Envision Racing

Author: jonathan townsley

LATEST NEWS

Envision Racing all set for success as Formula E arrives in Brazil

20 March 2023

SÉBASTIEN BUEMI AND NICK CASSIDY WILL LOOK TO FIGHT AT THE FRONT ONCE AGAIN AS THEY HEAD TO SOUTH AMERICA FOR THE INAUGURAL SAO PAULO E-PRIX

When it comes to motorsport, Brazil has produced some of the greatest drivers of all time. Ayrton Senna, Nelson Piquet, Emerson Fittipaldi and Rubens Barrichello are just a few that have become household names at the highest level of the sport. It is fitting therefore, that after a gap of five years, the world’s fastest all-electric racing series heads to a continent with a passion for high-speed, wheel-to-wheel action. 

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was scheduled to go to Brazil for the Rio de Janeiro E-Prix, way back in Season 1, however this never happened due to technical and logistical reasons. Fast forward to 2023, and this season’s E-Prix in São Paulo will mark the third consecutive event to be held on a brand new circuit, following on from the Hyderabad E-Prix. and the last race in Cape Town, South Africa.

With Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy sitting fifth in the Drivers’ Championship standings, just two points ahead of team-mate Sébastien Buemi, and the team holding a superb second place in the Team’s Championship order, the upcoming visit to São Paulo could prove to be a happy hunting ground. Both Cassidy and Buemi are within contention for the title after five races so far in 2023, and Envision Racing sit 32 points behind Porsche, totally focused on closing that gap.

THE CHALLENGE IN BRAZIL

The São Paulo Street Circuit measures out at 2.96km, with 11 turns in total, and is partially made up of the layout which hosted IndyCar competition until a decade ago. It comprises three long straights which will test the top speed capabilities of the new GEN3 Formula E machines.

As well as some anticipated high speeds on the São Paulo streets, the drivers will have to negotiate a couple of tricky chicanes, as well as a good mix of tight, 90 degree turns, a tight hairpin and some sweeping corners.

Envision Racing’s Buemi will be hoping for a similar result to one he scored in South America back in 2015. The Swiss driver won the Punta del Este ePrix that year, and with the form and pace shown by the team so far this in 2023, Buemi will be amongst the favourites for victory in São Paulo. 

Key to success for both Envision Racing drivers will be getting to grips with the circuit as quickly as possible in the weekend’s opening practice session, and if the performances displayed at new circuits in India and South Africa are anything to go by, there’s going to be very little to worry about on that score. 

LAST TIME OUT IN SOUTH AFRICA

What a weekend it was in South Africa.

The first ever Cape Town E-Prix was certainly one to remember. Buemi did well to recover from a sizeable accident in the first practice session of the weekend and make it into the qualifying duels. Come race day did even better to come back and finish fifth after being punted off and spun around on the opening lap by championship leader Pascal Wehrlein.

For Buemi’s team-mate, the Cape Town E-Prix provided a platform to stake his claim as a Formula E front-runner and championship contender. Once again in 2023, the green Jaguar-powered Envision Racing machine excelled in qualifying as Cassidy joined Buemi in the knock-out phase of, making it into the semi-finals and lining up a stellar third on the grid.

In the race, Cassidy held the lead during the opening stages, and showed that he and Envision Racing had the pace to challenge for the victory. The Kiwi driver’s hard work paid off on the last lap, as sitting in fourth, Cassidy took advantage of a mistake by third place man Sacha Fenestra  to clinch his second consecutive podium.

After being cruelly denied a third place finish at the Hyderabad E-Prix due to a post-race penalty, Buemi did extremely well to draw on his speed and years of experience to come from last on the opening lap, to end up fifth at the flag.

Drivers standings (after Rd 5):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 80pts
2. Jake Dennis, 62pts
3. Jean-Éric Vergne, 50pts
4. António Félix da Costa, 46pts
5. Nick Cassidy, 43pts
6. Sébastien Buemi, 41pts

Team standings (after Rd 5):
1. Porsche Formula E Team, 126pts
2. Envision Racing, 84pts
3. Avalanche Andretti, 80pts
4. McLaren Formula E Team, 66pts
5. DS Penske, 61pts

DID YOU KNOW?

It’s safe to say that the continent of South America contains some pretty big cities. However, none are bigger than the home of this weekend’s E-Prix.

That’s because São Paulo is the most populous city in the Americas, the western hemisphere and also the southern hemisphere. Among its more than 12 million inhabitants includes approximately 1.6 million Japanese-Brazilians living in São Paulo, making it the largest concentration of individuals of Japanese descent outside of Japan.

WHEN AND WHERE TO WATCH THE SÃO PAULO E-PRIX (All times GMT)

Free Practice 1 Friday 24 March – 19:25 – 20:15

Free Practice 2 Saturday 25 March – 10:25 – 11:15

Qualifying Saturday 25 March – 12:40 – 13:55

E-Prix Saturday 25 March 17:03 – 18:30

Follow Envision Racing at the Cape Town E-Prix and throughout the 2022–23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship HERE

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ANOTHER PODIUM FOR CASSIDY BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH MORE IN SOUTH AFRICA

25 February 2023

ENVISION RACING’S NICK CASSIDY CLAIMED 3RD AT THE CAPE TOWN E-PRIX AS THE TEAM LEAP UP TO 2ND IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Throughout the two days of the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix, Envision Racing, and in particular Nick Cassidy, looked to be among the favourites for victory come race day.

From qualifying third to leading the early phase of the race, Cassidy continued Envision Racing’s early season promise. At the end of a dramatic and memorable first time out in South Africa, took a well-deserved third place, in a race where the two championship leaders failed to score any points, throwing the battle for both the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles wide open.

The result gives Cassidy his second consecutive podium, following a stellar performance last time out at the Hyderabad E-Prix, however for team-mate Sébastien Buemi, the bad luck would continue.

Having cruelly been denied a podium finish in India, Buemi fought back from a practice crash to make the qualifying duels, qualify seventh, and in the E-Prix looked good to join Cassidy in fighting for the top three, if not victory.

These hopes were seriously dented by a wayward Pascal Wehrlein, who smashed into the Swiss driver on just the second lap of the race, forcing him to turn in a calm and measured drive to power from 15th to fifth at the flag.

