Final touches before the start of the season for TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
At the test days of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Valencia, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team ignites the final stage of its preparation for the new season. At the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, the eleven teams and 22 drivers of the world's first electric racing series will complete a total of five test sessions from 29 November to 2 December. Not least because of planned changes in qualifying and races, Valencia is an important assessment before Season 8, which begins with two rounds on 28 and 29 January in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. A total of 16 races on four continents are on the 2021/2022 Formula E calendar.
The TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team is preparing for the start of the season in Valencia for the third time after 2019 and 2020. As in the previous season, André Lotterer (GER/start number 36) and Pascal Wehrlein (GER) with his new starting number 94 will be in action as regular drivers. On the track, where two races were held in Season 7 due to pandemic-related calendar changes, they will put the Porsche 99X Electric to a final endurance test. For Porsche's first electric car, the software was further developed by the engineers in Weissach. There are no changes to the powertrain. The FIA had decided that due to the pandemic, only one drive may be homologated for seasons 7 and 8 for cost reasons.
"This test will give us important clues as to where we stand compared to the competition," says Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E. "After that, we want to have two race cars that are perfectly prepared for a successful start to the season."
Questions and answers about the test in Valencia Amiel Lindesay, Head of Operations Formula E How important is this test and how much is the team looking forward to returning to the racetrack?
"This official test is the dress rehearsal for the start of the season in Diriyah and will give us an insight into where we stand compared to the strong competition. The team has worked hard in preparation and is looking forward to Season 8. After Valencia we will be well prepared for Diriyah. We are confident that we will give our competitors a tough fight for the world title."
What is your work programme for Valencia?
"We use the test as a shakedown of our Porsche 99X Electric for the first race. In addition to testing new parts, we also want to make sure that the team functions as a conspiratorial community as it did last year. In the new season, we can expect some major changes in qualifying and race format. We will simulate these in order to get a first taste of what is in front of us. This is an important point on our work plan. Valencia is the only pre-season testing opportunity with our racing cars. That's why we have to use the time available constructively."
What insights do you hope to gain from this test? What are your goals?
"Simulating a qualifying and a race in the presence of all the teams is not only helpful for us and our competitors. The FIA and Formula E can also draw important insights from this with regard to the innovations in the regulations and correct any inconsistencies until the first race. We made some software updates to our cars during the break, which we tested in the simulator. Nevertheless, it's always good to get confirmation on the racetrack."
André Lotterer, Porsche works driver (#36): What do you expect from the Test in Valencia and how great is the anticipation?
"I'm really looking forward to getting back in the car and being with the team. Even if the track in Valencia is not extremely relevant for Formula E, we are hoping for important insights. Our engineers have further developed the Porsche 99X Electric in the software area after last season. In Valencia, it's now about making sure that the updates work well not only in the simulator but also on the track."
How did you spend the break, professionally and privately?
"In Weissach we worked a lot on the simulator. In addition to the software, the focus was also on strategy. Together we looked for the best solutions for ourselves and the engineers to be even more efficient and get even more performance out of our cars. Privately, I was at the Goodwood Revival, celebrated my 40th birthday – and picked olives around my holiday home." Pascal Wehrlein, Porsche works driver (#94): The cars haven't changed much compared to Season 7.
What are the benefits of the test under these circumstances?
"The test is important, because there are certainly innovations on the software side. I'm looking forward to trying them out and even improving them together with the engineers. We tested a lot in the simulator, but driving on a real race track is something completely different. The break was quite long for my feelings. I can't wait for it to start again." Season 7 ended in mid-August.
What did you do after that? Did you have some time for yourself?
"After the last race, the usual analyses and discussions were on the agenda in Weissach. So the season didn't really end for us until the beginning of September – and in October we started preparing again on the simulator. I used the time in between to deal with other things and recharge the batteries. Above all, I have intensified my fitness training during these weeks. That is sometimes a bit too short during the racing season due to the time pressure."
You are going into season 8 with the new starting number 94.How did this come about?
" Quite simply: Since I've been racing, I've always had the 94. The number is my year of birth. But that was already taken in the last Formula E season. When she became available for Season 8, of course we took action." The track
The route at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo will be the same during the test as it was at the Valencia E-Prix 2021.
The 3.376-kilometre circuit with its 15 corners has some key points such as the tight double right (turns 9 and 10) and the bus stop chicane (turns 13 to 15). Driving is counterclockwise. The official Formula E test has been taking place in Valencia since 2017 and thus for the fifth time.
The electric racing car with the Porsche E-Performance Powertrain, the powertrain developed in Weissach, also serves as a development vehicle for the sports car manufacturer's electric production vehicles. Energy management and efficiency are important success factors in both Formula E and series development. The maximum output of the Porsche 99X Electric in the 2021/2022 season is up to 250 kW in qualifying mode and 220 kW (pre-season: 200 kW) in normal race mode. It can be increased to 250 kW in Attack Mode (pre-season 235 kW). The maximum recuperation is 250 kW, the usable battery capacity is 52 kilowatt hours. Formula E
Formula E is the world's first all-electric racing series and has been bringing exciting motorsport to the people of the metropolises since 2014.
As an accelerator for innovative and sustainable mobility technologies, it also promotes the global acceptance of electric vehicles with the aim of counteracting climate change. The format is compact: practice, qualifying and racing take place in one day. A race lasts 45 minutes plus one lap. With the Porsche 99X Electric, the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team starts its third season.