The ABB FIA Formula E ABB World Championship returns to Monaco this Saturday, May 6, after a record-breaking weekend in Berlin, rekindling a rivalry between two motorsport icons, Maserati and McLaren, after a 54-year hiatus.
Entering round 9 and the second half of the 16-race season, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team retains the lead at the top of the teams’ world championship and drivers’ standings with Pascal Wehrlein.
However, that lead has diminished since its dominant season opener with Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) down to just four points having accumulated 68 points over the last four races compared to just 20 for Wehrlein.
Circuit of Tradition
Both leading drivers face fierce competition from the other 20 racers at a historic venue for motorsport where, a year ago, Formula E and the FIA introduced the GEN3.
With the GEN3 competing for the first time in Monaco this weekend, it already met the high expectations of fans as Formula E records were recently broken.
The most overtaking in a race (190), lead changes at the line (20) and different race leaders (eight) were achieved in Round 7 in Berlin.
The fastest lap of the series was set in Round 5 at the Cape Town E-Prix. Sacha Fenestraz (Nissan Formula E Team) qualified for pole position with an average speed of 154.987 km/h, the fastest lap in Formula E history.
Read also:Vergne Sets Drivers’ Standings on Fire
Historic records
While the current drivers are making history in GEN3, the upcoming race will also see two iconic names in motorsport go head-to-head in Monaco for the first time in 56 years.
Maserati returned to motorsport with Formula E starting this season, teaming up with hometown Monaco Sports Group for a multi-year partnership to form the Maserati MSG Racing team with drivers Edoardo Mortara and Maximilian Günther.
McLaren also joined the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for the first time this year as the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team with drivers Jake Hughes and René Rast.
This Saturday, Maserati and McLaren will line up on a grid in Monaco for the first time since the 1969 Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix. The Principality was also the circuit where Maserati last won the silver medal for a top single-seater even beyond 1957: a season in which one of the greats of the sport’s history, the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio, won the last of his five Formula 1 world titles.
