The African continent hosts round four of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. The 22 drivers in Season 9 head to race number five in Cape Town, South Africa, where high summer temperatures and the inevitable surprise or two will again await the Hankook iON Race – the new standard tyre in the fully-electric series. The Cape Town E-Prix is making its debut on the Formula E calendar, meaning the teams, drivers and Hankook tyre experts have no reference values, on which to call. In the most recent race in India, the huge amount of dust and a long dry spell prior to the race weekend made for a slippery track. Thomas Baltes, Hankook Formula E race engineer: “Our premium product has mastered all the different demands so far, so we travel to Cape Town full of confidence. We will get a better impression of what awaits us when we are able to inspect the circuit on site. As far as the layout is concerned, the circuit around the 2010 World Cup stadium will definitely provide the drivers with good overtaking opportunities, thanks to the fact that there are several long straights. The Hankook iON Race will need to deliver plenty of grip, particularly when braking into corners.”
Germany’s Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) continues to top the overall standings, although he finished fourth and narrowly missed out on the podium in Hyderabad. At the end of a thrilling race with many battles and overtaking manoeuvres, victory eventually went to Frenchman Jean-Éric Vergne from the DS Penske team, ahead of Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) and António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team).
