“It’s fun, it’s a cool track,” the DS Techeetah driver said. “Just some hairpins are way too narrow. I think it’s gonna be near Mission Impossible to overtake. I think Spark [the Formula E car manufacturer] are going to be very happy, [they will ] make a lot of money [as a result of the damage].”
FE did double the length of attack mode from four minutes to eight in an attempt to help overtaking, but 2016-2017 FE champion Lucas Di Grassi highlighted further the alterations he would like to see, as well as echoing some of his rivals’ thoughts.
“I like it,” he said. “The only thing I would change is to make the straights longer and wider or [give more] control [over] the energy.”
The ExCeL centre track was noted for being the first internationally recognised race that goes both inside and outside a building. Much was made of the challenge this presented to drivers, particularly with regards to car set-up if the event was wet outside but dry inside – which it was for Saturday practice and qualifying.
“What’s tricky is not setting-up the car, but [using] your brain,” Di Grassi explained. “You go from one corner which has like 20-30% more grip than the next one. So you need to be very focused and try to understand what the grip is. This was a good challenge.”