Venturi Racing are on a high after their most successful campaign ever in 2018/19, and a new partnership with Mercedes is expected to lay the foundations for further triumphs this time around. The Monegasque team have retained Felipe Massa and Edoardo Mortara for another year, and the experienced duo will be doing their utmost to put their new factory supplier in the shade.
Venturi finally broke their duck after five years in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, picking up their first ever victory at the Hong Kong E-Prix last season. The win was a stand-out highlight from a campaign which saw the team accumulate their highest-ever points tally thanks to two further podium finishes.
However, a string of reliability issues during the second half of the season halted momentum and acted as the catalyst for a summer of change. A new partnership with rookie outfit Mercedes-Benz EQ has been forged, with Venturi adopting the German giant’s powertrain alongside its cooling system, rear frame, rear suspension, dampers, software, onboard electronics and wiring looms. Team Principal Susie Wolff will demand the most from this relationship and is surely hoping to ruffle a few feathers at Mercedes headquarters with her squad’s performance.
Felipe Massa knows all about facing off against the might of the Silver Arrows after his time in Formula One, and the former Sauber, Ferrari and Williams ace showed he’s still got plenty to offer with flashes of brilliance last season. The 38-year-old scored a superb podium in Monaco and proved he’s lost none of his bravery with a battling drive to ninth in Paris despite water streaming through a broken visor. However, the popular Brazilian also endured his fair share of criticism over a lack of consistency throughout his debut Formula E campaign and needs to bounce back with a strong display in 2019/20 to dissuade the doubters.
Edoardo Mortara was the man behind the wheel for Venturi’s debut victory in Formula E, keeping his cool while chaos reigned around him in Hong Kong. The Swiss driver actually crossed the line second but was on hand to pick up the trophy following Sam Bird’s disqualification and won’t mind one bit after carving his name into Venturi’s history. The 32-year-old actually endured a miserable campaign following the win, retiring from six of the next eight races and failing to score in the other two.
However, Mortara had enough credit in the bank from two seasons with the team to earn another crack at the all-electric championship and his ties with Mercedes – having helped test and develop the Silver Arrow 01 – stand him in good stead to make the most of Venturi’s new factory deal. The former F3 Euroseries champion is a street racing expert, having won the prestigious Macau Grand Prix twice, and will look to once again show his veteran team-mate how it’s done on the tight and twisty confines of the world’s most exciting cities.