PRACTICE AND QUALIFYING

It was big drama from the start of the very first Cape Town E-Prix weekend for Envision Racing. In free practice one, Buemi crashed heavily, necessitating a heroic repair job from the team, and in the second practice session, team-mate Cassidy posted the fastest time, underlining the pace of the Jaguar I-Type 6.

Heading out in qualifying Group A, Cassidy loitered near the top of the timings. With a couple of minutes remaining, the Kiwi set the fastest time, ending up second at the session’s close to get a chance to fight it out in the duels.

Playing catch-up, Buemi shrugged off his practice woes, and during the opening minutes of Group B qualifying showed good pace. So good in fact, that the Envision Racing driver clocked the third quickest time, once again progressing alongside team-mate Cassidy, as the session ended prematurely following a nasty collision between Edoardo Mortara and Sam Bird.

In the first quarter final Cassidy faced off against championship leader Wehrlein, dominating the German driver and making it into the semi finals for the first time in 2023. Buemi followed Cassidy out in the third quarter final, taking on Mitch Evans. What started as a tight battle ended when Buemi tapped the wall at turn 7, meaning the Envision Racing driver would end up seventh on the grid.

For Cassidy, it was the semi finals. The opposition, Sacha Fenestraz in the Nissan. Despite catching a rapid Fenestraz in the second half of the lap, Cassidy couldn’t beat the evential pole-position winner to progress into the final, but nevertheless secured a superb third on the grid.

THE RACE

Cassidy made a lightning start, briefly overhauling second-place driver Maximilian Günther, but being forced to settle for third as the cars snaked through the opening sequence of turns.

There was huge drama on the second lap as Buemi, starting seventh and looking to fight his way to the front, was brutally taken out by an out-of-control Wehrlein at turn 10. The collision forced the Porsche driver into retirement, and Buemi down the order to 15th place, triggering a safety car.

Following a three-lap clean-up operation it was game on again, with Günther leading pole-sitter Fenestraz and Cassidy as the race settled down into a waiting game amongst the 15 remaining cars.

By lap eight, Cassidy found himself under pressure from the sole Jaguar of Evans. A lap later, Cassidy slipped into second place, and looked strong, as Fenestraz took his first Attack Mode.

Second place became first as leader Günther took his initial Attack Mode on lap 10, and crucially, the Maserati driver found himself in a close-quarter battle with Fenestraz, allowing Cassidy to pull away and lead a race for the first time this season.

Cassidy elected to take his first Attack Mode phase on lap 14, maintaining his place at the front of the field ahead of Fenestraz and Günther. By the halfway point, the battle was on as Fenestraz keenly pursued leader Cassidy.

On lap 21, Günther’s hopes of victory ended with a crash, promoting António Félix da Costa to third and leading to a full-course yellow. As the race got back underway Cassidy held his lead from new second place man da Costa, with just 1.5 seconds covering the top six cars.

Da Costa used all his skill and experience to pass Cassidy on lap 24 with an artful move, pushing the Envision Racing driver to second, which soon became third as Jean-Éric Vergne took second to set about chasing down da Costa.

As Cassidy moved backwards, team-mate Buemi surged forwards. Recovering from his early-race misfortune, the Envision Racing driver held eighth approaching the closing laps with seventh place and Stoffel Vandoorne in sight.

On lap 28, the Hyderabad E-Prix winner Vergne snatched the lead as da Costa took a late Attack Mode. For Cassidy the focus was now on holding third place and resisting the challenge of Fenestraz.

Two laps later, and with little to choose between remaining battery power, Cassidy lost out to the Nissan of Fenestraz, as the leading duo of Vergne and da Costa pulled away. As the race entered the final two additional laps, da Costa repeated the breathtaking move he pulled earlier in the race on Cassidy to lead from Vergne.

On the final lap, behind the fireworks at the front, Cassidy dramatically retook third as Fenestraz spun at turn 7, meaning the Envision Racing driver just had to fend off Rene Rast in the McLaren to take a second podium on the bounce. Cassidy successfully held on to take a well deserved podium as da Costa triumphed ahead of Vergne.

“I think we have to be happy with the result today,” said Cassidy. “Whenever you finish third in Formula E you have to be happy and I have to walk away with a smile. Part of me thinks we should have won that race, and the full-course yellow really hurt us and it changed the energy of the race, but that’s motorsport.”

Behind Cassidy, Buemi did exceptionally well to battle back to a brilliant fifth to score vital points for his championship hunt and the Team’s Championship standings. That first victory of the year continues to elude Envision Racing, but the team have shown to be genuine frontrunners, as they head to another new track in Brazil for the Sao Paulo E-Prix.

“What a weekend it has been in Cape Town, a fantastic track and a fantastic venue,” said Sylvain Filippi, Director & CTO at Envision Racing. “It all started with quite a challenge following Seb’s crash in practice, and the team did a brilliant job to rebuild the car overnight. As soon as we overcame that we were fast all weekend with both cars reaching the duels in qualifying.

“In the race, Seb was unlucky to be tagged, but put in an amazing recovery drive, and Nick finishing on the podium again, plus two cars in the top five is a fantastic result.”

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 5):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 80pts
2. Jake Dennis, 62pts
3. Jean-Éric Vergne, 50pts
4. António Félix da Costa, 46pts
5. Nick Cassidy, 43pts
6. Sébastien Buemi, 41pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 5):
1. Porsche Formula E Team, 126pts
2. Envision Racing, 84pts
3. Avalanche Andretti, 80pts
4. McLaren Formula E Team, 66pts
5. DS Penske, 61pts

LATEST NEWS

CAPE TOWN E-PRIX PREVIEW: AN EXCITING NEW CHALLENGE FOR ENVISION RACING

21 February 2023

NICK CASSIDY AND SÉBASTIEN BUEMI WILL LOOK TO TAKE EARLY SEASON SPEED AND SOME STRONG PERFORMANCES TO SOUTH AFRICA

For the second consecutive race, Envision Racing heads to uncharted territory, and visits a brand new country in South Africa, and a fresh challenge in the shape of the Cape Town Street Circuit.

