![Alexander Sims at the Valencia E-Prix](http://media.assettype.com/evoindia%2F2021-05%2Fa010ce6a-d6eb-41f7-8be0-5033c713e822%2FAlexander_Sims.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Next up is the iconic race track of Monaco, and this time we will be racing the full track which is quite a statement for Formula E. As drivers in Formula E we know that this championship has extremely tough levels of competition, brilliant teams, top level drivers and manufacturers - but competing on the full Monaco track really does add to the credibility of Formula E as a championship.
Racing around the streets of Monaco – I’ve done it twice, once in GoKarts and once in Formula E in Season 5 – is very special. Even just walking to and from the track, going through the streets and past the buildings, you can feel the history and what a special place it is to have a race. My earliest memory of Monaco is watching clips of Senna around there in F1 - his famous moment when he crashed whilst he was in the lead, whilst he was taking it easy – that one sticks in my memory. And also all the races in the wet including Hamilton having a superb race in the wet after he had a puncture and a drive-through I think; Jenson Button winning in the Brawn too, I remember that it was pretty special. It’s funny because Monaco races often tend to be a bit boring actually, but I think the spectacle of watching a F1 car around the Monaco streets is pretty impressive on its own.
There are a lot of unique challenges for the Monaco track but perhaps the biggest challenge will be the elevation. The elevation is pretty extreme, that’s something we don’t too much in Formula E - certainly the circuits that I’ve raced on. This will add a new element into the energy management and how we coast - how we re-gen up and down the hills will be a point for us to try and get right. The sequence of tight and twisty turns - 5, 6,7, 8, the hairpin - is pretty mad. Mixed with (in theory) the new turn 1 that we are going to do at Sainte Devote, if that sticks, at the moment it’s a really wide open corner, really fast, that’ll be a big ballsy corner to start the lap, it’ll be like Valencia turn 1 but with walls!
We’ve had some really strong qualifying and race results since the start of the season and we’ll be hoping to carry these into Monaco. My aim this season has to be to consistently score solid points at every race and of course bring home those podium finishes like I did in Valencia!
Keep an eye on the Mahindra Racing social channels to follow our performance over the weekend and to see exclusive and behind the scenes content. You can also Fanboost me, which gives me an extra boost of power during the race. You can find out all the information on how to do this at the Formula E website here.