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Round four of the 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship takes place this weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City. It’s the highest altitude track on the calendar, and also one of the shortest. So what does that mean for the championship?
Will missing shakedown damage Buemi chances?
Three Formula E drivers – Sebastien Buemi, Stephane Sarrazin and Jose Maria Lopez – also race for Toyota in the World Endurance Championship. Clashing commitments this week mean that all three will not be landing in Mexico until Friday night and will thus miss the shakedown session. DS Virgin Racing has drafted in its third driver, Alex Lynn, to take part in the 30-minute session in Lopez’s place, while Venturi has recruited Tom Dillmann to stand in for Sarrazin. Renault e.dams has taken the bold decision to entrust Nico Prost with running in all four cars. Will missing the session knock Buemi off his role? His rivals will certainly be hoping so as he’s already 29-points ahead in the championship.
What difference will the reprofiled first turn make?
Overtaking was tricky around the 2-kilometre track last session as illustrated by Buemi’s dice with Jerome D’Ambrosio over second place. When the Swiss driver did finally find a way through, it was only by cutting the track at the first corner chicane, and he had to let his rival back through.
In place of the tight right, left, right, the track now features a tight right followed by a fast left. Will it make for better overtaking? We will find out on Saturday afternoon.
Can Gutierrez make a splash on his debut?
Formula E is celebrating its 25th race this weekend. Yet during those previous 24 races, only once has a driver won his home race. That happened in Battersea in Season 1, when Sam Bird triumphed for Virgin.
There have been a few close calls since then – Jean-Eric Vergne in Paris, Daniel Abt in Berlin – but now the opportunity arises for Esteban Gutierrez. The ex-Formula 1 racer faces a tall order to defeat the likes of Buemi and Lucas di Grassi straight out of the blocks, but as Vergne showed last time out in Buenos Aires, the TECHEETAH package has the pace.
Will FanBoost make a difference once more?
Last year, di Grassi used a great run out of the final corner together with a perfectly-timed deployment of FanBoost to pull off a great overtaking move for the lead. It has the one occasion where the fan vote has assisted in a pass for the number one position, and with overtaking so tricky at the track, getting that additional 100kJ power boost could be crucial.
As things stand, Buemi and di Grassi lead the way with 10 FanBoost wins. In the current standings, it’s Vergne, Gutierrez and Buemi leading the way. You can vote here now fanboost.fiaformulae.com/
Can the pole man finally win a race?
It’s been five races since the driver starting from the Julius Baer Pole Position has won a Formula E race. That dates back to the first race in Battersea at the end of Season 2, when Prost held firm to take his first win of the season and his second in Formula E.
Since then, the winner has come from further down the starting order, with Buemi’s charge from seventh in Marrakesh the lowliest position from which the winner has started during that sequence. If that run is going to come to an end, the chances are it will be here.