Jordan's Track Talk

Tag: Jakarta E-Prix

  • Round 10 – Jakarta E-Prix

    FP1-

    Maximilian Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing) heads the way in Jakarta from teammate Edoardo Mortara, with the German well inside the fastest race lap set here last year.

    Guenther’s late lap was 0.8 seconds up on the fastest time from the race last year of a 1m 09.786s. His teammate was almost 0.2 seconds back in second spot. Reigning champion, Stoffel Vandoorne also did well on the dusty track as he slotted in third.

    Current Drivers World Championship leader and form man, Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) finds himself down in 17th with work to do.

    FP2-

    Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther made it two in a row, as he topped second practice ahead of qualifying for the Gulavit 2023 Jakarta E Prix, Round 10.

    Championship contender, Jake Dennis finished in second with the Jaguar TCS Racing of Sam Bird who ended up in third.

    Maserati have been on form so far, until this free practice as Edoardo Mortara made one of the first mistakes of the weekend when he whacked his Gen3 car into a wall whilst on a lap. Due to the damage on the wheel rim he was forced to abandon his only lap and sit out the rest of the session.

    Championship leader, Nick Cassidy also brought out the yellow flags as he suffered a lack of grip towards the end of the session and had a little spin.

    Qualifying-

    Maserati MSG Racing’s Maximilian Guenther achieved his maiden Formula E pole position, dominating every session he’s taken part in so far.

    Having looked quick in FP2, Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis finished his group quickest. The DS PENSKEs of Vergne and reigning champion Vandoorne also go through into the Quarter of the Duels.

    Maserati continued their streak as Guenther and Mortara made it through to the quarters alongside Wehrlein and Rene Rast.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Guenther, P2: Dennis, P3: Wehrlein, P4: Vergne, P5: Vandoorne, P6: Mortara, P7: Frijns, P8: Rast, P9: Muller and P10: Cassidy.

    Round 10-

    Long time standings leader, Pascal Wehrlein, lost top spot in the table last time out in Monaco but stamped his authority on the Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix, Round 10 with a controlled victory.

    With the TAG Heuer Porsche driver, leading Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) and Maximilian Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing).

    Porsche’s Wehrlein started third and traded places for the lead with polesitter, Maximilian Guenther over the opening third of the E-Prix having first made his way by his compatriot on Lap 4.

    Dennis started second and finished second, with not quite enough in his Avalanche Andretti car to overpower the factory Porsche 99X Electric of Wehrlein out-front. His charge wasn’t helped by a late push by Guenther, who was trying to hassle the Brit for second.

    The full top 10 are- P1: Wehrlein, P2: Dennis, P3: Guenther, P4: Vandoorne, P5: Vergne, P6: Mortara, P7: Cassidy, P8: Da Costa, P9: Frijns and P10: Hughes.

  • Jakarta Preview

    The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship turns to Asia and Jakarta, Indonesia this weekend for the 2023 Gulavit Jakarta E-Prix rounds 10 & 11.

    The trip to Jakarta marks Formula E’s second outing in Indonesia, home to 273 million people – a huge contingent of motorsport fanatics eager for another taste of the leading electric racing series as the city centre once again plays host on motorsport’s world stage after a more than memorable first visit to the nation in 2022.

    Last time out in Jakarta, it was uncharted territory for the championship’s grid of 22 drivers. Mitch Evans fended off the close attentions of Jean-Eric Vergne and Edoardo Mortara to take his third win of Season 8.

    The Circuit-

    The 2.37km, 18 turn circuit kicks off with a tight opening sector after a long run down the start/finish straight. There’ll be plenty of room for manoeuvre into the right hander at Turn 1 before drivers head into a flowing series of turns that swoop by Ancol Beach City.

    The final sector is a tricky complex following a fast right-hander at Turn 12 and another long straight into what will no doubt be a busy turn 13 hairpin come the race. An awkward left-hander at Turn 18 rounds out the lap with a strong slingshot required down that long home straight.

    jakarta-track-map-details

  • Merhi in at Mahindra

    Mahindra Racing have announced a change to their driver line-up for the remaining seven races of Season 9, as Oliver Rowland has departed the team. The team now welcome Spaniard Roberto Merhi, who recently drove for the team in the recent Berlin Rookie Test.

    Merhi will race for the Mahindra team, alongside Season 3 Formula E Champion Lucas di Grassi from the Jakarta E-Prix this weekend.

