Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team returns to Mexico City on Saturday 08.02.2022: For the first time since February 2020, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is set to return to Mexico’s high-altitude capital this weekend (12 February 2022)

For the first time since February 2020, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is set to return to Mexico’s high-altitude capital this weekend (12 February 2022)




    Nyck de Vries: “We’ve had an encouraging start to the season but are very aware of the challenges that still lie ahead of us. We know how competitive our rivals are, so we have to bring our A game in order to remain major contenders”


    Stoffel Vandoorne: “The season-opener showed that we have to stay humble and continue to work hard on all the details if we want to compete consistently at the highest level”


    Ian James: „Mexico is always a fantastic place to visit. There is excitement in the air and the fans are extremely passionate about racing. Having fans return to the track for this weekend will, undoubtedly, be one of the highlights”
 




The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will take place in Mexico City for the sixth time this coming weekend. The last time the Mexican capital played host to the all-electric race series was during the 2019/20 season.



Last year, racing took place at Puebla some 100 kilometres to the east of Mexico City, as the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City was being used as a hospital for COVID19 patients.



The Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team have only raced once so far on the track in the Mexican capital, but it did not go to plan as far as results were concerned. Both Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne retired early from the race held in Mexico City during Season 6.



Things were only marginally better in the two E-Prix held at the Autodromo Miguel E Abed in Puebla the following year in Season 7. Both Stoffel and Nyck went on strong charges in Race 1 after having had a tough time in qualifying and went on to finish in the points, coming seventh and ninth respectively. In the second round, Stoffel came home in P13 while Nyck was forced to retire.



For its return to the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this year, Formula E will not be lining up on the Formula One track layout but on the 2.606 km configuration used in Season 6. The circuit consists of eight left-hand and eight right-hand turns and offers a mix of long straights plus a narrow stadium section. Mexico is the venue with the highest altitude above sea level of any track on the calendar at more than 2,000 metres.



In contrast to the season-opening round at Diriyah, the Mexico City E-Prix is ​​not a double-header, so all sessions, including Practice 1 and Practice 2, Qualifying and the Race itself will take place on the same day (Saturday, 12 February). Qualifying will commence at 17:40 GMT and the Mexico City E-Prix will get underway at 22:04 GMT.




Ian James, Team Principal:



“Diriyah was a good weekend for the team. It might surprise some people that I am not calling it a great weekend. Yes, we did take two Pole Positions and a 1-2 win in the first race, but we found ourselves slightly on the back foot later on in the weekend. Since then, we’ve been working hard on understanding why we failed to realise our potential in Race 2 and how we improve going forward.


Now, less than two weeks later, we are already on our way to the next race weekend of the season: the Mexico City E-Prix awaits us. Mexico is always a fantastic place to visit. There is excitement in the air and the fans are extremely passionate about racing. Having fans return to the track for this weekend will, undoubtedly, be one of the highlights.





In Mexico, we are planning on realising the pace we know we can achieve with our team and our car package. Our powertrain has proven to be a strong contender at track, but above all: our people have shown time and time again that they are up for a challenge. That prospect makes me excited for the race weekend to come!”




Where to watch

Don’t miss any of the action this weekend and follow the team on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Or, head here to find out how to watch all sessions live in your region.



- Bradley Lord, photos Mercedes