for those such as Mitch Evans, a later Attack Mode opened up an opportunity to take the race victory.
Taking the attack mode later in the race can also help drivers assess the situation better, while providing a tactical advantage over energy levels and remaining power.
Tyre pressure is a vital factor
Because Formula E has one set of tyres for all-weather, teams adjust tyre pressure according to weather conditions. The mixed conditions at the Miami E-Prix altered some drivers’ plans for the race and they suffered significantly.
One of these drivers was Dan Ticktum who was forced to retire from the E-Prix due to choosing the tyre pressure that was only suitable for dry conditions.
The Briton struggled a lot over his ill-fated Miami weekend, quite significantly due to tyre-based issues.
After the race, Ticktum said:
“In Qualifying, we had no grip which meant that we struggled for pace and started from the back. The rain then meant that it would be difficult to make progress in the race, so we gambled on the rain stopping and the track trying, but it didn’t work.”
Will the Miami International Autodrome work better in GEN4?
Although the newest Formula E venue produced an interesting race with some exciting battles, parts of it did also feel as though it was simply a train of cars in a parade as opposed to the normal chaos of an E-Prix.
For starters, the 2.32 km (1.44 mi) track layout appeared too short for even the Gen3 Evo cars, with drivers setting sub-60-second lap times in free practice and qualifying itself.
The highly anticipated GEN4 era will see four-wheel drive permanently available on the cars. The new car, despite being longer and wider may be more suited to the Miami International Autodrome and may make for more intriguing racing.
Formula E’s GEN4 will have more power and be heavier. It will also build on the GEN3 Evo which is capable of 0-60mph in 1.82s and has a top speed of 200mph. It remains to be seen if the series persists with Miami, or heads to another new venue to kick off the new era.
