Guaranteed suspense, full programme, resurfaced track… 5 reasons to follow the Monaco E-Prix 2023
The 6th edition of the Monaco E-Prix is by no means a foregone conclusion, with several drivers capable of the win (Photo © Formula E)
This Saturday, the Principality of Monaco will be hosting the ninth round of the Formula E World Championship. The 6th edition of the Monaco E-Prix promises to be exciting and the result uncertain.
Wehrlein, Cassidy, Vergne, Nato… several favourites
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He totally dominated the start of the season. Only to see the chasing pack come back at him and his lead in the world championship melt away like snow in the spring.
Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) is still in the lead, but is now only four points ahead of his nearest rival, Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing).
Winner of the last race in Berlin, the Australian is one of the favourites for the win in Monaco, as is Pascal Wehrlein, who intends to consolidate his progress.
The 2020 world champion António Félix da Costa, who won in Monaco in 2021, will also be worth keeping a close eye on in his Porsche. As will Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske), currently third in the world championship and winner here in 2019.
Let’s not forget to mention the record holder of victories in the Principality with two wins (2015, 2017), the Swiss Sébastien Buemi (Envision Racing), only eighth in the world championship but whose single-seater is improving well.
Not best placed for victory at the wheel of a Nissan that still needs work, Norman Nato (15th in the championship to date) is nevertheless one to watch at this year’s Monaco E-Prix.
The driver from Antibes has previously shone on the Principality circuit he loves. Winner in Formula Renault 3.5 and second in GP2 (now Formula 2, Ed.), Norman Nato intends to make the most of a race on home soil.
So who will succeed Stoffel Vandoorne, who won here last year ? We will know the answer on Saturday afternoon as 4pm chimes.
A full programme packed into one day
There is a long day ahead of the drivers on the streets of the Principality on Saturday, with the E-Prix all packed into a single day’s racing.
The first of the free practice sessions will start at 7.30 am. The first qualifications begin at 10.40 am. This year, duels will be run to determine pole position. The quarter-finals are scheduled to start at 11:17, the semis at 11:36 and the final at 11:50.
The start of the 6th edition of the Monaco E-Prix will be given at 3.04 pm.
An explosive 3rd generation of Formula E cars
What is special about this season is the arrival of a third generation of Formula E cars. These are more compact and lighter cars, designed for city racing.
A new generation that is considered complex by most of the drivers, who are still looking for answers after eight rounds.
One thing is certain, exciting battles are in store with the new models, and rules that make overtaking easier.
50% resurfaced track
This year, the drivers will be able to enjoy an exceptional track surface. As well they might. A large part of the asphalt has been repaired ahead of the two races that are about to thrill the Principality.
The Formula 1 Grand Prix, of course, but also the Monaco E-Prix, which will take place on a track of which half has been resurfaced.
Three sections were concerned this year: Boulevard Albert 1er, the Louis II tunnel and the Darse Sud. According to the Automobile Club de Monaco, this represents a total of 15,000 m² of road surface, the equivalent of 1,800 tonnes of new asphalt.
Stewards, always at the ready
Once again this year, the volunteers of the Automobile Club de Monaco’s Stewards’ Corps have received extensive training in order to be ready to officiate at the two Monegasque races.
This year, some 562 stewards attended the training course. And so they could get to grips with the special features of electric single-seaters, training in signalling and flag handling was carried out this year on a brand-new circuit for electric karts.