The inaugural Cape Town E-Prix follows hot on the heels of a dramatic first time out in India, and the Hyderabad E-Prix. Both Envision Racing drivers were at the sharp end, with Nick Cassidy claiming his first podium finish of the year, whilst Sébastien Buemi ended up third on the road, but was harshly penalised after the race.

THE CIRCUIT

The Cape Town E-Prix will be the fifth race of the 2022–23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, and it promises to be a pretty spectacular setting for the world’s fastest all-electric motorsport series.

Cape Town is renowned as a cosmopolitan city, surrounded by stunning nature, a picture postcard coast line, beautiful golden beaches, dramatic terrain, and serves as one of South Africa’s three capital cities. The odds look good that the new 2.94km, 12-turn street circuit will serve up some serious drama.

Looming over the Cape Town Street Circuit is Table Mountain, one of the new seven wonders of the world, and the Mother City is also known for its award-winning food and wine, and sheer variety of experiences on offer. Not that the two Envision Racing chargers will have any time to indulge in any of that.

As with the previous round in India, both Buemi and Cassidy will look to dial in to the new circuit as soon as possible, during the crucial opening practice sessions, ahead of the all important qualifying.

The newest challenge on the Formula E calendar will see the GEN3 cars wind their way through Cape Town’s Green Point and Waterfront districts. Organisers state that this new street circuit is expected to be one of the quickest the drivers will face, allowing the faster and more efficient 350kW GEN3 machines to really stretch their legs.

Come race time, the 22 drivers will line up alongside the Green Point precinct’s Vlei Road, looking forward to a 90 degree left turn into Helen Suzman Boulevard, followed by another left-hand flick into Granger Bay Boulevard.

Some speed will need to be scrubbed off as two tight chicanes are negotiated, and these will be crucial to setting a strong lap in qualifying. Following another 90 degree left turn, the scene is set for a flowing remainder of the lap which runs along the oceanfront on Mouille Point’s Beach Road, before the final sharp left-hander into Fritz Sonnenberg Road and the dash to the finish line.

LAST TIME OUT IN HYBERABAD

Envision Racing used the brand new Hyderabad E-Prix as a venue to prove the team are genuine contenders in 2023. The inaugural race in India proved to be one to remember for the team, however it wasn’t without some pain.

For driver of the day Nick Cassidy, there was plenty to celebrate. The Kiwi driver was within an overtake of victory, only for a stubborn defence from eventual race-winner Jean-Éric Vergne to deny Cassidy a second career E-Prix victory.

The Envision Racing driver combined canny energy-saving with some stellar overtakes to surge from tenth on the grid to second place, and Cassidy should have been joined on the podium by team-mate Sébastien Buemi.

In India, for the fourth consecutive time this season, Buemi was flying in qualifying, again making the head-to-head stages, and ending up third on the grid. The Swiss driver looked strong in the first half of the race, settling into a race-winning position before fading slightly as the race approached the final laps.

Despite this, Buemi rallied, and at the chequered flag, crossed the line third on the road seemingly giving Envision Racing a double podium. This wasn’t to be.

Following the race, Buemi was slapped with a retrospective drive-through, later converted to a 30-second penalty for an overuse of power. As a result there was no second podium finish of the year, and Buemi would end up 15th, denting his early-season points-scoring momentum.

Despite this, on the eve of the Cape Town E-Prix, Buemi sits fourth in the Drivers’ Championship standings, tied on points with Jean-Éric Vergne. Cassidy is just one place and three points behind his team-mate, meaning both Envision Racing drivers are in the championship hunt.

The strong start to the season for Buemi and Cassidy means that Envision Racing are sitting pretty in the Teams’ Championship, sitting third in the standings, six points ahead of McLaren, and will look to use the new track in Cape Town as a base to close the gap to Andretti and leaders Porsche.

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 4):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 80pts
2. Jake Dennis, 62pts
3. Jean-Éric Vergne, 31pts
4. Sébastien Buemi, 31pts
5. Nick Cassidy, 28pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 4):
1. Porsche Formula E Team, 101pts
2. Avalanche Andretti, 78pts
3. Envision Racing, 59pts
4. McLaren Formula E Team, 53pts
5. Jaguar TCS Racing, 42pts

https://twitter.com/Envision_Racing/status/1625164351572246529

CAPE TOWN E-PRIX SCHEDULE (all times BST)

Friday 24 February: Free Practice 1 – 14:55 – 15:45

Saturday 25 February: Free Practice 2 – 07:05 – 07:55

Saturday 25 February: Qualifying – 09:40 – 10:55

Saturday 25 February: Race – 14:03 – 15:30

Follow Envision Racing at the Cape Town E-Prix and throughout the 2022–23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship HERE

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ENVISION RACING AND NICK CASSIDY FIGHT FOR THE WIN AT THE HYDERABAD E-PRIX

11 February 2023

CLASSY CASSIDY COMES CLOSE TO VICTORY ENDING UP 2ND AT THE HYDERABAD E-PRIX BUT IT’S PENALTY HEARTBREAK FOR BUEMI

Top tier motorsport returned to India for the first time in a decade with a thrilling Hyberabad E-Prix, and Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy ended up second, with victory in sight.

Starting ninth, Driver of the Race Cassidy quickly moved through the field and, along with team mate Sébastien Buemi, looked good for at least a podium all race long. The Kiwi driver conserved energy artfully to end up contesting the closing laps with four percent more energy than a depleted Jean-Éric Vergne.

Despite applying immense pressure to Vergne, the veteran French driver defended superbly to somehow hold off Cassidy and win, with Buemi ending up where he started the race in third.

Unfortunately for Buemi, after the chequered flag had been waved, the Envision Racing driver was found to have exceeded his energy usage. This brought with it a retrospective drive-through penalty, demoting him down to 15th, and cruelly ending his three-race points-scoring run.

QUALIFYING

Under bright blue skies, Buemi made it into the head-to-head phase of qualifying once again, beating Sacha Fenestraz in the quarter-finals and progressing into the semi-finals. The Swiss driver faced off with eventual pole position-winner Mitch Evans, and couldn’t quite match the pace of the Jaguar driver, settling for a superb third place starting slot on the brand new Hyderabad circuit.

