Mercedes and Venturi on an equal footing?

The Monegasque Venturi team is experiencing an unusual destiny, and the operation it is currently carrying out with Mercedes, unique in the history of Formula E, could take it to its highest level of competitiveness. Usually, the classic diagram of the “builder” and “client” team duo is always structured in the same way.

The first is experienced in the discipline and demonstrates good performance; then the second, which has fewer resources to test and develop, rents its mechanics, but does not benefit from the developments made during the season by its supplier.

In the case of Mercedes and Venturi, and even if the two brands are not comparable in size, it is more a question of crossed trajectories which converge towards a desire for equality which is taking shape in Formula E.

Toto wolff, the boss of Mercedes Motorsport, and Gildo Pastor, owner of Venturi, have come up with a multi-pronged plan, which will be profitable for both teams. After supplying Mercedes (HWA Racelab) last season, Venturi (whose team manager is none other than Suzie Wolff, Toto's wife...) is preparing to leave its status as manufacturer (and has just changed its name: Venturi Formula E Team has become Venturi Racing) to now equip its single-seaters with Mercedes traction chains.

They are certainly new (and manufactured in England, in Brixworth, the same place as the engines F1) but the engineers from the firm at l’Etoile took advantage of Venturi’s five years of experience and millions of data. It is also for this reason that the Monegasque team will not be a customer team like the others.

According to our information, it will not only benefit from the same propellers as the star-studded single-seaters, but also from all the management electronics and developments which could arise during the season.

It even seems that the software, the main software of the car, was developed jointly by the two teams during last season, Edoardo Mortara, Venturi driver, having also participated in two test sessions for the German team . Venturi will thus distinguish itself from other client teams such as Techeetah at Renault in 2017-2018, or in Envision Virgin Racing with Audi since the start of last season. Both had gone no further than a simple supplier-customer relationship.

Teams with different profiles

If it seems understood that Mercedes and Venturi will have strictly identical single-seaters, and that the Monegasque team will benefit from the German manufacturer's racing science after having put its foot in the stirrup in a discipline with many unknowns the season last, it nevertheless appears that the physiognomy of the teams could create performance gaps.

As for the drivers, we can say that Venturi is better armed. Edoardo Mortara is the most experienced, has one victory and podiums under his belt. Felipe Massa, who is entering his second season, also showed great things and proved competitive on several occasions, even scoring his first podium in Monaco.

On the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team side, we will find Stoffel Vandoorne, comfortable in Formula E and several times qualified in super pole position last year, and author of a podium in Rome. Nyck de Vries, his teammate (see previous page) will be a rookie.

Mercedes could nevertheless compensate for this theoretical gap with financial resources greater than those of Venturi in terms of operation (and a remote room at the factory on race weekends?), as well as superior knowledge of motor racing. to that of Venturi, who nevertheless remains the specialist in Formula E. How long will this beautiful balance last?