Patrick Carpentier drives first laps around Montréal ePrix circuit

Carpentier, who is also the official spokesperson of the inaugural event, Friday got behind the wheel of a Formula E electric open car and turned the first laps around the 2.745 km, 14-turn street course located downtown Montréal.

The track was still very dirty and the tarmac still slippery when Carpentier drove the car early in the afternoon. “It's a very technical circuit,” Carpentier told Motorsport.com.

“It’s not a typical street course made of 90-degree corners. There are downhill and uphill corners, tight and fast bends, sometimes the track is very wide and then it becomes very narrow, etc. It will be crucial to negotiate the last corners as quickly as possible because your exit will dictate your top speed on the start/finish straight. I think most of the passing will happen under braking for Corner 1.”

A fun and fast car

Carpentier, the 1996 Formula Atlantic champion and the winner of five IndyCar races during his career, said to have been impressed with the characteristics of the Formula E car. 

“I drove the first two laps in the full course mode, which provides you with roughly half of the full power of the electric engine,” Carpentier admitted.

“Unlike a petrol engine, the power delivery of the electric engine is immediate, instantaneous. And I said to myself ‘Wow, it’s quite fast with just half the power…’ I then crank it up to full power, and I was amazed by the possibilities of the car. It seemed like I had 800 horsepower under my right foot. For that reason, you need to be very cautious when you press on the throttle. The treaded Michelin tires take about two laps to warm up, and when they’re up to temperature, they become very sticky and that transforms the car completely. Since the engine does not make any noise, you distinctively hear the squeaking of the tires when cornering and under braking. I was very impressed with the car. It’s fast and fun to drive,” Carpentier explained.