Buemi’s team-mate Nick Cassidy underlined the qualifying pace of the Envision Racing machine, posting the ninth fastest time and narrowly missing out on the duels.

THE RACE

At the start of the inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix, Buemi did well to defend from a fast-starting Fenestraz, holding third place, as Cassidy made immediate progress, moving up from ninth to seventh to set about chasing Sam Bird.

Before the end of the opening lap, Cassidy made a superb move on Bird to claim sixth place. At the front, Evans converted his pole into an early lead, followed by Vergne in second with Buemi holding third as the race settled into its rhythm.

On lap eight, Buemi copied his team-mate’s earlier strategy, passing Vergne with a clinical move to take the lead at the turn three hairpin, as race leader Evans elected to take Attack Mode. Buemi’s early race progress was mirrored by Cassidy as the Envision Racing driver moved up a place, claiming sixth.

One lap later, Buemi took his first Attack Mode, crucially emerging in second place, and ahead of Evans’ Jaguar. On lap 10, Vergne moved through the Attack Mode zone, allowing Buemi to resume the lead of the Hyderabad E-Prix.

There was huge drama on lap 13 as both Jaguar drivers collided at turn three, compromising Fenestraz and Maximilian Günther in the process, and sensationally promoting Cassidy into third place.

With the dust settled, Vergne took the lead on lap 15 as Buemi took his second Attack Mode, falling back to fourth, with Cassidy now running in second place.

One lap later, it was Cassidy’s turn to take Attack Mode, and the Kiwi managed to maintain the lead over his team-mate, meaning both Envision Racing cars were running line astern. This didn’t last long as on lap 17, Cassidy made light work of Jake Dennis to surge back into second place.

Buemi followed Cassidy in front of Dennis as the British driver took his Attack Mode and the Swiss driver did superbly to defend from the faster Avalanche Andretti car, holding on to third place.

Entering the final 10 laps, Cassidy was sitting pretty with an additional two percent of energy over Vergne, as the leading pair pulled a gap of almost two seconds over the Buemi-Dennis-Rast battle for third place.

As Cassidy hounded Vergne for the lead, the stricken McLaren of Jake Hughes triggered a safety car, bunching up the pack.

With the debris cleared it was game on once more as Vergne resumed in the lead ahead of Cassidy and Buemi. With additional energy over the leading Penske car, Cassidy maintained his intense pressure on Vergne with Buemi maintaining a watching brief in third.

On lap 26, Cassidy made his second bid for the lead at turn four, pushing Vergne to desperately defend his lead. Behind the second place Envision Racing machine, Buemi skilfully defended from Oliver Rowland as an additional lap was added to the original 32-lap race distance.

The big question was could Cassidy snatch the lead on the final lap?

The answer, remarkably, was no. With a four-percent energy advantage over leader Vergne, Cassidy couldn’t find a way around the DS Penske driver who crossed the line with almost no power, leaving Cassidy to settle for a superb second place, ahead of Envision Racing team-mate Buemi in third.

A stunning double podium for Envision Racing, was not to be. Shortly after the race, Buemi was slapped with a drive-through penalty, promoting António Félix da Costa to third, with championship leader Pascal Wehrlein taking fourth.

Cassidy’s points haul places him fifth in the standings as the team head to South Africa for the Cape Town E-prix.

“I’m super happy with the first podium of the season,” said Cassidy after the race. “I really feel for Seb and also the Jaguar team today, all four of the Jaguar-powered cars were great and we all deserve to be up here at the front, so happy for myself, but sad that as a team we aren’t all able to celebrate after all the hard work the teams have put in this weekend.”

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 4):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 80pts
2. Jake Dennis, 62pts
3. Jean-Éric Vergne, 31pts
4. Sébastien Buemi, 31pts
5. Nick Cassidy, 28pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 4):
1. Porsche Formula E Team, 101pts
2. Avalanche Andretti, 78pts
3. Envision Racing, 59pts
4. McLaren Formula E Team, 53pts
5. Jaguar TCS Racing, 42pts

 

LATEST NEWS

HYDERABAD E-PRIX PREVIEW: FIRST TIME IN INDIA FOR ENVISION RACING

8 February 2023

ENVISION RACING WILL HIT THE STREETS OF HYDERABAD AND SEEK TO EXTEND A PROMISING START TO THE GEN3 ERA

Envision Racing heads to India, for round four of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, and after a strong start to the season, the team’s new boy Sébastien Buemi sits third in the Drivers’ Championship standings.

Following three races on more familiar territory, the inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix is an exciting and challenging new prospect for the entire Formula E paddock. Held within India’s sixth-most populous metropolitan area, It is also the first of three consecutive races being run in new cities, with Cape Town and São Paulo to follow.

India has provided the backdrop for top level motorsport before as home to the Indian Formula One Grand Prix between 2011 and 2013, and now is the turn for the exciting world of Formula E, and time for the faster, more efficient GEN3 era to take centre stage.

THE CHALLENGE IN HYDERABAD

The Hyderabad Street Circuit is the only venue on the Formula E calendar that can boast a giant Buddha monolith statue observing the action, which will have a perfect view of the opening practice sessions as the drivers grapple with the new track.

Designed by a company associated with ex-F1 driver Karun Chandhok, the 18-turn, 2.935km lap starts with a dramatic, top-speed straight, which runs alongside the Hussain Sagar lake, before hitting the heavy-braking hairpin, all under the watchful gaze of the giant Buddah. Get through there unscathed, and it is a tight left-hander, followed by a tricky, tree-lined sequence.

As the drivers head through the picturesque Lumbini Park, this is where crucial time will be won or lost in qualifying, before the final sector is negotiated. The final sector features a short run into a second, sharp 90-degree right-left chicane, followed by a right at the roundabout before the high-speed sprint to the finish line.

LAST TIME OUT IN SAUDI ARABIA

There was plenty of drama, and a lot to be happy about for Envision Racing at the previous Diriyah E-Prix in Saudi Arabia.

