11th and 12th rounds of the Formula E World Championship were held at the Shanghai Circuit
Last weekend, from May 24 to 26, was one that made the hearts of motorsport lovers race. There were competitions for all tastes, including F1, F2, and F3 in Monaco, the Indy 500, Nascar and Formula E. The world’s fastest electric cars raced at the Shanghai Circuit in China, with races valid for the 11th and 12th rounds of the World Championship.
For Brazilian Sérgio Sette Câmara, from ERT Formula E, it was a special weekend since the team’s administrative headquarters and main investors are in that Asian country, making it a home race.
Together with his team of engineers, Sette Câmara worked hard in the days leading up to the event, seeking ideal preparation in the team’s simulator. However, when the track opened for the first free practice session, it became clear that the performance of ERT’s two cars was far below that of the leading teams, making it practically impossible to fight for good positions in the upcoming races.
In the first practice session, Sérgio was only 22nd, and in the second, he was 18th. In the qualifying session for Saturday’s race, Sérgio managed a slight improvement, finishing 17th. In the 11th round race, Sérgio did his best to manage the energy of car #3 and, in the final laps, managed to gain some ground, finishing the race in 13th place.
Sunday’s schedule started with the third free practice session, in which Sette Câmara finished 16th. In qualifying, with a similar performance to practice, Sérgio secured 15th place, starting from the eighth row of the grid. In the race, as seen the previous day, Sérgio and his teammate lacked pace and had to stay far back to manage battery consumption until the end of the race. In the final laps, the Brazilian driver tried to gain some ground but finished only in 18th place.
“The weekend was very tough for us. Unfortunately, we did not even come close to the points zone, which is always our goal. On Sunday, especially, our pace was well below that of the other teams, and I did not even have the chance to fight for a better position. If there is something positive to take from this round, it is the opportunity to meet the team’s main investors, race with the support of a large local crowd, and feel the good energy from them. I hope to return next year in better condition and hopefully bring more joy to all of them,” concluded the 26-year-old driver.
The Formula E World Championship will resume its calendar in a month for the penultimate round of the season. On June 29 and 30, the Portland Circuit in the United States will host races valid for the 13th and 14th rounds.
Pictures: Disclosure | ERT Formula E