2016 Buenos Aires ePrix Preview

It is a great pleasure to be writing about the FIA Formula E series alongside Formula One for Driving for Pleasure (excuse the pun if you will!).

We have been following Formula E since its debut season in 2015 and I am looking forward to be sharing the latest news and opinions on the series here.

With the fourth round of the second Formula E season moving to the Puerto Madero Street Circuit in Buenos Aires this weekend, the 12-turn track was designed by Santiago Garcia Remohi and features a mix of fast, medium, and slow corners.

Last season, there was action aplenty with Antonio Felix da Costa throwing up a surprise win for the Aguri team. It's a feat that the Anglo-Japanese outfit hasn't matched in the series since; but a solid performance on the day ensured that the Portuguese man would bag victory at the event.

It was a race of attrition at the front as first place felt like a game of hot potato. Race leader and pole-sitter Sebastien Buemi crashed his car ruining his suspension; which meant that he couldn't carry on which gifted the lead to his rival Lucas di Grassi.

A few laps later, Sam Bird who was running as high as third place received a drive-through penalty for ignoring red lights in the pitlane whilst race leader di Grassi had a suspension failure similar to that of Karun Chandhok's earlier on in the race.

With the safety car period over, the action resumed on the track and race leader Nick Heidfeld (the third in the race) sensationally received a drive through penalty for breaking the pitlane speed limit. This promoted da Costa into first place for his landmark victory.

The 2016 race is to be held in the same location and there are no changes to the circuit. The climate makes for tough conditions for the drivers as the hot and humid air presents a challenge for the teams and the drivers.

In an interview with the media this week, Da Costa said that it's not the drivers who will find these conditions tough, but rather the cars themselves. Da Costa stated the following about his chances this weekend at the event as follows:-

“You know these kind of race races; Malaysia and Buenos Aires, anything that hot is what we train for. We do some special training dedicated to that. It's never a big issue for us drivers and I think it's a bigger issue for the cars. __
“I don't think any car at the end of the day stopped with a temperature problem (in Putrajaya) but it definitely slowed everybody down, it altered everyone's strategies and how much everyone was using the regeneration.

“It's certainly very tricky and changes everything for the teams and the drivers, and it's very easy to make a mistake. But at the end of the day for you guys outside watching it, it's going to bring more interest and it's going to bring everyone closer together.”

Renault eDams driver Sebastien Buemi will be looking to maintain his momentum from Punta del Este with another victory to add to his tally and also to his championship cause . There will of course be a challenge from behind with Lucas di Grassi who is still an ever present force in his Abt car, whilst the Dragons and the Virgins look to be making steady performance gains.

It'll be a first showing for British driver Mike Conway who has previously tested for the Dragon Team. Conway replaces 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve and is looking forward to the challenge ahead. Conway said the following:-

“I have always liked street tracks, they are very challenging compared to a normal circuit. Normally they're very bumpy and have different grip levels throughout the lap so they are a lot of fun!”

It has yet to be confirmed whether Nick Heidfeld will be ready to tackle the Buenos Aires track in his Mahindra, but what we know for certain is that Salvador Duran will be making his return to racing with the Aguri team.

Duran joins last years' race winners after replacing Nathanael Berthon at the Aguri team for the rest of the season. The Mexican hasn't driven a Formula E car all season after signing for the Trulli team who were unable to compete in any of the races. Duran's speed and ability are without question, but it's his experience that will be most beneficial to the team for the rest of the season.

The FIA Formula E website, ITV4 and also ITV 1 will be covering the Buenos Aires ePrix over the weekend of the event. Here are the times you need below:-

Saturday 6th February (Practice 1) 11.10am-12.10pm [Online]

Saturday 6th February (Practice 2) 1.25pm- 2.10pm [Online]

Saturday 6th February (Qualifying) 2.45pm- 4.10pm [Online]

Saturday 6th February (Race) 6pm-8.30pm [ITV4]
Sunday 7th February (Race Highlights) 9.25am-10.25am [ITV1]

Keep checking Driving for Pleasure for coverage of the 2016 Buenos Aires ePrix with our reports of each session.

Sarah Jones- @jonesy_laaa