- ALTHOUGH THERE HAS BEEN NO CIRCUIT ACTION IN SWITZERLAND FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS, A NEW LAW HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR RACING TO RETURN TO THE COUNTRY, AS LONG AS THE CARS INVOLVED ARE ELECTRICALLY POWERED
- FORMULA E WILL CONSEQUENTLY BE THE FIRST MAJOR SERIES TO BE HOSTED BY THE CONFEDERATION SINCE THE MID-1950S
7.6.2018.- The bespoke track in the centre of Zurich is 2.46 kilometres long and features 11 corners – essentially a hairpin and several 90-degree turns – plus a couple of long straights. The heavy braking zones at the end of the latter should make for some interesting overtaking. With only three races to go before the 2017/2018 campaign concludes, all the drivers and teams will be on a level playing field around the brand new venue which runs past the city’s arboretum, along the shores of Lake Zurich and through the old town.
The start/finish line is situated near Enge Harbour where a high number of spectators is expected to show up for what is being billed as a landmark event in terms of Swiss motor racing history. But while Formula E action tends to take place on Saturdays, this weekend’s race day will be Sunday in order to disturb local traffic as little as possible.
“The number of corners and the type of layout is similar to the first Berlin E-Prix,” notes Serge Grisin, the manager of Michelin’s Formula E programme. “In places, though, it is narrow and tighter, more like Monaco. We don’t know yet how much grip the track surface will enable the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2 to deliver but there are a lot of painted road markings, not to mention tram rails. That said, this is a scenario we have already come across in Formula E, so is doesn’t worry us unduly. Our tyre has provided numerous demonstrations of its versatility and the only big surprise the day could spring concerns the weather. We have already had a wet track in qualifying in Formula E but we still haven’t had a wet race in almost four complete seasons!”
The MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV2 was developed especially for Formula E and was introduced at the start of Season 3. It was carried over for the present season but will be superseded when the new-generation E-Prix cars take to the streets in 2018/2019.
Source: Michelin
Photograph: Michelin
