Buenos Aires ePrix preview
Formula E racing returns this Saturday after a mammoth 14-week break. Round three of the third season will take place around the Puerto Madero street circuit in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It will become the first track to have hosted three ePrix.
A revised FanBoost system is in place from this round. The voting window has been reduced to one week, and Instagram posts no longer count towards a driver's total.
Current championship leader Sébastien Buemi has taken the chequered flag in this season's opening two races, but has yet to win in Buenos Aires. In last year's race, he battled with Sam Bird over the final few laps, but couldn't catch the British driver in time.
Buemi will hope the third time's the charm, and continue his 100% record. But his (and Renault's) dominance could be challenged by any number of the other drivers. We've still to really see how well the other teams have developed their cars since last season and during the mid-season break.
Two obvious challengers to Renualt, DS Virgin and Audi Abt, still seem to lack confidence in their cars' setup. The Abt car was definitely the stronger of the two last season, but it's still too early to say how far they've come since then. Meanwhile, huge financial investment in the mid-field contenders has bunched-up the pack. Lucas di Grassi and Sam Bird now face just as much competition from the likes of António Félix da Costa and Felix Rosenqvist than they did from Nicolas Prost.
An exciting race is in prospect. Several overtaking opportunities exist around the track, with wide sections of track leading into tight corners allowing for plenty of braking-zone manoeuvres. There's also a very open feel to much of the circuit, save for the spectacular run down to the chicane section under the shade of the trees.
A revised FanBoost system is in place from this round. The voting window has been reduced to one week, and Instagram posts no longer count towards a driver's total.
Current championship leader Sébastien Buemi has taken the chequered flag in this season's opening two races, but has yet to win in Buenos Aires. In last year's race, he battled with Sam Bird over the final few laps, but couldn't catch the British driver in time.
Buemi will hope the third time's the charm, and continue his 100% record. But his (and Renault's) dominance could be challenged by any number of the other drivers. We've still to really see how well the other teams have developed their cars since last season and during the mid-season break.
Two obvious challengers to Renualt, DS Virgin and Audi Abt, still seem to lack confidence in their cars' setup. The Abt car was definitely the stronger of the two last season, but it's still too early to say how far they've come since then. Meanwhile, huge financial investment in the mid-field contenders has bunched-up the pack. Lucas di Grassi and Sam Bird now face just as much competition from the likes of António Félix da Costa and Felix Rosenqvist than they did from Nicolas Prost.
An exciting race is in prospect. Several overtaking opportunities exist around the track, with wide sections of track leading into tight corners allowing for plenty of braking-zone manoeuvres. There's also a very open feel to much of the circuit, save for the spectacular run down to the chicane section under the shade of the trees.
