Formula E returns to Mexico

The second half of the 2021 FIA Formula E Championship gets underway this weekend in Mexico which has proved a particularly successful hunting ground for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler in the past. In facet no other Formula E team has been as successful as Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler in Mexico where the the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in the heart of Mexico City has hosted the E-Prix for the past five years.

The squad has previously won the race three times and will be looking to repeat that success in 2021 at what will be a new venue in Puebla – just under an hour’s drive away from Audi’s Mexico facility at San José Chiapa, where the Q5 models are manufactured. 

The venue for the eighth and ninth races of the season is a short 2.982-kilometre circuit at the Autódromo Miguel E. Abed. In addition to the medium-fast sections in the infield of the oval, the layout of the Formula E variant also includes a steep, banked section which is unusual in Formula E. The track, which has a top speed of 247km/h runs counter clockwise and features 15 turns. With a cornering speeds varying from 60km/h at one point to 170km/h, it will be another technical race that will required strategy to maintain optimal power for the long fast straight.

Neither Lucas di Grassi nor his teammate René Rast have contested a race in Puebla before, so the pair have been hard at work becoming familiar with the layout the simulator.

“Puebla is completely new territory for me,” says René Rast. “That makes it all the more important to arrive as perfectly prepared as possible so that we can focus on qualifying and the race in practice. We know about the strengths of our package, but to finish on the podium or even fight for victory, we need a grid position within the top five. That’s got to be our goal in Mexico and in all of the coming races.” 

Lucas di Grassi has won in Mexico twice before and his 2019 victory over Pascal Wehrlein just metres from the finish line remains one of the most thrilling races in Formula E history to date. But with the move to the new track, any past experience will be of no use, except perhaps for the support of the Mexican race fans, who di Grassi considers ‘the best fans in motorsport’.

Although numbers will be restricted as part of ongoing health safety measures, the Mexican motorsport crowds are legendary and will add a vocal soundtrack to the event.

In addition to the two Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler drivers competing for points, Audi also supplies to the Audi e-tron FE07 race cars to the Envision Virgin Racing customer team of Nick Cassidy and Robin Frijns which has been enjoying considerable success in the 2021 season. With two second places in Diriyah and most recently in Monaco, Robin Frijns comes to Mexico leading the overall drivers’ standings, and so is keen to build on that lead.

This weekend’s Mexico E-Prix meeting (June 19th and 20th) will be a double header as will each of the remaining race weekends in the season – New York, London and Berlin. For Australian viewers, the first race will get underway at 7:00am Sunday morning (AEST) with the second race on Monday morning at 7:00am. Broadcast and live streaming details can be found at the official Formula E site.