On its third visit to the coastal haven of Punta del Este in Uruguay the NIO Formula E Team scored further valuable Championship points from its seventh-placed race finish with Oliver Turvey. Oliver qualified strongly, reaching the Super Pole Shoot-Out for the second consecutive event. He started the 2018 Punta Del Este ePrix on the second row of the grid and displayed his ever maturing race craft throughout.
Turvey only lost position during the frantic pitstops to take the chequered flag in P7
“We had a great qualifying session and made Super Pole for the second race in a row. I started on the second row of the grid in fourth position, so was feeling good for the race. The start went pretty well; on the dirty side of the grid it’s always difficult to hold on to position, but I managed to keep fourth into the first corner. Managing the energy and temperature was a little bit more tricky, but I felt that we maximised everything we could and reacted well. I came in for the pitstop in fifth, but lost two positions at the change, which was a shame because we had quite a smooth stop, so we need to analyse where we can improve there”, Turvey commented.
“In the second stint, we maximised the energy and managed to hold on to seventh place. I think that was the best that we could have achieved [in that race], but I am pleased to score more points for the team and am looking forward to going to the next event in Rome.”
Points in Punta! Tough race after qualifying 4th, felt got the most out of it to finish the race P7 and score more points for the @nioglobal team #puntadelesteeprix #formulae #points #nio pic.twitter.com/N8yL4Ih8Da
— Oliver Turvey (@OliverTurvey) March 18, 2018
NIO teammate Luca Filippi in the sister NIO Formula E Team car qualified in P15 from Group 1
The Formula E series rookie, still getting to grips with the all-electric street racing series, crossed the finish line at the end of the action-packed contest in thirteenth place.
“I had a good start to the race and gained a few positions, but after a few laps I lost position fighting hard with other guys and was then stuck behind a slower paced car. In the second stint, I felt very comfortable and the car felt good to drive. I was setting good lap times and had a good battle with Lotterer, but unfortunately the gap to the top ten was just too wide, effectively decided in the first stint. So, for the next race one key point I will be focussing on will be our qualifying – to have a better starting position that will give us a better opportunity for a double points finish”, Filippi explained.
Not our day today but some useful points for Ollie and the NIO Formula E Team nevertheless. Next stop Rome ePrix ?
— Gerry Hughes (@GerryS_Hughes) March 17, 2018
Team Principal Gérry Hughes said NIO’s pace was not comparable to that in Mexico
“That is something that we will have to go away and scrutinise. However, Oliver once again demonstrated good pace in Qualifying, with his second Super Pole in two consecutive race events; converting that to a P4 grid start position”, Hughes said.
“On the other side of the NIO garage, Luca drove hard to claim P13, narrowly missing out on the top 10 and more points for the team. So, we have Venturi firmly in our sights going into the Rome ePrix in a few weeks’ time.”
