How Monaco dealt Formula E a winning hand to cure its hangover

By:

Matt Kew

May 10, 2021, 2:43 PM

Formula E faced much criticism in the wake of its maligned Valencia event. In need of a turnaround, the series' first use of Monaco's iconic Formula 1 layout provided it with the injection of thrills required to clear the fog that had enveloped the paddock

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It’s felt as though Formula E has been nursing a hangover during the first half of this season. The improvised six races in Berlin last August to conclude the interrupted 2019-20 campaign acted like a nine-day bender and since then the series has come across a touch bleary-eyed.

Three double-header events, split by barely enough time to abide by the UK government’s requirement to self-isolate for 10 days upon returning to the country, has left little room for respite to shift the heavy heads in 2021. The paddock swapped its pre-pandemic optimism for an altogether flatter mood with questions asked over what return manufacturers are getting for their millions, even withstanding the body blow COVID has dealt.

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Matt Kew

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Matt Kew is Autosport’s F1 Editor, a role he has held since March 2022 following stints covering Formula E, Extreme E and the British Touring Car Championship.

Matt joined Autosport in 2018 to work predominantly on the magazine, but his relentless quoting of Alan Partridge meant office colleagues soon thought he would be better-suited to increased field work.

Needless to say, Matt had the last laugh when he won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2019.

His interest in motorsport was sparked by regular trips to watch ASCAR crash around Rockingham’s banked oval.

Matt read politics and philosophy at the University of Sheffield - receiving first-class honours for his dissertation assessing the lack of female participation in top-tier motor racing.

He covered a wide variety of national race and rally meetings for Autosport as a freelancer before joining full-time. His best efforts to argue the merits of historic racing are undone by a questionable taste in music and James Bond actors.