Stoffel Vandoorne had totally different performances in qualifying and in the race at the Marrakech eP, and Mercedes explained that a brake problem caused the Belgian to start last
Stoffel Vandoorne's life in Marrakech started to get difficult even in qualifying, when the Mercedes driver found a car that behaved completely different from what it had been in free practice and left the Belgian last in his group. After the Belgian's beautiful recovery run, the German team explained the problem: inconsistency in the brakes of Vandoorne's car, which prevented the driver from finding the ideal temperature and suffered from friction all the time.
"Stoffel [Vandoorne] was really suffering every time he stepped on the brake pedal," Paffett explained to the British portal The Race. "It's not the first time it's happened, but certainly this time it seemed to impact us more than other places. We have to find a way to manage it better," he said.
Despite the surprise at the appearance of the problem in the middle of qualifying, the unpredictability of the brakes is an issue pertinent to all drivers on the Formula E grid, who at some point suffer from temperature inconstancy. It is worth noting that braking is one of the most important points of driving in the category, since it is at this moment that the car recharges most of its energy.
"It's not the case that it happens on just one set of brakes, we have several sets to use throughout the year and we have reached this point in the season where we are still trying to find the ones we like," he pointed out. "So we can come into the weekend with the most consistent set. It's a challenge. But we have some ideas and we will arrive in New York with a plan. And hopefully with more predictable brakes for it," he stressed.
▶️ Get to know the GRAND PRIZE channel on Twitch by clicking here!
With the problem, the then championship leader had to settle for the last position in a category known for its balance and the difficulty of climbing the field. Even so, Vandoorne was gaining positions throughout the race, avoiding any incidents, and managed to finish eighth - which still gave him four more valuable points in the fight for the title.
"I'm a bit in two minds," Vandoorne admitted. "On the one hand, I'm frustrated because we should be much higher up the grid after the problems we encountered during qualifying. On the other hand, it's damage limitation again coming from the back," he acknowledged.
Finally, Vandoorne issued a mild rebuke to Mercedes and said that it is not acceptable to feel this kind of problem right in qualifying - and even more so at a crucial stage of the championship. The strong heat of Marrakech turned out to be positive for the Belgian, who took advantage of the correct management of circumstances to gain grid positions.
"We went into qualifying and the brakes were much worse and impossible to do a lap," he criticized. "We simply cannot allow that to happen, especially in a championship where every point is super important. If there was a race with possibilities, I think this was it: with the heat, the tire, the battery management, everything, and I think we really maximized everything," he closed.