The day got off to a rough start for the Venturi Formula-E team, however, both drivers were able to make a come back and score valuable points. Both Stéphane Sarrazin and Mike Conway started Round 8 of the championship series in the back half of the starting grid due to accidents and penalties in this morning’s free practice and qualifying sessions with Mike in position 11 and Stéphane in position 17.
Before even starting the race Stéphane had to start from the pit and not the grid, due to electronic issues, causing him extra effort to catch up to the pack on the dirty and slippery Berlin city track boasting 1927 meters, 11 turns, and 48 laps. From the beginning of the day the outlook for the Venturi team was not good.
« Today has been a difficult day for me starting with a collision in free practice 2. » said Stéphane. Next, I wasn’t able to do any qualifying simulation and I was like blind during quali. And when you are at the end of the starting grid, it’s difficult to expect anything starting from the last position. »
The Venturi drivers and technical team all did an excellent job of managing battery power and take advantage of race conditions in order to pass competitors and work their way toward the front of the group in the first half of today’s race. « Considering we both had accidents early in the day, Stephan and I were both able to come back strong after swapping cars in the pit. We could have done better as our cars were fast, but I’m satisfied that we have both scored points for our team. » said Mike who finished the race in 8th position just a few spots in front of Stéphane who placed 10th. The points scored by both drivers will allow the team to stay competitive for London, the last round of the season in July.
Thierry Apparu,