CHENNAI: There is an electric revolution happening in the world of motorsports and one Indian is bang in the centre of things! Back in the country after testing the fully-electric Formula E car, Karun Chandhok says it’s nothing like anything he has done before. “They did what they call a race simulation. But they didn’t send us all in together. It was like a rally. They had a green flag and sent us off one by one, so that we didn’t crash into each other,” says the Mahindra Racing driver.
Karun’s description of the first Formula E race simulation might sound like a driving school drill, but he says all the precaution is justified.
“It’s really complicated for the drivers. Energy management is key. You have to recharge your batteries in-race. The ideal way to negotiate each and every corner is different.”
And then there is the part where drivers have to get out of their cars during a pit stop and run to their second one. “I think we are all going to trip and fall. It’s somewhat like what I am used to in Le Mans, where you have 35 seconds to jump into one car. But here we have to get out of one car and jump into another.”
It is not just the drivers who are getting to grips with a whole new concept, but the technical team as well. “The first day, we caused a blackout at Donington Park (the circuit where they were testing). We started at 9 am. In half an hour, everyone had finished their batteries and all of us put them on charge and there was a blackout. We had to call the people who provide power supply. As soon as it came back on, I wanted tea and put the hot water kettle on and everyone started shouting at me,” Karun says.
But they soon came up with the most innovative solution to the charging conundrum. “For the race weekends, they’ve built these power stations consisting of three containers. The containers will go to every race, and they’ll be used to charge the car chargers and the chargers will charge the car. We tested that at Donington and everything worked perfectly.”
The biggest change that Formula E spectators have to get used to will be the noise (or the lack of it) of the cars, but things are even worse for the drivers! “Before the start, it’s very strange with no revving of engines. And then when you are driving, you hear nothing except for the wind. It’s complete silence!” says Karun.
Karun reckons Mahindra will have a chance of the podium but says the Audi Abt team are ahead of everyone right now. “Abt are the favourites because Audi’s level of experience in motorsports is just overwhelming. If you look at the timings, (Abt driver) Luca Di Grassi is some 15 seconds ahead of everyone and then there are the likes of me, Bruno (Senna), (Sebastian) Buemi, (Nick) Heidfeld and (Nicolas) Prost, all within a second-and-half of each other. But we definitely do have a very good chance.”