Ahead of raceday, drivers bemoan lack of restrooms

Sport or not, a new event at a new venue always brings with it its own set of challenges. The inaugural Formula E Hyderabad E-Prix has been no different.

With the 2.83km Hyderabad Street Circuit built in the city centre, the curbs introduced by the authorities on major arterial roads have thrown the traffic into disarray.

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While the road blockages have caused major traffic jams, the scene inside the circuit complex too hasn’t exactly been ideal with drivers complaining about multiple issues with one problem paramount, bothering the drivers more than anything else – toilets, or the lack of it.

“There are no toilets in the paddock. We have to come here (adjacent mall) which is a 5–10-minute walk. We don’t have the time to do that. When I get to the grid on raceday the first thing I do is go to the toilet because of the adrenaline. I don’t know what I can do," said Jaguar TCS driver Sam Bird.

Since the race will be taking place on a temporary street circuit, the facilities and arrangements are also largely temporary. Prasads’ IMAX – a mall-cum-movie theatre complex – has been converted into a facility hosting the media centre, offices of Formula E staff and marshals. Since the paddock has no toilets, the drivers have to walk to the mall to relieve themselves.

“A lot of stuff has just been finished or is about to. The track itself looks fine but around it, there's stuff that’s still not fixed yet like toilets which is not the best thing to have," said Porsche driver and championship leader Pascal Werhlein.

Former Formula E champion Sebastian Buemi echoed the same worry. “The facilities are not finished. We are just one day away (from the race). There are no toilets. It could have been better if everything was ready a bit earlier,” said the Swiss driver.

Though most drivers praised the track layout, there were a couple of safety concerns too, especially Turn 3 which is a hairpin at the end of the longest straight on the circuit. Drivers brake into the corner from 260-270kmph with some claiming the run-off area not enough. “There’s not enough run-off area, not enough protection,” said Bird.

The chicane between Turns 1 and 2 is also a bit of concern. “Drivers can cut the track in some of the corners like Turn 1 and 2. They have introduced the chicane probably due to safety reasons and for recovery of energy but you can damage the car," said Buemi.

Bird had similar sentiments. “There is no real definition of track limits at Turn 1 and 2. The way the kerb is sat there in the middle of the track is strange. It could damage the cars," said the Briton.

However, already aware of the teething issues, Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle isn’t worried and is expecting Saturday’s race to be a success.

“In New York as well the drivers walked to the toilets. They like to complain,” laughed Reigle. "We have been working with the government, the promoters (Greenko), we have the experience on planning the site. There will always be challenges of doing races in cities as you are disrupting traffic, you’re late etc. With city races there will always be constraints as you don’t get the flexibility.

“We do our best in the first year. In the post-race debrief with everyone – Formula E, drivers, officials, government, and promoters – we discuss what we liked and what we can improve about the event. For example, in Diriyah (Saudi Arabia) the layout is completely different every year. We have literally moved garages. So, every year we try to optimise. I am sure that will be the case in Hyderabad too. After the weekend, we will say some things worked and some things we can do a little better next time.”

Buemi sets pace

Envision Racing’s Buemi set the pace in the first-ever free practice session of the Hyderabad E-Prix, clocking a fastest time of one minute, 15.088 seconds. The session was delayed by 45 minutes after Kelvin van der Linde of Abt Cupra crashed during the shakedown at Turn 3, damaging the barriers. Buemi was 0.181 seconds faster than current champion Stoffel Vandoorne of DS Penske and 0.364 faster than third-placed Sergio Sette Camara of NIO 333.

Wehrlein suffered a big crash during the practice session, forcing Porsche to not field their other car (Antonio Felix da Costa). Andretti, who also uses Porsche’s cars, also stayed out of the session as they too will look to analyse the issue behind the crash.

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