Formula E in Monaco: A visit to the Porsche pits
Only in Monaco does Formula E race on the same track as Formula 1. We explored how the all-electric cars, trimmed from A to Z for efficiency, fit into the magnificent principality.
When Formula 1 racing cars do their laps in the small but beautiful city-state of Monaco, they do so with the biggest trowel possible. There is no trace of modesty and restraint, with the racing machines screaming unrestrainedly through urban canyons and tunnels. In the confusingly convoluted principality, V8 and V12 thunder is also omnipresent in normal traffic. However, a Lamborghini Temerario seems almost modest next to the Maranello icons SP3 and LaFerrari or the Gordon Murray T.50.
Racing competition is viewed completely differently in Formula E circles, where efficiency and economy in the use of resources should set the trend. We found out how these opposites can be reconciled during a visit to the pits of the Porsche Formula E team. Monaco was the venue for the ninth round of the Formula E World Championship in mid-April. F1 stars Carlos Sainz, Nico Hülkenberg, Gabriel Bortoleto and Ollie Bearman also stopped by. Former racing driver Susie Wolff, now Director of the F1 Academy, also gained an insight into the world of the electric racing series.
Good opportunities for many
During a brief conversation in the pits, Swiss works driver Nico Müller emphasized that Formula E is «a competition in which many drivers have a chance of finishing on the podium - and even top drivers have to settle for the back of the field from time to time». However, the drivers not only have to be fast, they also have to ensure that the available drive energy can be converted into fast lap times as efficiently as possible over the entire race distance. During the race, they are in constant contact with the engineers in the pits in order to work together to achieve the best possible strategy and thus an optimum position.
However, you are never immune to surprises. As in Saturday's race, a detached rear wheel can come bouncing across the track. Or, like Nico Müller after a minor rear-end collision, you have to finish the race without a front wing.
Both 99X Electric drivers have plenty of racing experience with combustion cars, for example in the DTM. Today, they are among the established drivers in the all-electric Formula E. Müller's German team-mate Pascal Wehrlein, who also lives in Switzerland, already won the world championship title in 2024 and is now aiming to recapture the world championship crown. Müller, on the other hand, secured his first Formula E race win at the race in Berlin at the beginning of May. At the tenth race of the season in Monaco on Sunday, Porsche's Formula E team celebrated its 100th race. Müller finished sixth and scored championship points, while Wehrlein finished eleventh. After the only partially successful weekend in the Principality, the Porsche drivers are 4th (Wehrlein) and 5th (Müller) in the overall standings.
Anticipation of «the beast»
As the current team and manufacturer world champion, Porsche is contesting its seventh Formula E season. In addition to the factory team, the customer teams Andretti Formula E and Cupra Kiro are also on the track with the Porsche 99X Electric in the latest Gen3 Evo development stage. The Porsche crew regard the Jaguar TCS Racing and Mahindra Racing teams as their toughest rivals at present.
Both Porsche works drivers have already completed their first laps in the fourth-generation vehicles developed for the 2026/27 season and only recently presented - and are delighted. Müller described the car as a «real beast» after the tests. In the significantly longer, slightly wider and around one hundred kilograms heavier Gen4 cars, track mode power peaks of 600 kW are achieved, which are transmitted to the track via all four wheels. With recuperation outputs of up to 700 kW, the Porsche 975 RSE can continuously recover the energy used on board. According to Florian Modlinger, Director Motorsport Formula E, the efficiency of the drive already reaches an outstanding 97 percent with the current Gen3 Evo vehicles - also because the battery is strongly supported by the recuperation energy.
Yannick Bitzer, press spokesman for Formula E and Esports, emphasizes that the further development of vehicle technology in Formula E is not only continuous, but also very fast and uncomplicated. He is also looking forward to the upcoming 975 RSE, as it will bring Formula E a whole lot closer to Formula 1.
It can therefore be assumed that electric cars will also find their place in the Principality. After all, they can also howl quite loudly.
