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Feature by Katy Fairman
Going into the Monaco E-Prix weekend, we knew that strategies would differ between the two races across Saturday and Saturday – the first time the jewel in the crown has hosted a double-header event in Formula E’s decade at the principality.
One race saw the return of PIT BOOST, an ultra-fast recharging technology that gives drivers a 10% energy increase (3.85kWh) through a 30-second, 600kW boost. First debuting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the stops will be seen across one race of every double-header for the remainder of the calendar in Tokyo, Shanghai, Berlin and London.
The following day the forecast was for rain, and it sure arrived. Wet weather made the task of racing in Monaco even more challenging over qualifying and the start of the race, something new for Formula E around these streets.
Rowland extends championship lead
Nissan and Oliver Rowland have looked an almost perfect duo in Season 11. Coming into the race weekend, the Yorkshireman led the drivers’ standing with 69 points but two podium results over the Monaco event have increased this number to 115. Antonio Felix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche) is next behind Rowland, with 67 points and his teammate Pascal Wehrlein third on 66.
Finally able to stand on the top step of the Monaco podium on Saturday, Rowland had his fair share of challenges to get the all-important victory. A mistake in the Duels final against NEOM McLaren’s Taylor Barnard was a rare slip, which saw his Nissan whack the wall by St Devote and forced Rowland to complain of strange noises and have a warning light appear on his dashboard over the course of the race.
Thankfully for him, it didn’t seem to impact his performance and he was able to eventually pass Barnard during the race to secure the lead. His strategy of taking early and late ATTACK MODE proved the right call, but he was hesitant on the later activation.
“Honestly, when I went to fifth, I was really angry,” Rowland explained. “I don't know if you were listening to my radio, but I was pretty stressed out. At that point. I was shouting at my engineer because I kind of wanted to go [with ATTACK MODE] a lap or two p before, which wouldn't have lost me position.
“But then I ended up dropping back to fifth. And I think at the time, I had two Andrettis and two Mahindras ahead, so I was like, ‘oh, they might play the game to slow me down and let them get ahead’.
“Luckily, I managed to make quite quick work of them. I was a bit worried that I wasn't going to be able to pass, but in the end it was okay.”
This victory marked his third win of the season, and at the time meant he had won 50% of all races by this point in the season – something not seen since Sebastien Buemi in Season 2. Things haven’t been completely perfect for Rowland though, with penalties impacting big points scoring results in São Paulo and Miami.
Of course, anything can happen in Formula E but it’s certainly an incredible position to be in as we approach the halfway point of the season.
Making the right call
Strategy is always important in motorsport. However, this weekend in Monaco it proved especially crucial with the return of PIT BOOST.
What is PIT BOOST?
PIT BOOST is an innovative and mandatory mid-race feature that sees cars given a 10% energy increase (3.85kWh) through a 30-second, 600kW boost in the pit lane. It will be used during one of the two races across a double-header.
All drivers must stop during the race for this extra energy, however each team is only provided one PIT BOOST rig which prevents them from doing any double-stacking. This will also create plenty of drama and excitement, as each competitor navigates an additional element of race strategy and could potentially alter race outcomes and tactics.
Drivers must take the PIT BOOST when their State of Charge (SoC) is below 60% and above 40% at the moment of the boost. The timing of this could vary from garage to garage depending on the strategy of consumption each driver has during the first phase of the race.
PIT BOOST was another task that kept both the engineers and their drivers on their toes, with ATTACK MODE still a super important part of the race programme. The call for ATTACK MODE that seemed to yield the best results was taking the first activation at the start and the second much later in the race, but we’ve seen how this can fall apart in the event of a incident in the final laps that caught out a significant portion of the grid in Miami.
Wet weather brought the chaos
As forecast, the heavens opened on Sunday for the second race of the double-header, leading to a very slippery surface ahead of qualifying. Drivers were trying their best to navigate these tricky conditions, but it was easier said than done. Experienced individuals like McLaren’s Sam Bird was caught out at St Devote, sending his cars into the barriers at some speed during the second Group qualifying stage. Thankfully he was okay, but it was a big task from the team to get his car ready for the race and start from the pit lane.
Rain fell on and off between qualifying and the race, with drops felt on the grid. But once things got underway, a lighter and drier line appeared on the track which helped with grip.
One man who navigated the conditions perfectly was Envision Racing’s Sebastien Buemi. The Season 2 Champion is no stranger to success in Monaco, having won here in Seasons 1 and 3. However, he was able to work his way from eighth on the grid to find himself on the top step of the podium after a 78-race wait.
In the emotional scenes, Buemi has regained his record of most Formula E wins with 14 and questioned if he’d ever win again in Formula E.
“I thought I would never win again,” Buemi stated after the chequered flag. “At some point you need a bit of luck, you need the right timing, you need the right car, a good team, and today, everything just worked together. So I'm so happy. I'm actually speechless because it's been a long time.”
Mahindra really are back
It’s been a tough few seasons for Mahindra Racing. Until this weekend, their last podium was at the opening round at Mexico City in 2023 thanks to Lucas di Grassi. Now, after a long wait and a complete change to their cars for the GEN3 Evo era, they returned to the top three after a brilliant drive from Nyck de Vries.
His first podium since returning to the championship, Season 7 World Champion de Vries finished second for the team and even looked on-track for the victory until Rowland’s charge on the last laps with ATTACK MODE.
Mahindra Racing will undoubtedly be pleased to have a new piece of silverware in their Banbury offices, but this wasn’t achieved by luck. They have been working hard, completely overhauling their powertrain in a ground-up redesign, and bringing updates over the seven rounds so far.
Although it was de Vries who was spraying the champagne on the podium, there must be a moment of praise for his teammate Edoardo Mortara who finished fourth at the line. It’s yet another double-points finish for this duo, who are now third in the Teams’ World Championship with 91 points as we head to Tokyo next week.
As well as de Vries, we also saw a return to the podium for Andretti’s Jake Dennis in Round 6 and Nick Cassidy in Round 7, both drivers getting their first podiums of Season 11. Oh, and of course, Sebastien Buemi on Sunday who celebrated his 14th career win with a jump in the iconic Swimming Pool off the top board.
Magic in Monaco
Monte Carlo first welcomed Formula E with open arms in 2015; I should know, I was there. This weekend was a brilliant reminder of how far racing in the principality for this championship has come in that decade.
As well as evolution in the cars, from GEN1 to the GEN3 Evo currently on show, racing on the full circuit layout from Season 7 remains one of the best decisions Formula E and the FIA ever made.
With almost 200 overtakes on the Saturday, and triple figures again in the rain-impacted race on Sunday, it is a constant reminder of what these lighter, more agile and incredibly fast cars can achieve at this historic motorsport circuit. Whilst other championships question if it’s time to abandon the circuit, Formula E makes its case clear that this venue needs to stay on the calendar indefinitely.
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