Formula E visits the Principality: The XXL preview of the Monaco E-Prix 2021

Every two years Formula E holds an E-Prix in Monaco – this season it’s that time again. Just two weeks before the Formula 1 Grand Prix, manufacturers such as Audi, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and Jaguar are electrifying the roads on the Cote d’Azur. A special feature this season: For the first time, the electric racing series will use an almost identical variant of the full Grand Prix track.

At the last edition of the Monaco E-Prix in 2019, Formula E still drove on a short-circuit. The pilots turned sharply to the right in the first curve, headed head-on towards the exit of the tunnel and used the harbor chicane as a 180-degree turn. This year, for the first time, the Formula E circuit also includes famous curves such as Casino, Mirabeau, Grand Hotel and Portier.

Compared to courses like those in Rome or Paris, the “Circuit de Monaco” for Formula E is likely to be one of the more extensive tracks on the racing calendar. In contrast to series such as Formula 1, Formula 2 or the Porsche Supercup, quite a few overtaking maneuvers are to be expected – especially with a view to different energy management strategies and attack modes. Everything you need to know before the Monaco E-Prix 2021 can be found in our big preview.

City-Country-River

Monaco is not far from the French city of Nice on the Cote d’Azur. The area of ​​today’s city-state could have been populated as early as 5,000 years ago. In the course of the past centuries, the rule of Monaco changed several times before France recognized the full independence of Monaco in 1861. Since then, the city has been ruled by a prince as a constitutional monarchy.

Since Monaco does not levy any income or inheritance taxes, the city has developed into an important financial center in recent decades. After the Vatican, Monaco is the second smallest country in the world: a little less than 38,000 people live in just two square kilometers. The Formula E track is partly in the Port Hercule marina, where a berth can cost up to 900 euros per day.

Rearview mirror | What happened since the Valencia E-Prix

The Formula E headlines after the Valencia E-Prix were dominated by one theme: the “energy chaos” at the Saturday race. In the meantime, there should be agreement that the race management actually applied the existing rule on energy extraction correctly applied Has. It is still unclear whether she would have waived the reduction in the final phase of the race should. How the FIA ​​then communicated the topic is again on a different side …

In Vancouver, however, the city council voted in favor of a motion that includes an application for a place on the Formula E calendar. If the council members have their way, the electric racing series could travel to Canada’s west coast as early as July 2022.

At the London Formula E headquarters, the plans for the Gen3 car, which will be used by all teams from the 2022/23 season, are taking shape. According to series boss Reigle, the official presentation of the first show car is planned for autumn this year.

Schedule | The Formula E race in Monaco

Since the public roads in Monaco should remain open as long as possible, Formula E in Monaco has to forego its mandatory “shakedown”. The teams and drivers only get the opportunity to inspect the course in the 1st free practice (apart from the route inspection while the road is in motion). The E-Prix is ​​the only event this season that is not held as a “double header”. All sessions will therefore take place on Saturday.

Route | For the first time on the “big” racetrack

Especially since the introduction of the Gen2 vehicle model, criticism of the “short connection”, which Formula E relied on in Monaco in 2015, 2017 and 2019, has grown in the paddock. After months of struggling to switch to the Grand Prix course, the series finally announced a few weeks ago, together with the FIA ​​and the Monaco Automobile Association (ACM), that it would be this year indeed will switch to a variant of the “big racetrack”.

For the first time, Formula E also passes the famous Massenet, Casino, Mirabeau, Grand Hotel Bend and Portier curves. The notorious tunnel finally leads the drivers back in the direction of the layout familiar from previous years, in which Formula E shared the final third of the route with Formula 1. In contrast to the “premier class”, the electric racing series slightly adapts the curve radius of the harbor chicane (curve 11) so that the route is around ten meters shorter (3.318 kilometers) compared to Formula 1. The attack zone is not far from the casino forecourt in turn 4.

Note: An earlier version of this article described planned adjustments in Turn 1 and an alternate attack zone location. At the time of publication, this was the official status – in the meantime, however, Formula E has withdrawn the modifications initially announced.

TV & Livestream | The Formula E Monaco E-Prix

This year the ProSiebenSat.1 broadcasting group will broadcast all Formula E races on German free TV. Formula E fans can also follow the Monaco E-Prix in the “ran racing” program on Sat.1. Again accompanied by main commentator Eddie Mielke, TV expert Daniel Abt, presenter Andrea Kaiser and the usual on-site team around Matthias Killing and Christan Danner.

The broadcast begins half an hour before the start of the race with preliminary reports. As usual, you can follow the training sessions and qualifying in the free live stream on our website. In addition, we accompany the entire race day of the Monaco E-Prix in a live ticker.

