Team Aguri Remain Confident Using Season One Powertrain

Buenos Aires ePrix winners Team Aguri remain confident that their decision to use the powertrain from season one will help them hit the ground running in Beijing.

The team are currently the only outfit to do so as the others use their own powertrains and gearboxes which have either been developed for season two or modified from last years’.

“Since we didn’t change the power train and we stuck with the year one [unit], we thought there would be a larger gap between us and the front runners at this point (the people that have spent millions of dollars on a powertrain) and we’ve been within seven tenths in testing.” said Keith Smout, Team Aguri Commercial Director.

“So, you know, ‘can we gain a half second’ is the question, and we can because we’re in a position where what we’re working on is the actual efficiencies of the car, not worrying about the development of the powertrain at this point, for us it’s about aero (the little bits that you can do) it’s about relocating the engine bay area to make it a little bit more efficient and just getting the most out of last years’ car.

“Because if you think about it we did six days of testing last year, eight days total, and then we ran ten races so it’s really not an opportunity to get to know your car very well and that’s really what we’re trying to do. Our decision not to go with a new powertrain is purely based on those facts. If you look up and down the grid right now, yes some teams are going, but we’ve done the most laps, the most overall out of any team, and we’re still in that top ten of cars speed-wise. We haven’t spent a bunch of money, and turned no laps.”

With eight of the ten competing teams being chosen as manufacturers for season two onwards, Smout believes that taking the time to find a partner and develop a new powertrain with them is the right step.

“What our decision is based on is we want to be with a powertrain [maybe] BMW. Obviously with us being Japanese with have good relationships in Japan with powertrain manufacturers. That’s what we’re interested in and in order to be successful you have to sort that out now and have that entire year of development and that’s the direction we’re going in.”

There are now no more test days left as the teams have to ship their cars for the first race. Smout is expecting some surprises and upsets in Beijing which will only benefit Team Aguri.

“We have to ship the cars on the 28th August [and] they have to go into a container. From the green perspective of life we are shipping our cars by train, via Russia, into China. If you have not got your powertrain sorted and you have not done your test miles like our friends and Amlin Andretti; I don’t know what they do. They go to China with a car that hasn’t run and they can’t do any more test days because they can’t have the car. So I’m concerned about some teams, and then I think that the other factor is that the teams that have done fairly well still really haven’t turned proper race distances.

“So we think in the beginning of the season we’re going to end up in a position where, based on reliability not outright speed necessarily but close to the top, we think we’re going to be in good points scoring positions.”

All the teams are still using the current Williams battery that was used throughout season one. The cars currently have a maximum power output of 200kw and teams and drivers have been trialling an increase in race power from 150kw to 170kw. Smout believes that the battery is the limiting factor in development of new powertrains.

“The thing that limits everybody is battery output and we’re all under the same battery [usage] so you can have as efficient unit as you like up and down the grid. Sure, there will be some people who have done some things that might be better than the current powertrain, but for the short term, I think we have made the right decision and we have the right powertrain and the right unit and we’re making the right decisions to make changes that are going to benefit us. We will learn more, and for our partners we end up in a better [race] positions in year three which is our goal”

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