Heading into round 9, The Girls Who – Motorsport had the opportunity to speak with Joel Eriksson of Envision Racing. The Swedish driver being newer to the series, spoke about his season so far with the team and the work required to do well in Monaco!
Settling well into his first full season
Season 12 of Formula E marks Erikssons’ first full season with Envision, having driven for the team part time back in season 10. When reflecting on the work required to succeed in the team, he stated that his time so far has been “obviously, quite positive”, but admitted that “it’s been very very challenging”.
In the 8 races we’ve had this season, he has found a great amount of success in lot of rounds so far. When speaking with The Girls Who – Motorsport, he highlighted his weekends at Miami and Berlin. Berlin was quite rewarding for the driver, despite experiencing a disappointing end to the weekend. Qualifying 4th and then battling for the lead throughout the race show he’s finding his flow within the team and with the car.
A lot of preparation for Monaco
Joel Eriksson, compared to the rest of the grid, has the disadvantage that it will be his first E-Prix in Monaco – one of the more technical circuits in the calendar. We asked him about the steps he and the team have taken to prepare for such a demanding double header. He shared that his goal for Saturday will be prioritising the free practice sessions and learning the circuit as best as possible.
“On a track like this, every lap matters. So, yeah, I guess free practice will be all about getting as laps as possible on the track, learning the corners. And obviously, just learn how the walls are shaped and when and where to turn in”
Despite being a new and tricky track, the preparation has been fairly similar to other race weekends. When asked, he stated that it’s better to not “overdo it on the simulators” to keep the work “as simple as possible”.
Full Focus on Qualifying
Qualifying in Monaco can often make or break your race. For Envision, the focus is the same. The Swede commented to The Girls Who – Motorsport that the mentality from all the teams is “just about pure pace in qualifying”. Coming towards the end of the GEN3 EVO era, the margins between the drivers are quite small, making qualifying this weekend that bit more difficult.
Eriksson admitted that Envision are preparing themselves more for qualifying. With little opportunity for overtakes, having a great qualifying, paired with solid race pace, will help deliver good results in Monaco. They hope to deliver a “quick car” overall this weekend.