Sébastien Buemi, in just his third race for the team, and ahead of his 100th E-Prix start, scored a sensational pole position for the opening race of the weekend. The Swiss driver came home fourth, to follow his solid sixth place achieved at the season-opening Mexico City E-Prix.

In a measured and calculated second race at the Diriyah E-Prix double-header, Buemi claimed sixth at the flag, following one of the most dramatic finishes in recent Formula E history. Running seventh, with just a few metres of the race remaining, Jake Hughes’ fifth place McLaren suddenly lost power, boxing in the pursuing Jaguar of Mitch Evans, allowing Buemi to cannily dash past the compromised Evans, almost claiming fifth at the flag in the process.

Buemi will start round four of the championship in Hyderabad third in the standings. The Envision Racing driver lies 31 points behind Jake Dennis, and will be in the hunt to close that gap, and consolidate third place by the time Saturday’s action is over, and the attention turns to South Africa, and Cape Town.

ENVISION RACING GUNNING FOR TOP THREE

Whilst Buemi has established a strong points base in the Drivers’ Championship order, the Envision Racing team are sitting pretty in the Teams’ Championship.

Buemi’s team-mate Nick Cassidy has endured some challenges in the opening three races of the GEN3 era, but despite this, the Kiwi has managed to bag some vital points for both his championship aspirations, and helped boost the team’s points total.

With a ninth place in the Mexico City E-Prix and a strong sixth in the first race of the Diriyah E-Prix weekend, Cassidy helped cement Envision Racing’s fourth place in the Team’s Championship standings as the action heads to India. With rivals Mclaren just 12 points ahead, the team will be looking to grab as many points at the Hyderabad E-Prix and leap into the top three.

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 3):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 68pts
2. Jake Dennis, 62pts
3. Sébastien Buemi, 31pts
4. Sam Bird, 28pts
5. Jake Hughes, 27pts
10. Nick Cassidy, 10pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 3):
1. Avalanche Andretti, 76pts
2. Porsche Formula E Team, 74pts
3. McLaren Formula E Team, 53pts
4. Envision Racing, 41pts
5. Jaguar TCS Racing, 39pts

DID YOU KNOW?

Source: Alosh Bennett, CC BY 2.0

It is safe to say that the Hyderabad E-Prix will be the first top level motorsport event with Buddha in attendance. And that’s not all. Hyderabad’s Buddha statue squares up to a height of 18 metres, making it the biggest single rock statue in the world.

WHERE AND WHEN TO WATCH

For viewers in Europe and the UK, it is an early start to catch qualifying for the Hyderabad E-Prix. Drivers will battle it out for grid positions at 05.10 BST on Saturday 11 February, and the race action will kick off at 09.33 BST, just in time for breakfast!

Follow Envision Racing HERE and keep up to date with all the action…

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TOP SIX FOR BUEMI AND MORE CRUCIAL POINTS AT THE DIRIYAH E-PRIX

28 January 2023

ENVISION RACING’S SÉBASTIEN BUEMI SNATCHED A DRAMATIC SIXTH PLACE AT THE FLAG IN SAUDI ARABIA AND HEADS TO HYDERABAD FULL OF SPEED AND CONFIDENCE

The second race of the Diriyah E-Prix double-header saw more vital points bagged for Envision Racing to cap a promising opening three races to the GEN3 era of Formula E.

Race one’s pole-sitter Sébastien Buemi started the second race under the lights in Saudi Arabia an excellent fourth, and brought the car home in sixth, following a thrilling finish, beating Mitch Evans on the line, proving it isn’t over until it’s over.

This means as the team head to India for the inaugural Hyderabad E-Prix, the Swiss driver sits third in the Drivers’ championship standings, and Envision Racing hold fourth in the Teams’ championship.

Following a strong performance in the weekend’s first race, Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy endured a tough Saturday evening at the Diriyah E-Prix. The Kiwi driver ended up finishing 13th, but will look to get back on track in India.

QUALIFYING

Buemi was at it again in qualifying, taking the fight for pole to the knock-out stage. The Envision Racing driver continued his scintillating pace from qualification for the weekend’s opening race, taking the second fastest time in Group A.

In the quarter-finals, Buemi faced reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne. The Swiss driver made light work of his Belgian rival to make it into the semi-finals for the second time in 24 hours.

Sadly, Buemi couldn’t repeat the heroics of race one’s knock-out phase, and lost out to eventual pole position-winner Jake Hughes to line up an impressive fourth on the grid for round three of the championship.

THE RACE

As the field entered and exited the opening sequence of corners for the first time, Buemi found himself down two places, as a few metres up the road, Jaguar’s Mitch Evans overhauled Hughes to take the lead. Further back, Buemi’s Envision Racing team-mate Cassidy managed to move up from 15th to 14th.

By lap five, Buemi had managed to hang on to the leading five cars, as the train of GEN3 Formula E cars settled into an energy and tyre-saving flow, with little in the way of drama throughout the 22-car field.

Following the first flurry of Attack Mode phases, Rene Rast hit the front on lap 12, ahead of Evans and Hughes. Further back, Cassidy gained another place, taking 13th ahead of António Félix da Costa, as the race approached the halfway point.

Buemi took his first Attack Mode on lap 19, dropping back from sixth to eighth behind the squabbling trio of Edoardo Mortara, Dennis, and Sam Bird. By lap 22, Buemi was loading the pressure on Mortara’s Maserati, as up front, race one winner Pascal Wehrlein headed the field.

There was drama as the race approached the final 10 laps with a safety car triggered due to an off at turn one from Nico Mueller. At the restart, Wehrlein set about increasing the gap back to Dennis and Bird in third with Buemi looking to find a way around compatriot Mortara, and up into seventh place. Buemi slipped up into seventh with a handful of laps left to run, as at the front the battle for the victory between Wehrlein and Dennis came to the boil.

At the chequered flag, Wehrlein hung on to make it two in a row ahead of Dennis and Rast. Behind there was huge drama as Buemi rounded out his Diriyah E-Prix in sixth place, clinched at the line as fifth-place-man Hughes looked to have run out of energy, slowing the pursuing Evans and allowing Buemi to snatch sixth.

