Not all sausages and skittles
Yes I like to mix my metaphors... Sausage kerbs and rumble strips; they’re car breakers – well in Formula E at least.
In this edition we speak at length about the matter with Formula E Chairman of Stewards, Tim Schenken. As hard a man in the judicial room as he was on the race track, Schenken is of the opinion that drivers should treat kerbs just as they would a wall. Fair point, but when rumble strips are breaking rear suspensions through clipping kerbs via lateral load – and not through a driver attempting a faster line – then questions have to be raised. I find it hard to believe Dallara’s product should be at fault, but then in this quieter age of motor sport all sorts of groans and strains are becoming more conspicuous.
Franck Montagny’s cocaine predicament isn’t a story we wanted to reproduce in this issue as it has already featured on our website. That said I do feel sorry for Franck. Notwithstanding the idiocy in his decision making, I can't begin to perceive what he must have felt sitting in that cockpit knowing that his career – a recently rejuvenated one no less – was about to be snuffed out by his own hand.
Much has been said about the FIA’s handling of Montagny’s case, some ridiculously suggesting a cover-up was at play. These accusations conveniently ignoring Appendix A of the FIA’s own Sporting Code (specifically article 14.1.5 regarding Confidentiality) which prohibits any FIA official disclosing information about the case.
Not the sort of headlines any racing series wants to draw, but as we've been preaching since September, Formula E's strengths are far out-weighing any of the negatives being thrown at it.
Trent Price, eRacing editor @realtrentprice