Formula E
Cause of Formula E battery failure still unknown to FIA and ERT
The FIA and Formula E team ERT have revealed they have yet to find the cause of a battery failure which occurred in the opening race of the season.
Stefan Mackley
Edited: Jan 27, 2024, 5:37 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Sergio Sette Camara was unable to take the start in the Mexico City E-Prix season-opener earlier this month after an issue on the instillation lap meant his car came to a halt following a “very loud noise” and smoke.
His ERT machine was recovered back to the pits with the red warning light activated on top of the chassis – used to inform that the condition of the car is unsafe – after the “battery kind of exploded”.
ERT has confirmed that the incident took place while Sette Camara performed a pre-planned burn out procedure and is still investigating the issue with the FIA and battery supplier WAE (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering).
“We are still working with the FIA and WAE to identify the root cause of the issue,” a team statement said.
“It’s not easy to determine as there is minor damage to a number of components and as such it takes a lot of time to conclude cause and effect.
“It’s a type of failure we haven’t seen before and one we don’t expect to see again.”
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Motorsport Images
Sergio Sette Camara, ERT Formula E Team, ERT X24
The FIA added: “The FIA is confident that it relates to an isolated incident and that any potential similar occurrence is being closely monitored thanks to the strong safety procedures in place in the Formula E World Championship.”
Prior to any track action in Saudi Arabia earlier this week for the Diriyah E-Prix double-header, Sette Camara had been critical about the lack of communication from the FIA, stating that “only the team a little bit reached out to me”.
But having been updated on the situation prior to the first race on Friday, the Brazilian was reassured that a similar issue would not repeat itself.
“It takes some time, but they came to speak with me, both FIA and WAE, the team and I’m much happier now,” he told Autosport.
“I think in the coming weeks if I need to do any checks [on the investigation], I’ll do it and if I don’t, they will give me their word, so I’m happy with this outcome.”
The 25-year-old put in an impressive qualifying performance to start fourth for the opening Diriyah E-Prix yesterday, and despite slipping back to ninth at the finish was delighted with the result.
“I’m probably happier with ninth than qualifying to be honest because if we had a trophy room, let’s say, we would have a room as a team from last season full of good qualifying but not so many full of good race results,” he said.
“Our conversion rate is not good, so after a good qualifying everyone is hyped up, but we’ve seen that before.
“Will it be one of those days we drop back and everyone is upset or we will score points and fortunately it was the latter.”
Read Also:
Formula EEvans questions lack of investigation after Vergne Diriyah E-Prix contact
Formula EDiriyah E-Prix: Dennis takes commanding win from Vergne
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Diriyah E-Prix: Rowland dominates to take pole from Frijns
Next article Diriyah E-Prix: Cassidy scores first win for Jaguar, moves into points lead
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Stefan Mackley
Formula E’s Pit Boost debut receives mixed response from drivers
Formula E
Formula E
Jeddah ePrix I
Feb 15, 2025
Formula E’s Pit Boost debut receives mixed response from drivers
The influencer fishing exercise Formula E hopes can achieve its long-term aims
Formula E
Formula E Jan 31, 2025
The influencer fishing exercise Formula E hopes can achieve its long-term aims
Beckham's son, Aguero amongst celebrities set to drive Formula E cars in Miami
Formula E
Formula E Jan 30, 2025
Beckham's son, Aguero amongst celebrities set to drive Formula E cars in Miami
More from
Sergio Sette Camara
Ticktum surprised other teams didn't copy ERT's "simple" Misano Formula E strategy
Formula E
Formula E
Misano ePrix I
Apr 13, 2024
Ticktum surprised other teams didn't copy ERT's "simple" Misano Formula E strategy
Formula E calendar consistency will "create a tradition" - Sette Camara
Formula E
Formula E
Sao Paulo ePrix
Mar 28, 2023
Formula E calendar consistency will "create a tradition" - Sette Camara
Sette Camara moves to NIO 333 for 2022-23 Formula E season
Formula E
Formula E Sep 14, 2022
Sette Camara moves to NIO 333 for 2022-23 Formula E season
Latest news
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
WEC
WEC WEC
Monza
55 min
Sebastien Bourdais hopes latest WEC success will remind teams of his value
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Sao Paulo GP
2 h
"It's horribly painful" - Williams drops 2026 car upgrades to benefit 2027
Iker Lecuona felt significant differences between Ducati's GP25 and GP26
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
3 h
Iker Lecuona felt significant differences between Ducati's GP25 and GP26
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe