Brazilian Sérgio Sette Câmara will have different challenge with new car and new team
At the end of this Saturday afternoon, January 14, the Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez, in Mexico City, will host the official start of the Formula E 2023 World Championship. The ninth season of the most important electric car competition on the planet marks, among other news, the debut of the brand new third generation cars (Gen3).
Starting his third full season in the competition, the Brazilian Sérgio Sette Câmara, currently 24, is excited for a year that will mark important challenges for his career. In 2023 the young man from the city of Belo Horizonte will compete for the Chinese team NIO333 Racing. Having its operational base in the technological complex of the Silverstone Racetrack in England, the team has been in F-E since its first season when it reached the title with Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr…
In addition to Brazil, F-E will have three new tracks
Another very important novelty for the ninth season of Formula-E are the new countries and new tracks added to the calendar. In addition to the trendy São Paulo e-Prix, to be raced on March 25 at the Sambodrome of Anhembi, in the largest Brazilian metropolis, the calendar of the World Championship will have more surprises.
On February 11, India will host the fourth stage of the Championship in Hyderabad. Two weeks later, on February 25, it will be the turn of Cape Town – South Africa, to receive the races of the sixth stage. Completing the news on June 24, the city of Portland – in the United States, will receive the 12th stage of the year in replacement of the New York track, home of the Championship until last season.
New GEN3 car can reach 322 km/h
One of the great challenges of the 2023 FE season will be the new cars of the third generation of the Championship. The vehicles that will come into action this year are the fastest, lightest, most powerful, most efficient and sustainable single-seaters of all time. With a smaller chassis and 60 kg lighter, the cars also feature an additional front power train and a power of 100 kW more than was seen in Gen2, now reaching 350 kW and a top speed of 322 km/h. In addition, cars have twice the capacity for regeneration – which means that more than 40% of the energy used in the race comes from regeneration during braking. “For sure all these changes will make the races even more exciting and with much more overtaking,” explained Sette.
Changes in the format of races
As well as the cars, the format of the F-E races has undergone some updates for the 2023 season. Races will now have their length defined by the number of laps and no longer by a predetermined time. In addition, additional laps will be added for the interruptions of the Safety Car and Full Course Yellow.
Later in the season ATTACK CHARGE will be implemented. Using different batteries and ultra-modern charging technology this news will allow the Gen3 cars to make a pit-stop and receive an increase in energy in the race. 600kW will be delivered at a mandatory stop of 30 seconds. When leaving the pits the cars will have unlocked two more periods of the Attack Mode with the cars using 350kW against 300kw in the race driving mode.
A return to Mexico City
Around 40,000 spectators are expected in the stands of the famous Autódromo Hermanos Rodriguez. The 19-turn, 2,630-km circuit is a perfect blend of long, fast straights and an internal technical section that runs through the legendary Foro Sol stadium – hosting tens of thousands of fans.
There is a new chicane this year on the starting straight, while the Attack Mode activation zone is now outside Turn 15 at the exit of the stadium. “I love racing here. The energy of the stands and the way of cheering of the public reminds me a lot of Brazil. We will have great challenges, especially in these early stages, but I believe we will have a year of growth. Our goal will be to fight to be regularly in the points,” he concluded.
How and where to watch
The Free Practice 1 for the Mexico E-Prix begins at 19:30, this Friday, January 13, and will be broadcasted by the official channel of Formula-E on YouTube.
The Free Practice 2 will be at 10:30 am on Saturday with Qualifying from 12:40 pm also shown on the official channel of Formula-E on YouTube. The E-Prix that will mark the first round of the Championship starts at 17:00 with live transmission through the Bandsports channel and the Band Play app.
Pictures: Disclosure | NIO333 Racing
Press office of Sérgio Sette Câmara
Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick