Sergio Sette Camara was unable to take the start in the Mexico City E-Prix season-opener earlier this month after an issue on the instillation lap meant his car came to a halt following a “very loud noise” and smoke.
His ERT machine was recovered back to the pits with the red warning light activated on top of the chassis – used to inform that the condition of the car is unsafe – after the “battery kind of exploded”.
ERT has confirmed that the incident took place while Sette Camara performed a pre-planned burn out procedure and is still investigating the issue with the FIA and battery supplier WAE (formerly Williams Advanced Engineering).
“We are still working with the FIA and WAE to identify the root cause of the issue,” a team statement said.
“It’s not easy to determine as there is minor damage to a number of components and as such it takes a lot of time to conclude cause and effect.
“It’s a type of failure we haven’t seen before and one we don’t expect to see again.”
Source: Autosport