The Gentleman Magazine Issue 18 | December 2019 | Page 23

The action-packed races and event character directly address
and involve spectators and at the same time, encourage future
generations to live in a sustainable manner. In this way, the
development of innovative technologies for electric vehicles
and an improvement in urban air quality can both be promoted
while actively combating climate change.
Why is Mercedes competing in both Formula 1 and Formula
E?
Mercedes is the only car maker involved in both Formula 1 and
Formula E. Is that a contradiction? Not for the brand with the
three-pointed star, because the company does not see Formula
1 and Formula E as rivals but rather on the contrary, the two
race series should go hand in hand, developing synergies with
one another.
The season opener is not the end of this journey but rather
the beginning. We are conscious of our status as beginners.
We therefore have to learn quickly from errors as they occur
and to continue developing as a team. Consequently, we will be
aiming to make our learning curve as steep as possible.
We are, of course, really looking forward to competing against
the other teams, and finishing the two races somewhere in the
points would obviously be fantastic.
But no matter how this first race turns out for us, I would like to
express my gratitude here and now to the entire team for their
tireless efforts. What I’ve experienced over the past few months
has been the epitome of commitment in terms of teamwork.”
Stoffel Vandoorne:
And so, in Formula E, the project builds on experience gained
by Mercedes over the past couple of decades in Formula 1.
The perfect example of this is the power unit of the Formula
E car which, just like the hybrid power unit used in F1, was
developed at Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains
(HPP). In this area, a wealth of knowledge and expertise from
Formula 1 can be transferred to the Formula E project.
Of course, know-how from the two mainstays of the racing
programme will also be transferred back to the parent
company, thereby influencing the design and manufacture
of series production vehicles in future. For years, racing has
been the perfect place to experiment with new technologies
in a competitive environment, with batteries and energy
management systems, for example, to ensure that electrical
energy can be recovered and made available without the driver
being distracted from his actual task of driving.
However, it’s important to bear in mind that the transfer
of knowledge and technology is not about installing a
component from a racing car into a road-going vehicle without
modification. It is the learning process, the methods and the
insights that can be gained in Formula 1 and Formula E and
how they can then be transferred to the world of road vehicles
that are paramount.
“We’re finally back in action. We have a long summer break
behind us, during which time we had a lot to do. We did plenty
of testing, and we got ourselves prepared as a team for the start
of the season. I can hardly wait to get racing again. Testing is
very nice, but it’s good to be switching back to race mode and
to see where we are compared to the other teams. It’s not going
to be easy, and it is hard to make any sort of forecast. We have
to stay focused and try not to make mistakes. If we manage to
do that, we should be in with a chance of a decent result.”
Nyck de Vries:
Comments ahead of the Diriyah E-Prix 2019
Ian James (Team Principal):
“Finally, the day has come that everyone in the team has
been working towards. Our two cars will make their first
competitive outing this week. We’ve worked hard over the last
twelve months to devise the best possible setup and achieve the
necessary consistency for our race debut at Diriyah.
“I’m very excited about competing in Formula E as a team for
the first time and finding out how we shape up on our debut.
After testing and the preparation time, I have the feeling that
we have bonded together well as a team in the past few weeks.
Now I’m ready to race again and to go up against our opponents
on the track.”
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