“It has been a good weekend, finishing in the points in both races, pole position on Saturday,” said Buemi. “I had a good car today, and I think I was a bit unlucky in turn one at the start where I lost two positions and it is very difficult to overtake, so that put me at a disadvantage. I had plenty of energy at the end of the race, which was the opposite of yesterday, and I felt like I could’ve achieved more. I did get lucky at the final corner where Hughes lost power and his car shut down, which meant I managed to pass Mitch (Evans) on the line, and actually narrowly missed out on fifth by a few thousandths of a second. I feel we are getting stronger, and now we can regroup and look towards India, and I feel we are getting better and better.”

Looking back at Saturday’s climax to the Diriyah E-Prix, Envision Racing’s Managing Director & CTO Sylvain Filippi said: “It has been another eventful day, and a very productive day. The objective was to score points, but we are also still learning. It is very early days in the GEN3 era and it’s important that we understand what works and what doesn’t work with the car. Seb was really strong again in qualifying and fourth on the grid was a very good result, plus he was also second quickest in his group. Unfortunately, Seb was a bit unlucky at the start of the race and lost two places, but good Attack Mode strategy helped him recover and of course he managed to pass Mitch Evans right at the end.”

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 3):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 68pts
2. Jake Dennis, 62pts
3. Sébastien Buemi, 31pts
4. Sam Bird, 28pts
5. Jake Hughes, 27pts
10. Nick Cassidy, 10pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 3):
1. Avalanche Andretti, 76pts
2. Porsche Formula E Team, 74pts
3. McLaren Formula E Team, 53pts
4. Envision Racing, 41pts
5. Jaguar TCS Racing, 39pts

LATEST NEWS

POLE POSITION AND BIG POINTS AT THE DIRIYAH E-PRIX

27 January 2023

ENVISION RACING’S SÉBASTIEN BUEMI STARTED FROM POLE AND CAME HOME 4TH IN SAUDI ARABIA WITH NICK CASSIDY FINISHING A STRONG 6TH

Envision Racing’s Sébastien Buemi started his 100th Formula E race from the front. He sealed pole position in scintillating style and was in contention for the victory for much of the 39-lap Diriyah E-Prix.

Buemi started round two of the 2022-23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship superbly, withstanding early-race pressure from Jaguar’s Sam Bird, and then McLaren’s Jake Hughes, before falling back during the closing laps, but hanging on for a strong fourth-place finish.

Buemi’s Envision Racing team-mate Nick Cassidy enjoyed a stellar evening of racing. Starting 10th, he kept out of trouble, driving smoothly to come home sixth, ensuring a total of 23 points for the team after the first race of the weekend.

QUALIFYING

Cassidy narrowly missed out on making the head-to-head, ending up fifth fastest in group one and earning a 10th place grid slot, leaving the way clear for team-mate Buemi to take centre stage. The Swiss driver held the top spot for most of the duration during group two qualifying, setting the second quickest time to progress into the knock-out phase for the second consecutive race.

Buemi went up against Mitch Evans in the first quarter final duel and played a blinder. Despite trailing Evans during the early part of the lap, the Season 2 champion overhauled the Jaguar driver’s initial advantage to scorch through into the semi-finals for the first time.

In the semi-final Buemi faced off against Bird. The Envision Racing man was sublime in what proved to be a tight battle, but Buemi had enough in reserve to clinch a place in the final where he would take on McLaren’s Jake Dennis.

And what a final it was. Buemi used all his speed and experience to once again gain time as the lap progressed. Dennis appeared to have the upper hand, but Buemi kept his nerve, and aced the final corner, to take his 15th career pole position in dramatic fashion.

THE RACE

When the lights went out to start it was a textbook start from Buemi with the Envision Racing driver maintaining his lead. Behind the leaders came the inevitable contact at turn one, triggering a safety car.

The green fag flew after just half a lap, allowing Buemi to resume his place at the front, followed by Hughes and Bird. Further back, Cassidy made solid early-race progress, moving up from his starting slot of 10th to eighth by lap three.

At the end of lap three, Hughes and Bird swapped places, with the Jaguar driver taking up the mantle of chasing down Buemi to engage in a mouth-watering scrap as they pulled away from Hughes. Despite some measured defending, by the beginning of lap eight, Bird had found his way into the lead, leaving Buemi to defend from Hughes.

By lap 20 it was Wehrlein’s turn to hassle Buemi, and the Porsche driver claimed second as the Envision Racing driver elected to take his first Attack Mode phase of the evening three laps later. Crucially, as Buemi diverted to take Attack Mode, he remained in front of Rene Rast in the McLaren.

Up front Wehrlein caught Bird and slugged it out with the British driver. This allowed Buemi to join the party, once again finding himself within striking distance of the squabbling leading pair, as Wehrlein made a desperate and unsuccessful bid for first position.

Entering the final 10 laps the pace was fast and furious. Buemi maintained a watching brief on the leading duo, as team-mate Cassidy held sixth. Wehrlein hit the front on lap 31, passing Bird at turn one.

As the chequered flag loomed, Buemi found himself in fourth, behind Dennis, after the Envision Racing driver elected to take another phase of Attack Mode. As Dennis pushed on and joined the battle for the lead, Buemi was left to consolidate fourth place.

Behind the top three, as Buemi held fourth, Cassidy showed great pace to hassle Rast for fifth place. Ultimately, the Kiwi driver would run out of laps, settling for sixth despite a desperate, and sideways, bid to snatch fifth at the line. Ahead of Cassidy and Rast, Buemi took fourth behind Bird, with Wehrlein winning from Jake Dennis.

“Today was a good day with pole position, fourth place and Nick finishing in sixth, which is a strong team result,” commented Buemi. “It was very emotional to score pole position after so many seasons not being on pole, so I was very happy, but a little disappointed to finish fourth after starting from the front. I think we had good race pace in Mexico, but today we lacked a bit of speed, but we will come back tomorrow and I will keep doing my best.”

Reflecting on his sixth place finish at the Diriyah E-Prix, Cassidy said: “I would take sixth place today, but I felt there was more. The way in which we got there, I definitely feel there was more I could have done today. We started too far back because of a mistake in qualifying. There’s definitely more to come and fingers crossed we can put it together and get a better result tomorrow.

