Mercedes is anticipating a “steep learning cꦗ🍸urve” during its maiden FIA Formula E campaign.

The German manufacturer, which has tak▨en over the HWA Racelab team to make its FE debut in the upcoming 2019/20 season, endured a difficult three-day pre-sea♕son test at Valencia and is braced for a tough challenge in season six.

Re🎃liability issues thwarted drivers Stoffel Vando🎀orne and Nyck de Vries across the test as the pair managed a combined total of 259 laps between them.

“The week got off to quite a challenging start𒅌, but fortunately we were able to round off the tests on Friday with a decent number of laps,” Mercedes FE chief Ian James said.

“We are currently having to cope with a steep learning curve. But I am satisfied with how we have organised our approach to🌊 Formula E.

“Now is the ideal time to enter the championship as a factory team. Of course, it helps that HWA RACELAB already had their own involvement i🐟n season five.

“But I would say that the benefit is more on the operational side. This is actually quite important, because Formula E functions differently from♔ other racing series, especially compared to what we're familiar with in Formula 1 and the DTM.

“The one-day format plays a major role here. Fo🐻rmula E is quite unique: it's not the sort of series where you turn up as a newcomer and run away with the championship.

“The p🀅revious season has given us some useful insight into Formula E, but if you're starting as the works team of a manufacturer, there are some significant differences that we have not encounꩵtered in the past year.”

Mercedes is joined by 🗹fellow German giants Porsche as new entrants to the series in season six.

James believes the ultra-competitive nature of𝔉 FE will make it more difficult for Mercedes to find a competitive edge over its rivals, unlike in F1.

“In this sport, there are some aspects that are absolutely unᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚique to Formula E,” he added.

“If w꧒e look at what Mercedes has achieved in Formula 1, in the DTM and in other series, there has always been one common factor, name𝓀ly an internal combustion engine.

“You can, of course, see the poweꦅr unit we use in Formula E as some kind of larger🌞 MGU-K from Formula 1 [Motor Generator Unit - Kinetic: stores and releases kinetic energy from braking].

“But ultimately, it has to work in a completely different way, because there is no internal combustion engine in Fo💦rmula E.

“In this context, we have learnt that the software plays a key role. It's all about und𝐆erstanding the nuances of the software and its development.

“I wouldn't say that🧸 this came as a 💯surprise for us, but it's definitely a different challenge from the sort we've been up against in other racing series in the past.”