Within touching distance of the Atlantic coastline miles of sandy vistas surround Punta Del Este street circuit. The atmosphere of the place has a dreamy, lilting charm. A Spanish-soaked Zandvoort perhaps.
Sand is about the only similarity between this vaguely surreal location for an international motor race and the great Dutch venue on the flat shores of the North Sea.
There is a lot to like about the FIA Formula E Championship in Uruguay. It wasn’t just a vision of cleaner, more efficient racing that gives you a sense of being at something so different. There is an inclusivity that permeates through the event and an urban cool that appears to be transcending the sometimes staid and stuffy atmosphere of some other international series.
You need a certain amount of adjustment to your expectations and underlying scepticism before seeing the Spark-Renaults on track. On the narrow streets of Punta Del Este they look spectacular and quick but this is due, more than anything, to the considerable sprinkling of sand on the circuit. It tested the natural instinct skills of the drivers and it was no surprise that Stéphane Sarrazin relished the conditions so much, with his delicious car control was called upon time and time again… until he smote the barriers after a wild kerb-hopping moment in the race.
“Sand rallying… well it is almost the time of year for Dakar,” joked the Frenchman after the first track action on Saturday morning. “Grip levels are zero and there is plenty of sliding so it is fun.”