In the first Tokyo e-Prix, the Brazilian driver started from fourth position and, employing a strategic race, concluded the race in the Top 10
This Saturday (30), the Formula E World Championship held a historic race in the Asian continent. On the streets of Tokyo, Japan’s largest metropolis, the 22 drivers participating in the competition were given the green light for the first race in Japan’s history. In a country that breathes speed, the population filled the stands to watch the fastest electric cars on the planet.
In his fourth full season in the competition, 25-year-old Brazilian Sergio Sette Câmara was very excited from the start of the activities. A lover of the culture and population of that country, the Brazilian had already declared himself a fan of the track even before getting on the track – where he trained for several hours in a simulator – which, unlike the track in Brazil, for example, presented very technical characteristics and was conducive to the cars of the ERT Formula E team.
With this in mind, the team’s engineering and mechanics used much of the track time from the two free practice sessions to prepare a reliable car for the race. Thus, without worrying about the results in practice, Sette Câmara recorded the 17th fastest time in the first session and the 19th fastest time in the second session. Based on these positions, it would not have been an encouraging day. However, calmly, the driver moved on to the group stage of qualifying and, with a time of 1m19s474, he was the second fastest in Group “B” and advanced to the knockout phase where only the eight fastest qualify. In the first duel, against Swiss driver Nico Muller (Maserati), Sette Câmara once again showed his superiority and with more than four tenths of an advantage, he advanced to the semi-final. This time, however, the Brazilian lightly touched one of the safety barriers and aborted his lap, but he was already guaranteed fourth place on the grid.
The race was authorized at three in the morning on Saturday. Sergio, with a conservative start, ended up losing a position but remained in the Top 5 of the race. With equipment that consumes more energy than that of the other competitors, Sergio opted for a strategy of staying in the first group as long as possible. Under pressure, little by little, he lost some positions, but with a good strategy of activating the Attack Mode, he only headed to that area in the final laps and, taking advantage of the track conditions, he managed to remain in the points zone throughout the race, finishing the race in tenth place. With the result, the Brazilian scored another point for the Championship and now ranks 17th.
“I am satisfied with what we achieved here in Tokyo. The track presented characteristics closer to the ideal for our car, and with that, I managed to position myself very well in qualifying, where I really pushed the limit. I started from the second row and, focusing only on my strategy, had a good race, held off the opponents as much as possible, and in the end, finishing the race in the points zone was a kind of reward for everyone on the team who worked very hard this weekend,” concluded the MRV-sponsored driver.
The Formula E World Championship will resume its calendar in two weeks with the Misano e-Prix. After several years of competing on the streets of Rome, the competition will arrive in 2024 at one of the country’s most iconic and traditional race tracks.
Pictures: ERT Formula E Team – Disclosure
Press office of Sergio Sette Câmara
Responsible journalist: Flávio Quick