Photo: Mercedes-Benz
At the beginning of September, Mercedes-Benz officially announced its entrance in the Formula E series. It is a major shift in motorsport priorities for the Germans, one that required pulling out of other competitions such as the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM). And by the looks of it, it was the right move.
First and foremost, the Formula E series was designed as the perfect testing grounds for electric powertrains and technologies that could later be used in production vehicles. And the more teams testing the technology, the better and quicker the results.
Aside from the two EQ Silver Arrow 01 it will be fielding as the factory cars, Mercedes-Benz announced this week two more Silver Arrows will be on the tracks, as part of a deal with another team, Venturi.
Meant as a means to “accelerate the manufacturer’s learning curve in its debut Formula E season,” the deal calls for Venturi to use the Mercedes-made powertrain and all the other components.
In Formula E, all teams are supplied with the same chassis and battery, on top of which they can mount their own electric motors, software, onboard electronics, and so on. Until this year, Venturi was supplied by Mercedes-partner HWA.
“At Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, we have accumulated a huge amount of knowledge in the field of high-performance electrified power units over the past few years, which will not only benefit our new Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team but also Venturi Racing,” said in a statement Mercedes-Benz EQ team principal Ian James.
“Running four cars on track in our debut season will accelerate our progress towards the ultimate goal of fighting for race wins.”
The four people who will drive the Silver Arrows in Formula E are Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries for Mercedes, and Felipe Massa and Edoardo Mortara for Venturi.
The 2019-2020 Formula E season starts on November 22 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, and ends in July 2020 in London, after 15 races. There are 12 teams this season, including Audi, BMW, DS, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Jaguar, and Porsche.
Aside from the two EQ Silver Arrow 01 it will be fielding as the factory cars, Mercedes-Benz announced this week two more Silver Arrows will be on the tracks, as part of a deal with another team, Venturi.
Meant as a means to “accelerate the manufacturer’s learning curve in its debut Formula E season,” the deal calls for Venturi to use the Mercedes-made powertrain and all the other components.
In Formula E, all teams are supplied with the same chassis and battery, on top of which they can mount their own electric motors, software, onboard electronics, and so on. Until this year, Venturi was supplied by Mercedes-partner HWA.
“At Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, we have accumulated a huge amount of knowledge in the field of high-performance electrified power units over the past few years, which will not only benefit our new Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team but also Venturi Racing,” said in a statement Mercedes-Benz EQ team principal Ian James.
“Running four cars on track in our debut season will accelerate our progress towards the ultimate goal of fighting for race wins.”
The four people who will drive the Silver Arrows in Formula E are Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries for Mercedes, and Felipe Massa and Edoardo Mortara for Venturi.
The 2019-2020 Formula E season starts on November 22 in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, and ends in July 2020 in London, after 15 races. There are 12 teams this season, including Audi, BMW, DS, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Jaguar, and Porsche.
Google News