It is a street circuit to say the least particular which awaits the drivers of Formula E this weekend, for the double E-Prix of New York. The Brooklyn route indeed has a lot of bitumen joints which, in places, have crumbled. There are also manhole covers and drainage plates, especially on the path of certain bends. Less frequented, the streets have also retained much of the paint markings and tire marks left by the previous edition of the event, which dates back two years when it concluded the 2018-2019 season.
Faced with such an environment, there are those who love and those who hardly appreciate. Defending Formula E Champion, António Félix da Costa belongs to the first category. “I love that”, he assures Motorsport.com. “There are a lot of variables that are going to make it more difficult. The only thing is it just makes it worse for us in Group 1 [des qualifications]. But I stop complaining because it is useless. Negative energies and thoughts are of no use. I love these kinds of variables. “
Words that contrast with those of his teammate at DS Techeetah, Jean-Eric Vergne, which had not at all tasted the already very particular characteristics of the Puebla track, during the last E-Prix held in Mexico. “Hope we never come back”, he had launched when leaving Autódromo Migel E Abed. Water had risen from the asphalt, which then crumbled.
For António Félix da Costa, difficult tracks like the one in New York this weekend have a certain charm, which has been lost over the years with the habit of regularly resurfacing the pites in motor racing.
“Circuits like Budapest, like the Red Bull Ring, had a lot of character but have disappeared”, he pleads. “Budapest used to be a bumpy track, with cracks in the track, different tarmacs. Now it’s like a video game. So I love coming back to tracks that have character.”
A point of view shared by Mitch Evans. “This is exactly what we want because there is more character”, underlines the New Zealander. “It’s a real street circuit. The more holes, the more bumps, the more terrain… give us all of that. These cars are designed for street circuits. I love it when it comes down to it. There are those kinds of difficulties. We don’t want it to be easy. We want corners with completely different levels of grip. I like this challenge. “
Interview by Matt Kew
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