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It’s all systems go in the Green Point precinct as thousands of motorsport enthusiasts eagerly await this afternoon’s Cape Town E-Prix through the city’s streets.

Also read: Cape Town E-Prix: Loadshedding won’t put the brakes on Formula E

Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz fired to his first Julius Baer Pole Position in Formula E ahead of the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix – beating the Maserati MSG Racing of Maximilian Guenther by over four tenths of-a-second to set a stunning time of 1m07.848s – the fastest lap of the day and with an average speed of 154.987km/h, the fastest lap in Formula E history.

A technical and exciting course lies in wait but pundits and race organisers are already massively impressed by what South Africa’s green capital has on offer.

While little insight into who will top the podium could be taken from this initial practice, teams were able to test their hardware around the circuit for this highly anticipated event.

In the qualifying sessions all drivers go up against each other based on where they are positioned in the Drivers Championship. The fastest four from each session will progress into the Duels stage and the quarter-finals with the quickest drivers from each group face off in the Final Duel.

The victor of the final duel will be on pole for the weekend’s race while the runner-up will be second on the grid and the semi-finalists will line up third and fourth, the quarter-finalists between fifth and eighth, according to their lap times. In total, a Formula E race is only 45 minutes long with an additional lap.

Charging the car is not permitted during a race or qualifying and teams may only “refuel” the cars between sessions and during practice.

Picture: Facebook/ JP Smith

Cape Town’s street circuit has been deemed the fastest on the Formula E calendar and is sure to highlight the city’s beauty with Table Mountain, Signal Hill and Cape Town Stadium as its backdrop.

Much attention will be focussed on local favourite Kelvin van der Linde, who made history earlier in February, becoming the first South African to make his Formula E debut.

He will be out to impress at the Cape Town E-Prix with his tean, Cupra, after Robin Frijns pulled out of the event to take more time to recover from a hand injury sustained in the Saudi Arabia race.

“It’s an amazing event and I think it’s going to be a springboard for future events if we can pull it off well, and we can host it successfully then the sky’s the limit, “ Van der Linde told IOL earlier this week. “I think that will only naturally lead in to the Formula One hype getting bigger. It is obviously a FIA run event, and it is the first … lets say full on FIA event in the motorsport circles at least for car racing.”

“I think it’s a lot of positives but at the same time it’s an opportunity to deliver now as an event and we need to pull it off. I think we’ve got all the ingredients to do that, so it’s very exciting,“ van der Linde added.

Meanwhile, Porsche will look to continue with their early-season dominance. The German team are currently top of the drivers and team standings, with Pascal Wehrlein at the top of the standings after a strong start in season 9 of the sport.

“When I first drove the track back in the simulator back home, as we prepare for every race, it was surprising to see how fast the track is, bumpy; at the same time, it’s a huge challenge for everyone, not only for us driving the car, but also how to set up the car and the boundaries we can push that set-up, in which direction and all that,” said Porsche driver, Antonio Felix de Costa. 

“At the end of the day it’s the same track for everyone, so no excuses, we just got to the do the best with what we have and what we know, but it’s going to be an exciting one for sure.“

“I’m very excited, it’s my first time here so It’s always cool getting to know a new city.”

“Kelvin (van der Linde) has been super helpful… telling us the places to visit and where to go.”

“ I feel a lot of vibes like back home, like Portugal to be honest. Close to the sea, very chilled people and it’s a down-to-earth city, so it’s been cool so far.“

With several roads closed due to the event, traffic disruptions can be expected.

For a detailed breakdown of all closures and reopening’s click here.

Also read:

Formula E event projected to generate R2bn for the Cape

Picture: Instagram/ whiteknuckleadventures

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