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s second race at the Riyadh Street Circuit, Envision Racing’s Managing Director & CTO Sylvain Filippi was in a buoyant mood. “It was another great race for the team,” said Filippi. “In only our second GEN3 event, both cars finished in the points, Seb started on pole, and we had good race pace overall. Fourth place for Seb is a pretty good result in only his second race with the team, and Nick starting in tenth also had great speed and came sixth, which is a really strong result. We were fast in qualifying, but we need to find a little bit more for the race tomorrow.”

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 2):
1. Jake Dennis, 44pts
2. Pascal Wehrlein, 43pts
3. Sébastien Buemi, 23pts
4. Lucas di Grassi, 18pts
5. Sam Bird, 15pts
9. Nick Cassidy, 10pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 2):
1. Avalanche Andretti, 58pts
2. Porsche Formula E Team, 49pts
3. Envision Racing, 33pts
4. McLaren Formula E Team, 25pts
5. Jaguar TCS Racing, 20pts

LATEST NEWS

DIRIYAH E-PRIX NEXT FOR ENVISION RACING AFTER A STRONG START IN MEXICO

24 January 2023

ENVISION RACING’S CHARGERS BOTH SCORED POINTS IN THE SEASON-OPENING MEXICO CITY E-PRIX AND ARE HUNGRY FOR MORE IN SAUDI ARABIA

The new, faster and more efficient era of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship kicked off in style in Mexico with some heated battles, and plenty of tension at the historic Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, located just outside the sprawling capital city.

And It is safe to say that Envision Racing’s first ever GEN3 race was something to smile about as the team came away from the Mexico City E-Prix with both cars in the points.

In his debut for the team, former Formula E champion Sébastien Buemi enjoyed a solid race, qualifying seventh and ending up one better at the chequered flag, claiming sixth, and with it, eight points.

Not too far behind the Swiss ace was his team-mate Nick Cassidy. The Kiwi enjoyed strong late-race pace, powering his Jaguar I-Type 6 from 12th on the grid to ninth, continuing his top 10 finishing streak from the back end of last season.

TIME TO FOCUS ON THE STREETS

 

For the last three seasons the streets of Diriyah have provided the setting for the opening round of the Formula E season. This year it will host rounds two and three of the 2022–23 Formula E World Championship, and it is a stark change from the wide open spaces of the season’s curtain raiser in Mexico.

Typifying the diversity of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the Diriyah Street Circuit, located just outside the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh, offers a tough and unforgiving challenge.

It is also a race for night owls, and night vision will be key. The bright blue skies of Mexico City will be replaced by darkness come race time, with floodlights illuminating the path the drivers must take to ascend to victory, and they will have to do it not once, but twice at the first double-header event of the year.

This means, with one race on the Friday and another on the Saturday, there are big points up for grabs in Saudi Arabia.

THE CIRCUIT

The route of the 2.495km, 21-turn circuit runs alongside the city’s historic and spectacular walls, which are designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. There won’t be any time for Buemi of Cassidy to do any sightseeing, as the high speed sections require absolute razor sharp focus.

In fact, the Diriyah Street Circuit is regarded by the drivers as one of the toughest challenges on the 16-race calendar. Fast and bumpy, it’s probably the closest any of them get to a bobsleigh run, but master the snaking sequence of corners between Turn 6 and Turn 10 with a mix of speed and calculated precision, and huge amounts of time can be found.

100 NOT OUT FOR BUEMI

Envision Racing’s new signing Sébastien Buemi is, put simply, a legend of motorsport, and the ex-Formula one racing, multi-Le Mans 24 Hour winning driver will be notching up a notable milestone under the lights of the Diriyah Street Circuit.

Champion of Formula E’s second season back in 2015-16, Buemi will start his 100th series race in Saudi Arabia, joining rivals Lucas di Grassi, Jean-Éric Vergne and Jaguar Racing’s Sam Bird in clocking up a century of starts.

DID YOU KNOW…?

Saudi Arabia might be the 13th largest country in the world, but it isn’t a place to go if you fancy seeing any rivers. That’s because there aren’t any. Or any natural lakes for that matter.

With zero permanent or natural rivers, 95% of the country is considered a desert or semidesert, and under two percent of the country’s land is arable. To make up for the lack of rivers, there is plenty of coastline on the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.

WHERE AND WHEN TO WATCH

The weekend’s opening practice session for the 2023 Diriyah E-Prix gets underway at 18:00 local time, so that is 15.00 BST, on Thursday 26 January.

The second chance for the drivers to get to grips with the circuit before qualifying follows at 10.30 BST on Friday, with Qualifying getting underway from 12:40 BST.

The gloves come off at 17:00hrs BST when round two of the season gets underway.

On Saturday, free practice three gets underway at 10:30 BST on Saturday with Qualifying next up at 12:40 BST, with the final race of the weekend  at 17:00 BST

Keep up to date with EnvisIon Racing’s fortunes at the Diriyah E-Prix HERE

Find out all the ways to watch where you are.

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DOUBLE POINTS FOR ENVISION RACING AT THE MEXICO E-PRIX

14 January 2023

SÉBASTIEN BUEMI KICKED OFF HIS ENVISION RACING CAREER WITH A STELLAR SIXTH AS GEN3 DELIVERED THE THRILLS AND SPILLS IN MEXICO CITY

Envision Racing’s new boy Sébastien Buemi showed pace and class as an exciting new chapter for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship kicked off in Mexico City with the GEN3 era, the fastest, most efficient iteration of the series, and both Buemi and team-mate Nick Cassidy showed that they are ready to fight for success in 2023.

Buemi drove superbly, calling upon all of his world class racecraft, mixing attack and defence with some serious pace from his Envision Racing machine, to take sixth place with the podium well in his sights.

Envision Racing team-mate Cassidy had plenty to be cheerful about under blue skies at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The Kiwi driver got his head down, kept out of trouble and managed to bring it home ninth to score two vital points. 

In qualifying, Buemi proved to be no slouch in the first ever GEN3 session, propelling his Jaguar I-Type 6 into the head-to-head shootout, only to narrowly lose out to eventual pole position-winner Lucas di Grassi.

