FE Talk: Could Berlin give Audi and Di Grassi a championship boost?

Motorsport is going to be everywhere in the coming months and that includes the finale to the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship.

Six races, nine days, all in Berlin on three different layouts.

Formula E’s decision to race at Berlin is because the track is an old airport, the Tempelhof Airport so they can fiddle around with the track layout as much as they want. The championship has been visiting Berlin’s Tempelhof since 2015. In the last four races there, a certain Brazilian driver has featured on the podium.

That’s right Lucas Di Grassi. Winner last year, second place in 2018 and two podiums in the double-header in 2017.

Di Grassi cruised home to victory in 2019 and do not forget he won the inaugural 2015 Berlin race only to be disqualified for using a modified front wing which had a miniscule effect on his performance.

Berlin’s Tempelhof is unique to the Formula E calendar. It is not your typical street circuit so it is not as dirty offline and conditions remain relatively constant.

Yet, it is still very bumpy and the surface is abrasive and slippery which punishes the tyres. Audi have definitely got on top of this in previous seasons and found the perfect operating window to manage the tyre temperatures.

The Berlin circuit has a lot of tight corners so braking is really important. Di Grassi has competed in every Formula E race so he knows the limits of braking and how to maximise everything from the braking. Braking is the most important part of racing. It is where a driver or rider gains and loses the most time and the Audi Formula E cars have reacted to the surface of the Berlin track nicely.

Traction is vital too out of the corners and that is just another confidence factor for the drivers as to how early they dare stamp on the loud pedal and how much they apply the throttle pressure.

Di Grassi is fifth in the championship standings, 29 points behind championship leader Antonio Felix Da Costa.

The biggest problem for Audi will be their pace defecit compared to the mighty Techeetah cars. Berlin might bring them back towards Da Costa and Jean-Eric Vergne and in the past Audi have tradiontally been able to fine tune their car and make a late charge for the title.

Though Da Costa has yet to prove himself around the Tempelhof Airport. Fourth place in last years Berlin ePrix was a solid result in a year in which he stood on the podium four times, though this was the first time the Portuguese driver had scored points there in his four years of experience. The same can be said for championship runner-up Mitch Evans whose best result at Berlin is a sixth place in 2018.

Berlin is the perfect destination for Audi to find a head of steam and it might be a minor lifeline for Di Grassi and Audi to potentially snatch the championship away in what promises to be a thrilling finale.

Especially with the change in track layout providing a new opportunity for all drivers.