Venturi to run Mercedes powertrain for season 6
Venturi Racing have partnered with Mercedes-Benz to receive powertains from the German marque for season 6 of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.
After building their own powertrains for the past four seasons, Venturi have entered into a technical partnership with Mercedes-Benz which will see the Monegasque team receive not only a powertrain built by Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains but also a range of parts including the cooling system, rear frame, rear suspension, dampers, software, onboard electronics and wiring looms.
This partnership continues the good working relationship between the Venturi and Mercedes over the past few seasons. Venturi partnered with HWA for season 4 and received engineers, technical support as well as Mercedes works drivers, Maro Engel and Edoardo Mortara, in the cars.
The collaboration continued into season 5 with Venturi supplying powertrains to the HWA Racelab team as they joined the grid to pave the way for the Mercedes-Benz EQ team’s season 6 debut.
While season 5 saw Venturi take their first win in Formula E, at the Hong-Kong round, as well as podiums in both Mexico and Monaco, the newly announced arrangement will mean that the team now has the backing to build on that success.
“We are proud to welcome Mercedes-Benz to the Venturi family as our powertrain partner for Season 6,” said Venturi Automobiles President, Gildo Pastor. “Pairing our experience in high-performing electric vehicles with the racing pedigree of Mercedes is a significant step towards strengthening our position in a racing formula that is becoming ever more competitive.”
“We’re all excited about this new era for the team and I’m confident this will be the start of a great journey with our new colleagues in Stuttgart and Brixworth. Another great source of pride for the team lies in our driver lineup which remains unchanged for the coming season.”
“We look forward to building upon the skill, experience and speed of Felipe Massa and Edoardo Mortara – two incredibly talented and determined drivers. I can’t wait to see those five red lights go out in Diriyah this coming November, signalling the start of what I’m sure will be a successful collaboration between Venturi and Mercedes-Benz.”
Team Principal of Venturi Racing, Susie Wolff, is also looking forward to a strong season 6. “This development marks a significant step forward for the team and with my longstanding relationship with Mercedes-Benz, I feel very confident that we will enjoy a strong working partnership with our new powertrain suppliers.”
“We made good progress in Season 5 but our plans for Season 6 are even more ambitious and we are doing everything within our power to make sure that we are as competitive as possible before we head to Saudi Arabia for the season opener.”
The Mercedes-Benz EQ team meanwhile will benefit not only from Venturi’s experience in Formula E but also the extra data that two additional cars will supply to them.
“We are delighted to welcome Venturi Racing to the Mercedes family ahead of our first Formula E season,” said Ian James, Team Principal of the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team.
“At Mercedes-AMG High Performance Powertrains, we have accumulated a huge amount of knowledge in the field of high-performance electrified power units over the past few years, which will not only benefit our new Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team but also Venturi Racing. Running four cars on track in our debut season will accelerate our progress towards the ultimate goal of fighting for race wins.”
The Venturi driver line-up will remain unchanged for the new season as both Felipe Massa and Edoardo Mortara are staying with the team. With only a teaser image so far, the team have promised that their “fresh new look” will be revealed soon.
