FASTEST LAP IN MONACO FOR DS VIRGIN RACING EN ROUTE TO PARIS
13.05.2017 FASTEST LAP IN MONACO FOR DS VIRGIN RACING EN ROUTE TO PARIS DS Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird achieved fastest lap in the 2017 Monaco ePrix to earn a Championship point for him and the Team, but early incidents for both drivers resulted in this being the sole consolation at this weekend’s race in the Principality. After a promising start in both practice sessions with both drivers in the top five fastest, the team had high hopes for the day. However, neither driver could get enough heat in their tyres and qualified outside the top five with Jose Maria Lopez starting in 7th place and Sam Bird in 10th on the grid. With the chaos of the 2015 Monaco ePrix in mind, the teams and drivers were particularly wary of incidents at the 1st turn. This year was not as dramatic, but congestion on the inside of the first turn caused Lopez to be hit from behind and pushed into the car in front, damaging both his front and rear wing. At the same time Bird pulled off an excellent move around the outside of turn 1 to move into 7th position. Bird was looking strong and pushing Engel in P6 when he broke his suspension after brushing the wall coming out of the swimming pool chicane and had to pit. The team did an incredible job and managed to fix the suspension in the pit lane but with lap times at under a minute Sam could only return to the race 3 laps behind the leaders. Jose Maria Lopez entered the pit lane shortly after Sam’s departure having been forced by the race officials to replace the damaged wings he sustained at the first corner. As a result of being 3 laps behind, Sam changed strategy to aim for fastest lap, which he achieved on lap 24. Jose also changed to the same strategy and returned to the pits at lap 43 to make adjustments to the front wing flaps and tyre pressures to optimise his chances of success, he made a number of very quick laps to challenge Sam and came to within a tenth of a second of Sam’s fastest time. Sam commented “It was a tough day. I struggled with the rear tyres from the beginning of the race but I made a good start and everything was looking good, but then the rear tyres overheated and I had massive oversteer. I knew the race was done because we were 3 laps down, we’re never going to score points from there and the only option we had was to go for fastest lap. Thankfully we get one point, that was the maximum we could achieve and we did it�??. Pechito said “I wanted to have a clean race, I had a very good FP1 & 2 with no mistakes from my side. I think we still have to work a bit to understand the car but I think the potential is there to easily be in the top 3, it’s just hard to bring everything together�??. Following the race, Team Principal Alex Tai commented “The team did a great job with both drivers coming into the pits in succession and carrying out the required repairs. We’re pleased to have got fastest lap and come away with a point, but it was a frustrating race and again our pace deserved better than this result today. We’ll be pushing in Paris for the results that we know we can achieve�??. Xavier Mestelan Pinon, DS Performance Director commented “Our preparation went well up until the end of FP2 and the drivers were happy with the car. Our target for qualification was to avoid mistakes and we ended up in 7th and 10th position. Following the race incidents both drivers moved to fastest lap strategies. It was a very frustrating weekend as we knew we had the potential to have a very good race but sometimes everything does not go as well as it should. Our focus now is the home race for DS, the Paris ePrix, which is only a week away so we can move on quickly�??. FIA Formula E – Monaco ePrix – Provisional results 1 Sébastien BUEMI 2 Lucas DI GRASSI 3 Nick HEIDFELD 4 Nelson PIQUET JR 5 Maro ENGEL 6 Felix ROSENQVIST 7 Daniel ABT 8 Esteban GUTIERREZ 9 Antonio Felix DA COSTA 10 Nicolas PROST 11 Mitch EVANS 12 Robin FRIJNS 13 Oliver TURVEY 14 Adam CARROLL 15 Stéphane SARRAZIN José Maria LOPEZ Jérôme D'AMBROSIO Loïc DUVAL Sam BIRD Jean-Eric VERGNE FIA Formula E Championship – Provisional driver standings 1 Sébastien BUEMI 104 2 Lucas DI GRASSI 89 3 Nicolas PROST 47 4 Jean-Eric VERGNE 40 5 Sam BIRD 34 6 Nick HEIDFELD 32 7 Felix ROSENQVIST 28 8 Nelson PIQUET JR 27 9 Daniel ABT 26 10 Oliver TURVEY 15 11 Mitch EVANS 12 12 Antonio Felix DA COSTA 