>>> detailed TV & livestream overview of the Formula E race in Monaco

Fans in Austria can follow Formula E on Eurosport 1 or ORF one. Due to the broadcast of the F1 qualifying in Spain, the broadcast of the ORF is expected to start with a delay of around 15 minutes.

In Switzerland, the paid broadcasters Eurosport 2 and MySports One will show the race live. Eurosport 1 will broadcast a free TV rerun of the Monaco E-Prix on Tuesday evening – also in Germany and Austria, by the way.

Qualifying groups | Overview for the Monaco E-Prix

In Formula E, the drivers are divided into groups of six for qualifying. The aim of the racing series is to give all pilots (at least in theory) the opportunity to take a “free lap” on the often narrow street courses.

The groups are divided based on the current intermediate results in the drivers’ championship: the best six drivers start in group 1, their closest pursuers in group 2 and so on. The following groups result for the Monaco E-Prix.

Weather forecast | Good weather on the Cote d’Azur

The Formula E teams can expect a few summer days on the Mediterranean coast. Thanks to up to seven hours of sunshine, the temperatures at the start of the race could be around 21 degrees Celsius. Or in other words: the best racing weather in Monaco!

Fast Facts | Monaco

• A total of 42 meters lie between the highest (Casino) and lowest (Rascasse) point of the route in Monaco – the greatest difference in altitude on a route in the current Formula E calendar.
• Monaco is only 2.02 square kilometers. The entire national territory is therefore smaller than the former Berlin Tempelhof Airport, on whose apron the route for the Berlin E-Prix is ​​built every year.
• Nyck de Vries, Stoffel Vandoorne (both Mercedes) and Pascal Wehrlein (Porsche) could make it into a super pole session for the tenth time in their Formula E careers at the weekend.
• Accidents are as good as guaranteed in Monaco: There was at least one safety car or full course yellow phase in all editions of the Monaco E-Prix. The trigger for the first “race neutralization” in 2015 was particularly spectacular when Bruno Senna (Mahindra) got up from the rear of Daniel Abt’s vehicle and flew a few meters through the air. Both drivers were uninjured.
• To circumnavigate the Monaco Formula E course with poker chips from the Monte-Carlo casino, you would need 85,128 average-sized copies of the so-called tokens.

Forecast | Formula E on the Olympus of motorsport

Few things bring as much prestige in motorsport as a race win on the streets of Monaco. In Formula E, only two drivers have won an E-Prix in the Principality so far – and both have good chances this year as well.

Sebastien Buemi won the first two editions of the race in 2015 and 2017, but has not finished a Formula E race in 1st place since the New York City E-Prix two years ago. Most recently, Nissan Buemi’s team-mate Oliver Rowland clearly set the pace. Could it work for Buemi this time?

DS-Techeetah driver Jean-Eric Vergne also won in Monaco (2019). He showed that he can be victorious this year at the Rome E-Prix in mid-April. Nevertheless: Vergne has not been able to exploit the full potential of his vehicle in the past few weeks. Like his team-mate Antonio Felix da Costa who has not won this season, the Frenchman will be highly motivated to intervene in the battle for victory.

But there are numerous other candidates. Maximilian Günther (BMW), who moved into a new apartment in Monaco a few months ago, has a very good chance of an excellent starting position from which he could work his way to the top after his mixed Valencia weekend in qualifying group 4. The same goes for Lucas di Grassi (Audi).

Of course, the teams shouldn’t ignore the two Mercedes drivers Nyck de Vries and Stoffel Vandoorne. In four of the six qualifying sessions of the season, at least one of the two “Silver Arrow” drivers secured a place in the super pole. Despite the disadvantage of qualifying group 1, it would be unreasonable not to count the two championship leaders among the top candidates for a good result.

Safety car and full course yellow phases should also be an important component of the race. So far, the race had to be neutralized at least once for each edition of the Monaco E-Prix. This is of great relevance not only with regard to the mandatory energy deduction, but also to the distance management of the leader. If the safety car should compress the field, it is not worthwhile for the lead vehicle to expend energy beforehand to expand the lead. We can certainly expect a close race in which the decision about victory could only be made in the last five minutes of the E-Prix.

As usual, e-Formel.de accompanies the Monaco E-Prix 2021 in great detail for you – including live streams of training and qualifying. In addition to reports, analyzes and current news from the racetrack, we are also offering our popular LGT Formula E live ticker for all training sessions, qualifying sessions and races, in which we provide you with real-time updates from Monaco.

By the way: our readers have one again this year free community prediction game round organized. If you want to take part, you have until Friday to submit your first tips or to register again!