    The team stated that a “mutual agreement ” had been reached between Rowland Mahindra for him to step aside for the next seven races.

    Rowland has plenty of Formula E experience under his belt, with his first race being the 2015 Punta del Este E-Prix and has gathered 64 race entries under his belt. As well as achieving five Julius Baer Pole Positions and six podiums.

    However, Rowland currently sits 19th in the Drivers’ World Championship standings with nine points to his name in the new Gen3 era.

    Last time out in Monaco, Rowland had a great start to the race making up eight places. But, his race came to a premature end when a crash resulted in him sustaining a hard injury and being checked at a local hospital. Thankfully an X-ray showed that there was nothing serious and he was expected to race in the Indonesian double header.

    Roberto Merhi has a very impressive racing resume, having raced in Formula 1 with the Manor Marussia F1 Team in 2015, he also had success winning races in various championships including Formula Renault, Spanish F3, British F3 and Formula Renault 3.5 Series.

    As well as single seaters, Merhi also competes in endurance racing and finished the Asian Le Mans Series Drivers’ Championship in 2020.

    It’s a huge honour for me to step in and represent Mahindra Racing for the races in Jakarta. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity and I’m determined to make the most of it. I had a chance to drive the M9Electro at the rookie test in Berlin but Formula E is very different to any of the other series I’ve raced in so the learning curve will be steep. But I feel ready, excited and up for the challenge.

    Merhi on the opportunity.

    We are delighted to welcome Roberto to the Mahindra Racing team. Roberto has impressive experience in top-level racing and a good track record in major championships. He had a great run with us at the Rookie Test in Berlin last month and we could see he had the potential to become a great asset for the Mahindra Racing team. It’s not easy to jump in mid-season, but Roberto has experience of working with the team, so I’m sure he will slot into the team brilliantly.

    Frederic Bertrand, Mahindra Racing CEO

  • Beckmann steps in at Andretii for Jakarta E-Prix

    Avalanche Andretti has announced that David Beckmann will replace Andre Lotterer at the Jakarta E-Prix, who will be spending the weekend with Porsche’s LMDh team preparing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

    Named as the team’s reserve for Season 8 and 9, Beckmann got his first taste of motor racing in karts. In 2012 he won the DMV Kart Championship (KF3 class) and the European Bridgestone Cup.

    A year later he was crowned overall winner of the German Junior Kart Championship, beating Mick Schumacher. With this success under his belt, he advanced to Formula 4 in 2015, contesting championships in Germany, where he won the rookie classification and also in Italy.

    After two years in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, he switched to the GP3 series, where he finished fifth overall in 2018 with three race wins. Returning to the FIA Formula 3 European Championship, he clinched sixth overall with a string of strong performances. From 2021, he competed in FIA Formula 2.

    I’m super grateful for the opportunity to step in for André and represent the Avalanche Andretti Formula E Team in Jakarta. Formula E is an incredibly competitive championship, and I’m excited to showcase my capabilities in this unique racing series. I would like to thank Michael Andretti and the team for trusting me with this responsibility. I’m going to give my best to achieve a successful outcome for everyone involved.

    Beckmann on the opportunity.

    David has proven himself as a highly talented driver and we are delighted to welcome him back into the team for the Jakarta E-Prix. He was part of the team in Season 8 as the official reserve driver and he has not only demonstrated his capabilities during the Berlin Rookie Test, but also throughout the Porsche Motorsport development actvities. He will be an excellent replacement for the double-header weekend. We knew from the outset that André’s priorities lay within Porsche’s LMDh sportscar squad and were therefore supportive of his commitments outside of Formula E. David’s experience in both single-seater championships and as both the team’s and TAG Heuer Porsche’s Reserve and Development Driver will undoubtedly contribute to his seamless transition into the Formula E environment. We have full confidence in his ability to represent the team and have no doubt that he will make the most of this opportunity, contributing to our continued success in the championship.

    Team Principal, Roger Griffiths.
  • Round 9- Jakarta E-Prix

    Round 9- Jakarta E-Prix

    FP1-

    Mahindra’s Oliver Rowland fired to the top of the timesheets in the first Free Practice ahead of the inaugural Jakarta E-Prix, with a 1m 08.433s. But it wasn’t all glorious, as the drivers had to battle tricky, dusty conditions.

    The circuit has been designed with bumps, banking, camber and all the typical twists of a street circuit, with fast flowing sections where poise and balance are key.

