Formula E drivers expect Jakarta challenge with heat, battery management

Saturday's race in the Indonesian capital is Formula E's first round in south-east Asia since its last visit to Putrajaya in the 2015-16 season, and unpredictable weather is expected - with rain apparently forecast.

However, the high heat and humidity will remain through any rainfall, which will have a considerable effect on the management of battery temperatures - under which the battery will begin to lose efficiency.

Battery life tends to decline at hot temperatures, and the battery regeneration occurring during the race will also ensure temperatures escalate. Thus, the drivers will have to keep an eye on temperatures throughout the weekend.

Nissan e.dams' Sebastien Buemi explained the preparation for high-temperature races - having admitted that he'd "forgot how hot and humid it was [in south-east Asia] because we've not been in Asia for a long time."

"In the simulator we practice different temperatures, from the most optimistic one to the most pessimistic one," Buemi explained.

"And then of course, we try to optimise the racing around that - the hotter it is, the less we can push on the on the battery.

"You try to save the battery and at the same time, be efficient. There are ways to put less energy in the battery, so to warm it up less. And then you try to lose as least lap time as possible.

"We've been practising that. And hopefully after FP2 we'll have a clearer picture which trend it's going to be and then you go in the race relying on what you learn in the sim and in FP2."

Sebastien Buemi, Nissan e.Dams, Nissan IM03, Oliver Askew, Andretti Motorsport, BMW iFE.21

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

"Everyone's got the same battery, so we're in the same boat at the end of the day," added Envision's Robin