What are the lessons from the first E-Prix of the season in Mexico?

Porsche vs. Jaguar, act II

Stability of the regulations between Seasons 9 and 10 requires Formula E, we found in Mexico the "usual suspects" of last year, namely the four motorized stables either by Porsche, or by Jaguar. The two powertrains are once again the most efficient in the field this season.

On the grid, four of the first five drivers were equipped with a Porsche or Jaguar block. An advantage which was confirmed in the race, with the victory of Pascal Wehrlein on Porsche, ahead Sébastien Buemi on Envision – Jaguar and Nick Cassidy on Jaguar. The duel between the two manufacturers therefore enters a second act. If Jaguar still seems to have a slight advantage over Porsche, the Stuttgart firm has erased the faults of the previous season in qualifying and could stand up to the Coventry brand.

DS Penske in the game

It’s a much better start that DS Penske has had this season, compared to last year. The Franco-American team gleaned a total of 12 points on Saturday in Mexico (compared to 1 in 2023). Above all, the two drivers of the team based in Satory (Yvelines), Jean-Éric Vergne (6th) and Stoffel Vandoorne (8th) showed themselves at the pace of the best and could, without solid defense from Mitch Evans, have aimed again better. If the golden single-seaters still lack performance in qualifying, despite the Belgian's passage to the final stages, DS Penske has certainly made progress on race strategy and energy management. Promising for the future…

© Eric Alonso /DPPI

False start for Andretti

We were waiting for the American team and its champion Jake Dennis at the turn in Mexico... but they didn't really respond. Andretti missed the boat on Saturday for the season opener Formula E. Very quickly constrained by distant positions on the starting grid, the American team was not able to move up high enough in the ranking and had to be content with the small points of 9th and 10th place, far, very far from the winner Pascal Wehrlein .

Among the four favorite teams, powered by either Porsche or Jaguar, Andretti is the one with the worst record of the weekend. For his first with his new team, Norman Nato had a difficult round: only 13th on the grid (with a best lap canceled due to track limitations), the Cannes native managed to get into the Top 10, before being stuck in the train led by Mitch Evans at the end of the race.

A complicated return for De Vries

Have we set expectations too high for Nyck de Vries this season ? The Batavian, world champion in the discipline in 2021, suffered for his first E-Prix in Formula E in almost two years. It must be said that the ephemeral pilot of Formula 1 has to relearn everything: new car with Gen3, new team with Mahindra, new racing formats, etc.

The Dutchman, qualified in 22nd and last position, seemed to find an acceptable pace at the end of the race, finishing 15th. But within a back-of-the-pack Indian team – which does not seem to have really progressed during the off-season – it will be difficult for him to shine more this season. Let's still give him time to readjust to this very particular discipline, but the transition promises to be more complicated than expected...

© Joao Filipe / DPPI

Towards a more boring Formula E season?

This is the main point that emerges from this first race of Formula E Season 10: the race was… monotonous, so to speak. Few overtakes – if we except the overtakes “forced” by Attack Mode – and drivers following each other in order to save energy, without really being able to attack. If the organizers tried to boost the spectacle on the track by reducing the duration of the race by one lap compared to 2023, the attempt failed.

So, even if the Formula E circuit at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez has never really offered very exciting rounds since its introduction to the calendar, the 2024 edition also showed that Keirin-style races should still be legion this season. Hopefully the introduction of Charge Attack – a mandatory pit stop to perform a quick recharge – on certain rounds will spice up the spectacle and strategies a bit this year.

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