Summer in the middle of February may be a somewhat alien concept to those of us in the Formula E paddock who hail from the northern hemisphere but we can draw sweaty comfort in knowing we’re not alone: the high temperatures could affect the racing cars in tomorrow’s Buenos Aires race, too.

Some of the drivers racing in cars with season one technology believe that the scorching Argentinian sunshine could trouble the batteries, which remain identical throughout the paddock. Thermal management issues could reign in those manufacturers with advanced season two powertrain tech (such as Renault) when the lights go out tomorrow, bringing the tantalising prospect of a proper street fight for the top steps of the podium.

“I think it will reduce the gap,” Andretti’s Robin Frijns told Current E. “Not in qualifying but in the race it will, because you are limited on the temperature of the battery and not limited on the energy level. Our energy consumption is a bit higher than [other] cars, but on the temperature of the battery everyone is the same. I hope it’s hot like Malaysia and we have another go.”

Malaysia served up similarly high temperatures and allowed Frijns – albeit with a slice of luck and a helping of bravery – to score a podium finish in just his second Formula E race. That result gives team mate Simona de Silvestro hope of a breakthrough result in Buenos Aires.

“If we look at Malaysia, it was pretty similar, pretty hot, and Robin’s car went pretty well there, so it’s definitely something to keep in mind for us,” de Silvestro told us. “We’ll try to do our best to qualify pretty good and see what happens. Maybe some people will have some problems and that will be really good for us.”

Sam Bird was another driver to benefit from the hot conditions in Malaysia and is hopeful of a repeat, despite DS Virgin Racing’s weight disadvantage compared others on the grid. “We were quick in Malaysia, we were very quick in Punta,” Bird said. “If I can continue that kind of pace, even with the weight disadvantage, then we could be looking at a very strong result.”

Luke Smith