    Rowland’s benchmark came late into the session, with Buemi firing in his lap right a the last minute. Lucas di Grassi had sat atop the timing screens for the latter part of FP1 before those final runs came through but wound up third, although just a tenth of a second back.

    The full top 10 were- P1: Rowland, P2: Buemi, P3: Di Grassi, P4: Dennis, P5: Vergne, P6: Evans, P7: Da Costa, P8: De Vries, P9: Wherelein and P10: Frijns.

    FP2-

    DS Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne left it late to top the timesheet and when he did he was a huge four tenths of a second clear of his teammate, Antonio Felix da Costa. The Frenchman’s 1m 07.549s lap was almost a second quicker than Oliver Rowland’s in FP1.

    Da Costa set his lap late to pip Jake Dennis to second, with the Brit looking handy and haing been at the sharp end of the times in both practice sessions, as has Mitch Evans who made the top six again.

    The top 10 were- P1: Vergne, P2: Da Costa, P3: Dennis, P4: Evans, P5: Mortara, P6: Ticktum, P7: Turvey, P8: Wehrlein, P9: Giovinazzi and P10: Vandoorne.

    Qualifying-

    Jean Eric Vergne beat his teammate, Antonio Felix da Costa in the Final Duel in qualifying for the first Jakarta E-Prix with a 1m 08.523s, by eight tenths of a second.

    The DS Techteetah duo made it an all black an gold finale in the session – the first time two teammates had squared off against one another in the Final Duel and Vergne’s collected lap was more than enough for his 15th Julius Baer Pole Position – a new record.

    Da Costa’s lap was lost after he dropped a couple of tenths through Turn 3, despite managing to drag the car to the apex of Turn 4. His DS Techteetah looked more of a handful than his teammates.

    The top 10 were- P1: Vergne, P2: Da Costa, P3: Evans, P4: Mortara, P5: Dennis, P6: Wehrelin, P7: Buemi, P8: Vandoorne, P9: Lotterer and P10: De Vries.

    Round 9-

    Mitch Evans fended off the close attentions of Jean-Eric Vergne and Edoardo Mortara to take his third win of the season at the inaugural Jakarta E-Prix.

    The Jaguar driver made a late-race lunge that caught then leader Vergne off-guard at Turn 7 on Lap 31. From there, energy management became increasingly critical for the lead duo as they fought between themselves and against searing track temperatures.

    That allowed Mortara to join the party and look to pick up the pieces as Evans and Vergne squabbled. Evans had five minutes plus added time to hold the pair off, with the race anybody’s heading into the final turn and his rear tyres fading fast. The Kiwi held on though, to head Vergne home with Mortara right with both of them – all three drivers within a second of one another.

    The top 10 are- P1: Evans, P2: Vergne, P3: Mortara, P4: Da Costa, P5: Vandoorne, P6: Dennis, P7: Di Grassi, P8: Wehrelin, P9: Bird and P10: Buemi.

    We are back in just under a month for Round 10, where we will be going to Marrakesh on the 2nd of July!

  • A look into Jakarta

    Round 9 is here and we are in Jakarta, Indonesia, home to 273 million people and its the first taste of the leading electric racing series and a return to motorsport’s world stage.

    It’s uncharted territory for all the drivers and teams, just 16 points split the top three drivers as we are just over the halfway mark of the season – with only one victory up for grabs this weekend who could possibly take it?

    Eight rounds, and five different winners could we possibly see that number going to 6? Or will a previous driver take that win. Nyck de Vries won Round 8, and Edoardo Mortara Round 7, that Mercedes engine looks very powerful, will we see them take to the podium?

    The Circuit-

    With the Jakarta International E-Prix Circuit making its debut, the drivers will be facing a challenging 18 turn circuit with the back drop of Jakarta Bay.

    The circuit is a purpose built track pulling together all the best elements of street racing to the Ancol Beach City resort. The 2.37km circuit kicks off with a long run into the tight opening sector into a following series of turns and banked corners which then lead up to a tight complex to round out the lap with a long run down the fast start/finish straight.

    Jakarta

    Formula E has been a regular in Asia since the championship’s first campaign, with 16 races at five locations so far in the region. The circuit’s development is aimed at leaving a lasting legacy in the city.

    Timings-

    Saturday 4th June-

    • Free Practice 1- 01:15am – 01:45am (BST)
    • Free Practice 2- 03:00am – 03:30am
    • Qualifying- 04:40am – 05:55am
    • Round 9- 09:04am