12 13 Maro ENGEL 12 14 José Maria LOPEZ 10 15 Jérôme D'AMBROSIO 10 16 Loic DUVAL 9 17 Robin FRIJNS 8 18 Esteban Gutierrez 5 19 Adam CARROLL 4 20 Stéphane SARRAZIN 1 21 Qing Hua MA 0 FIA Formula E Championship – Provisional team standings 1 Renault e.dams 151 2 ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport 115 3 Mahindra Racing 60 4 TECHEETAH 45 5 DS Virgin Racing 44 6 NEXTEV NIO 42 7 Andretti Formula E 20 8 Faraday Future Dragon Racing 19 9 Panasonic Jaguar Racing 16 10 Venturi Formula E Team 13 For more information on the DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team, please visit the website: http://www.ds-virginracing.com For further information please contact: Lucy Rillstone Account Manager DS Virgin Racing E : lucy.rillstone@ds-virginracing.com T: +44 (0) 7494 567 886 About Virgin group: Virgin is a leading international investment group and one of the world's most recognised and respected brands. Conceived in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group has gone on to grow successful businesses in sectors including mobile telephony, travel & transportation, financial services, leisure & entertainment and health & wellness. About DS AUTOMOBILES A French brand born in Paris, DS was founded on 1 June 2014. Its ambition is to embody the French know-how of luxury in its cars. Driven by its outstanding heritage and avant-garde spirit, DS perpetuates the values of innovation and distinction inherited from the first DS, launched in 1955. Designed for customers looking for a means to express themselves as individuals, the DS Collection comprises DS 3, DS 3 CABRIO, DS 4, DS 4 CROSSBACK, DS 4S, DS 5, DS 5LS, DS 6 and completed with DS 7 CROSSBACK. The models in the DS range stand apart through their avant-garde design, refinement and attention to detail, advanced technology and dynamic serenity. Presented at the 2017 Geneva Motor Show, DS 7 CROSSBACK, the SUV by DS featuring Parisian-style innovation and savoir-faire, ushers in the second generation of DS models. With the DS 7 CROSSBACK La Première limited edition model, forward thinkers can reserve their car online or at a DS Store or DS Salon, and be the first to get behind the wheel. Committed to high-performance hybrid and electric cars, the Brand will launch the DS 7 CROSSBACK equipped with E-Tense, the hybrid powertrain by DS, in 2019. DS models are available from DS Stores, DS Salons and a selection of other dedicated spaces within the Citroën network. DS also has a flagship store, DS WORLD PARIS. DS represents a brand experience that goes beyond the products to include ONLY YOU, a collection of exclusive services showcased at the 2016 Paris Motor Show. Follow all DS news on www.DSautomobiles.com @DS_Official About the FIA Formula E Championship: The FIA Formula E Championship is the world’s first fully-electric single-seater racing series, competing on the streets in the backdrop of some of the most iconic cities - including Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Monaco, Paris, Montreal and New York. The championship represents a vision for the future of the motor industry, serving as a platform to showcase the latest innovations in electric vehicle technology and alternative energy solutions. Future seasons will see the regulations open up further allowing manufacturers to focus on the development of motor and battery components, which in turn will filter down to everyday contemporary electric road vehicles. The 2016/17 FIA Formula E Championship sees 10 teams and 20 drivers go wheel-to-wheel in 12 cities spanning five continents in the fight to be crowned Formula E champion. The inaugural season of Formula E sparked into life in September 2014 around the grounds of the Olympic Park in Beijing. The third season of the all-electric racing series gets underway on October 9 in Hong Kong, with the season finale double-header in New York on July 29 & 30. About FIA & Michelin - Today’s partners for tomorrow’s mobility: As well as being the official Formula E tyre supplier, Michelin is an official partner, at the international level, of the FIA Action for Road Safety campaign. The programme is designed to support the Decade of Action for Road Safety initiated by the UN, the aim of which is to save five million lives over the next 10 years. This programme is set up to educate and advocate for safer roads, vehicles and behaviours around the globe. -ENDS-