PREDICTOR TIPS: Who to watch out for in Monaco

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PREDICTOR TIPS: Who to watch out for in Monaco

PREDICTOR TIPS: Who to watch out for in Monaco

The 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship rolls on to Round 7 as all-electric racing returns to the hallowed streets of Monaco. The full legendary circuit is now open to challenge the 24 runners, get ahead in Predictor with these picks to get you started.

The chips are down as we approach the midway point of the season, and the action has been highly competitive. In the last six races we've seen six different drivers take the Julius Baer Pole Position, with championship leader Nyck de Vries the only repeat race winner so far.

PREVIEW: Everything you need to know ahead of the 2021 Monaco E-Prix

Qualifying is likely to be another hotly contested session. The streets that line the Principality are perfectly primed for racing, so the surface is not expected to be advantageous for the latter groups.

If history repeats, the power of pole position will be vital. In previous Formula E races here, the winner has shot off from the pole spot to take the chequered flag first. With every driver having featured in Super Pole this season, it'll be a game of roulette to pick the pole-sitter.

 

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For the win

Right now, there is one driver who can lay claim to the moniker of 'Electric Mr Monaco', and that is Sebastien Buemi. The Nissan e.dams driver currently has two wins to his name from Formula E's first two visits to the streets of the Principality.

The 2015/16 champion is without a win since New York City in Season 5, but experience around the winding harbourfront streets could be the key to tackling the new longer layout and for the Swiss driver to add to his Monaco victory tally.

 

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Sebastien Buemi spraying the bubbly after claiming his second of his Monaco E-Prix wins

Jean-Eric Vergne (DS TECHEETAH) could spoil that fun and equalise Buemi if he takes the win on Saturday. 

The Frenchman experienced the magic of victory in Monaco in Season 5, not only taking his first victory around the legendary locale but ending 'The Streak' and becoming the first driver to take two wins that season.

JEV already has one victory in 2020/21 after conquering Rome with the new DS powertrain. The Frenchman currently sits in seventh and 24 points off the lead in the standings, a win could bring him right into the championship mix.

It is Mercedes-EQ'sNyck de Vries who currently sits atop the Drivers' standings and he is the only driver to take two victories this season - winning the opening round in Diriyah and Round 5 in Valencia.

The Dutchman has experience winning in Monaco, having taken the top step on the way to the Formula 2 crown back in 2019.

 

Super Pole showdown

Starting from pole has been the key ingredient to every victory in Monaco, motorsport legend Nelson Piquet once likened racing around the tight circuit to 'riding a bicycle around your house' and with a much longer circuit in 2021 this might be ever more prevalent.

In both of Buemi's wins and Vergne's victory in 2019, all it took was a clean start and the holeshot into Saint Devote and both drivers were on rails as they raced to the chequered flag.

Oliver Rowland (Nissan e.dams) will be on to watch in Monaco, the Brit knows how to throw down a fast lap and was the top qualifier in Super Pole in 2019. The Nissan driver was shuffled back to third on the grid following a collision in the previous race - he will be aiming to take that spot back this weekend.

 

The fastest

From Saint Devote to Tabac and finally out of Anthony Nogues in the drive to the start/finish line. Being in that zone to clock a fast lap of the Monaco circuit must feel incredible.

Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche FE Team) holds the lap record for the short layout from 2019. The German was running in a strong second-place finish before overcooking it on the brakes and letting Rowland through. He'll be looking to recapture that pace to make a challenge with Porsche this time around.

WATCH: The best bits from Formula E's three trips to Monaco

Vergne will be a strong choice for Monaco, the former two-time champion is quick around the streets of the Principality. In addition to his race win in Season 5, JEV claimed the fastest lap honours in Formula E's first visit to Monaco in 2015.

Another driver to bet on is Alex Lynn in the Mahindra Racing machine. The Brit looked to click with the Indian outfit last time out in the DHL Valencia E-Prix, taking the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap on the way to his debut Formula E podium in second. After that performance, he's already looking at the bigger picture.

 

Wildcards

Audi's Lucas di Grassi resides in Monaco, so this weekend is like a home race for the Brazilian. He's come achingly close to victory here on two occasions, shadowing his long-time rival and two-time Monaco E-Prix winner, Sebastien Buemi, in Formula E's first two visits to the iconic city.

The new Audi powertrain for Season 7 has proven to be quick in the hands of both Di Grassi and his team-mate Rene Rast. The latter has been scoring some consistent points, whereas Di Grassi was within arms reach of a win in Rome.

Robin Frijns of Envision Virgin Racing is another driver who has been consistently racking up the points this season, he's already added pole position and fastest lap notches to his championship tally. 

The Dutchman just needs a win for this season to complete the puzzle - and if he can pull off moves like what he did into Tabac in 2019, then he'll be in the running.

 

It was a return to the podium in Valencia for Andre Lotterer, the Porsche driver getting some points on the board after a lengthy five non-scoring finishes this season. 

READ MORE: Porsche's Lotterer delighted to break Season 7 points and podium duck in Valencia

That elusive win still alludes both the German driver and Porsche, but the former knows how to make his way through the field in Monaco. In the last race here, Lotterer worked his way up to seventh from way down the grid in 20th.

The stakes are high in Monaco. Can you predict the unpredictable?

 

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