The Pepe Marti E-Prix crash turned out to be the illustrating picture of the season opener of the circuit of Formula E which shook the paddock but still transformed a successful debut into the spectacular air crash and damaged the cars of a car manufacturer. What was developing into what would have been the Cupra Kiro rookie, a driving force was cut short following an ill advised full course yellow that saw him take off Antonio Felix da Costa in his Jaguar and hit Nico Muller in his Porsche with only two laps to go. That appeared to be a scary sight but Marti came out intact remarkably well. He was fast in owning up to it in the aftermath and provide a comprehensive account of what contributed to the incident.

The day had been accumulating of Marti. He had risen to an impressive top-six finish by managing his energy and driving wisely all the way up 14th, starting at the head of the field. However the initial indication of bad omen came when Mitch Evans hit the wall, causing the full course yellow which eventually caused the trap. As a man between two worlds wanting to act instinctively as he had in Formula 2, yet with eighty-five percent other requirements in Formula E, the race-control that Marti faced, Marti responded a hundredth of a second too slowly. This was the moment to break because the cars ahead of us slowed in a rate which he never expected.

To start with, Marti claimed that he did not want to attribute his failure to experience or the stresses of a first-time appearance. He explained his mistake, he had made it through the application of the wrong instincts in the wrong environment. He said that drivers in Formula 2 and Formula 3 drive the virtual safety car delta to the furthest point and use every single metre of track to gain milliseconds without breaking the law. However, in Formula E, the full course yellow is an event that needs a quicker, less versatile response. At a speed which da Costa and Muller slackened, which Marti had anticipated on the occasion of the decreased pace should be five seconds later, he was already nearing too quickly to stay out of danger.

But it was not only the layout of the tracks that contributed to the extent of the crash, as Marti also noted. It is a narrow street circuit, such as the Anhembi Sambadrome, where there is no grass to run away to no runoff, only walls channeling the track into a single racing line. He thought at a place such as Mexico City, or Jarama, he would have been in a position to turn off onto the grass or some open patch of asphalt to escape the collision. In Sao Paulo, it was a decision that turned out to be impossible: either squeeze the brakes and hope or do an evasive move with nowhere to put the car. When he got established on the braking point he knew at once that it was impossible to get the speed gap closed.

It led to the spectacular crash at Pepe Marti E-Prix, where his Cupra Kiro car flew into the air and landed on a frightening airborne roll, hitting the rear of da Costa Jaguar and falling on the track. He talked of it as taking place with eyes open as a fly, his senses raw with being conscious of how the situation had so quickly gone out of control. He got out of it shaken, but not hurt, thankful that Formula E is a safe sport, but frustrated on behalf of the staff who deserved a much better result than they got.

Marti was very bitter since he believed that the car was one of the best performing in the market. The preparation, strategy and energy targets that Cupra had set had been, as he put it, super good, and he felt that the company could achieve a top-six finish. Rather, he is granted a back-of-grid start at Mexico City and four points on his licence since the stewards have decided that he was totally guilty in causing the collision. Nevertheless, Marti noted that the lesson is evident, and he is the one to blame. Errors occur during motorsport and this particular error, which has been amplified by the nature of the crash, will determine his future behaviors in full course yellow situations.

Lastly, Marti insisted that he will be fast-moving. The comfort of getting away without being hurt is greater than the frustration in him, and the rate at which the group generated is still uplifting. However, the Pepe Marti E-Prix crash will remain as the reminder of how fortunes may change dramatically in Formula E and how minor mishaps may result in massive consequences in a narrow street layout. When the time comes to change the location to Mexico City, Marti is aware that he needs to prove something, and now there is a time to study.

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