Ahead of the Berlin E-Prix, The Girls Who – Motorsport spoke with Andretti Formula E driver Felipe Drugovich. As the series heads into an unpredictable double-header weekend, the Brazilian sees opportunity amid the chaos. He highlights how the format could play to his advantage as he looks to climb the championship standings.
A New Direction
Before his debut in Formula E, Drugovich was a rising talent throughout the series. During his Formula 2 campaign, the Brazilian built a promising campaign, securing multiple podiums and wins, declaring him the FIA Formula 2 World Champion. His journey in Formula E began in Berlin, when he participated in the Rookie Test.
His participation in the Rookie Test marked a new beginning for the then 25-year-old. As the exposure led him to a full-time seat with the Andretti Formula E team. Shifting to an electric championship, he knew there was a lot that he had to learn before getting used to the car. Therefore, reflecting on his time with the team, Drugovich explains that ”We’re getting to a point where I know what to do and things are starting to come together.”
As he explained, his own confidence in his understanding of the car will be a solid step to securing the points in the future. He admits that ”it would be quite cool to start doing some results after almost a year since I debuted here.” But in a championship like Formula E, with new systems to learn, Drugovich’s current focus is on using energy as efficiently as he explains.
Though the ideal results have not come for him yet, he is still confident that his time will come. The 26-year-old driver adds that he will try ”not to make the same mistakes again”. The plan is to start capitalising on the growth and what he has already learnt with the team.
Looking Forward to Berlin
With the Season 12 calendar reshuffled, Berlin has moved to early May, bringing a fresh set of challenges for drivers. Drugovich is well aware of the impact this could have on track conditions. Reflecting on last year’s wet race, he explains how “quite different“ it can be. “You try to put as much energy into the tyres just to get something out of your tyres.” Drivers struggle to push early on in the race, as there is less grip on the track due to low temperature. Less grip on the track invites chaos, which is not ideal to secure easy points for a championship run.
As this weekend brings a different grip to the grid, Drugovich explained how he would not adapt his style of driving to these warmer temperatures. The only thing that will change for him is ‘‘taking care of a lot of temperature in the car, as it can go higher and higher and be dangerous.” Despite the advantages of a warmer track in terms of grip, the weather will still affect the car’s systems. It will also play a key role in determining how the drivers can perform.
For unique tracks like Berlin, where overtakes are celebrated, it becomes difficult for drivers to push to overtake. The teams must ensure that their cars do not overheat and preserve the energy from start to the chequered flag. Drugovich identifies this as the ”biggest struggle for the weekend”.
Looking Ahead to Next Season
Testing last month in Paul Ricard marked the entrance of the GEN4 era, and Drugovich looks ahead into the future. He holds positive expectations for the race craft, admitting that ”the car is better made and has better quality.” With up to 70% more power than the current generation, the Brazilian driver appreciates the improvement and believes the ”driving pleasure will be a lot better”.