In the tests of Formula E in Valencia last October, a fire in the battery supplier’s garage brought a suspension and postponement of the program, as well as potential concerns about the safety of the batteries.
Meanwhile, the FIA and the component manufacturer – WAE, former Williams Advanced Engineering – concluded that only the battery that caught fire showed the same signs of defect, so the tests were able to resume without further incidents.
Lucas di Grassi was one of the drivers on the track and, to Motorsport.com, he assured that the problem does not motivate any concerns: ‘I was very relaxed about what happened, to be honest. I think that Formula E having a battery fire in ten years of existence is incredible. It is much better than any combustion engine championship has had in the past, including Formula 1. So I don’t think it’s a problem at all to have an event like this. The reaction of Formula E was fantastic. In 20 minutes everything was over, everyone was evacuated, the fire was contained, it did not spread. […]. I felt 100 percent safe inside the car driving, knowing what happened before, and I was driving the car in perfect safety in the following two days’.
