SPORT Timekeepers: Florian Modlinger

As a child, Florian Modlinger witnessed his first Formula 1 race live in 1994 at the Hungaroring in Hungary. By then, motorsport had long become his passion and he was determined to turn it into a career. After studying mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich, he devoted himself to pursuing this dream. So far, it’s worked out pretty well. Just before the start of the 2022 Formula E season, Modlinger was announced as the new Director Factory Motorsport Formula E of the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team.

We’re standing outside the TAG Heuer Porsche garage at the Excel exhibition center in east London. It’s Friday, 29 July 2022. The eve of the 2022 London E-Prix. The mechanics and the pit crew are hard at work, fine tuning the cars, practicing pit stops and preparing for a big race weekend. In between all of this, Florian Modlinger spares a few minutes of his precious time to talk to us. We discuss his role, his team’s season, the new Gen3 car and the build-up to the next season. 

Could you give us an insight into what it takes to be a Formula E team principal?

I’m responsible for the whole Formula E project. This means the racing on one side, but also the development and testing of the Gen3 car. What it takes is, for sure, passion. You need to be dedicated to your job. I love racing, I love motorsport. But also in addition, you need experience. In the past, I’ve worked in different race series, with different manufacturers. You gain experience everywhere, you become more complete, you learn every day. And also, I think, you learn how to lead and to guide and to motivate people. It’s also a key element of this role because you have a big bunch of people, dedicated to their jobs. But we also have hard times. For example, if you have a crash or if you have to work long hours, everybody needs to give their best and you need to stay fully focused and motivated. And that’s also a part of my job – to bring the team together, to motivate them and be spot on.

How would you assess your season so far?

Yes, I joined the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team at the beginning of the season. And we’ve had ups and downs. We started with not a very good race in Riyadh, but then we had a sudden double win in Mexico, which was a great achievement. An amazing job from the whole team. We had good pace, especially in qualifying. When you see our quali results together with two other teams, we are the best team in qualifying. But we did not bring home the points due to different reasons. We had a technical issue in the leading position in Monaco, where we could have won the race with Pascal [Wehrlein]. Because of this technical issue, we also got a grid penalty in Jakarta. But also several small issues hampered us and compromised us to bring the points home, which we were good for after qualifying. That’s where we need to improve for the last four races, but also have a clear target for the next season. To bring everything together and show that we can consistently be at the same level as the top teams.

How would you describe the mood in the paddock?

Our main target for the last four races is to show, race by race, what we are able to do to generate a good performance, to score the points. And in addition, we’re also testing the Gen3 car. That’s a big workload for the whole team and we want to finish the season on a high. But there’s already a big focus on the next season and developing the Gen 3 car.

Yes, we witnessed the Gen3 unboxing today. What can we expect from the new car next season? 

It will be a lighter car. We will use more power. But also on the recuperation side, 40% of the energy used in a race will be regenerated on the brakes. We will have no hydraulic brakes on the rear axle. This means rear axle recuperation and front axle recuperation. That’s a big effort. And also regarding new technologies and electromobility, it’s a big step forward. There will also be an element with a fast charger. To show how technology is evolving, how quickly you can charge the car, that will be a really impressive feature. 

Have you got any feedback about your Gen3 car?

We just started testing because we just got the car in our hands. We’ve had the first few test days, and we’ll soon get to know the whole package. This means the integration of our powertrain in the common chassis, the front powertrain. We’re just starting to get our first impressions. The whole process, performance testing, getting to know everything, the application work, interaction of all the systems, this work starts now and we are really looking forward to it.

Are your drivers looking forward to this London E-Prix?

They’re race drivers, so they’re always looking forward to jumping into the car and hitting the track! And also we as a race team want to get started soon. We have  Free Practice this afternoon. And here [on the track], you have a lot of challenges for the drivers. As I said, indoor-outdoor, ramps down, ramps up and also outside, you have a high speed part where you have a few bumps. You can easily lose the car. We have a lot of challenges, but the drivers are looking forward to it and we are looking forward to it. 

Do you have any pre-race rituals?

Not really, I have no rituals because I’m a very analytical guy!

And finally, as Formula E gets more and more popular, what would you say to people who are just getting into the sport?

Formula E is different. It’s different from any other race series. Our races are spectacular. We have a lot of in-fights. We have a lot of overtaking, also due to the fact that we have to manage energy and so on. This makes it an interesting and spectacular sport. The show we put on is good for the fans and they can easily get familiar with it [Formula E].

Thank you so much and good luck for the new season.

Thank you, we will try our best!