Buemi would start the Mexico City E-Prix a solid seventh, whilst team-mate Cassidy got his campaign underway from 12th on the grid.

THE RACE

MEXICO E-PRIX

All 22 drivers executed a sensible start to the opening race of the season, and by the time the first lap of the 2022–23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship was complete, Buemi found himself in eighth with Cassidy running 13th as a safety car was triggered due to a collision between Robin Frijns and Norman Nato.

The race got back underway, minus Frijns and Nato, on lap six, only for an almost instantaneous second safety car period actioned as a result of Sam Bird’s stricken Jaguar at turn two. At the restart, Di Grassi led Jake Dennis ,as Buemi looked to find a way around Formula E rookie Sacha Fenestraz. 

By lap 14, Buemi made his way back to where he started, taking seventh and hounding Fenestraz. Meanwhile, with an Attack Mode advantage, Cassidy made his way back to his 12th place to slot in behind reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne.

Buemi elected to trigger his first Attack Mode phase on lap 15, slipping back to eighth behind António Félix da Costa. The Swiss ace engaged in a mouth-watering duel with his fellow former champion, before a third safety car was sent out as the Maserati of Edoardo Mortara spun into the barriers at turn one.

Restart number three was headed by Dennis from di Grassi and Jake Hughes, as Buemi continued his pursuit of da Costa with Mitch Evans following the Envision Racing man. On lap 26, Buemi claimed seventh place to resume his chase of Fenestraz as things started to heat up at the front of the field.

Seventh became sixth for Buemi a lap later as Fenestraz deviated to take Attack Mode. Next on Buemi’s hit list was the Avalanche Andretti of Andre Lotterer. Could Buemi reel in the German driver as the race entered the closing laps?

The answer was yes, as the Envision Racing driver slashed Lotterer’s advantage. Eight laps were added to the original 36-lap race duration as a result of the three safety car interruptions, but could Buemi make his way by and up into fifth? 

Buemi’s quest for the top five was helped as Lotterer engaged in some close quarter combat with Hughes. The squabble meant that as the race approached the final three laps, Buemi could smell a podium place as the final car in a bracing four-way scrap for third before da Costa joined the train to try and wrestle sixth from Buemi.

On the final lap, Buemi was forced to defend from da Costa, which he did artfully to cross the line in sixth, as up front Dennis won convincingly from Pascal Wehrlein and di Grassi. Not to far behind Buemi, Cassidy kept his nose clean to end up a creditable ninth in Mexico City and kick off the year with a well-earned 10 points for the team.

“My first weekend with Envision Racing and the GEN3 era, and I am really happy with sixth place,” commented Buemi. “I think we actually could have achieved a slightly better result, and we finished the race with a lot of energy remaining, and we had good pace. A small mistake in qualifying meant I wasn’t as fast as I could have been and could have ended up higher on the grid, but all in all I think it has been a very good weekend. The team has done an amazing job and to get both cars in the points and sixth and ninth is a great result. I’m full of confidence and looking forward to the next race in Riyadh.”

Drivers’ standings (after Rd 1):
1. Jake Dennis, 26pts
2. Pascal Wehrlein, 18pts
3. Lucas di Grassi , 18pts
4. Andre Lotterer, 12pts
5. Jake Hughes, 10pts
6. Sébastien Buemi, 8pts
9. Nick Cassidy, 2pts

Teams’ standings (after Rd 1):
1. Avalanche Andretti, 38pts
2. Porsche Formula E Team, 24pts
3. Mahindra Racing, 18pts
4. McLaren Formula E Team, 10pts
5. Envision Racing, 10pts

 

 

LATEST NEWS

A FORMULA E LEGEND JOINS ENVISION RACING

4 October 2022

SEBASTIEN BUEMI WILL RACE FOR ENVISION RACING IN 2023 ALONGSIDE NICK CASSIDY TO ADD VICTORIES AND PODIUMS TO HIS ILLUSTRIOUS CAREER

It’s official! One of the most successful Formula E drivers on the grid is now an Envision Racing driver.

Sébastien Buemi joins the team with a CV consisting of 13 E-Prix victories, 29 podium finishes and 14 pole positions and will help lead the Envision Racing team into the faster and more efficient Gen3 era of Formula E.

The Swiss racer joins Envision Racing not only as a Formula E galactico, but also one of the most versatile and adaptable racing drivers on the planet. As well as his achievements at the wheel of a Formula E car, Buemi has starred in numerous other racing categories with 55
Formula One starts between 2009 and 2011, and an incredible four outright wins at the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.

We caught up with the 2015-16 Formula E champion ahead of the 2022–23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and talked about the challenge of Gen3, memorable Formula E moments, how to win a championship, the disappointment of losing one, and the
importance of spreading a sustainable message in motorsport.

You have been in the Formula E World Championship since the beginning. Going back to your first season, what are your standout memories of the sport’s first year?

I would say the first race in Beijing was impressive. I really didn’t know what to expect. When I got to China, and I saw what the race organisers had put together; the grandstand and the circuit – I was amazed.

Since then, we have been to some amazing locations, including Monaco, and I managed to win the race there in season one. That was amazing. Obviously, I lost the championship in that first year by one point, but I was still happy to finish second and it was good that the first year of Formula E was so entertaining and memorable.

Did you imagine Formula E would evolve and grow in the way that it has, attracting such a wealth of manufacturers and driving talent?

From the very start, I was obviously hoping that manufacturers would join. I’ve seen lots of other championships start off looking good in the early days, but not surviving and collapsing very quickly, and I knew that would be extremely difficult to establish this new form of racing. However, I’ve been extremely surprised by how many people in terms of teams and drivers joined and the level Formula E has reached now. So, to be honest, I was not expecting it become so popular so quickly. I was hoping for that, but I certainly did not expect it to be so good.

Early in the Formula E story you started a memorable rivalry with Lucas Di Grassi. Who are your main rivals these days?

It’s true that in the first season of Formula E, I ended up fighting on track with Lucas quite a lot. Obviously, time evolves, you fight and race against different drivers, such as Sam Bird and Jean-Éric Vergne, they were obviously there from the beginning as well, and they were
strong.

Sometimes, who you race against, it depends on the car. The regulation changes lately have made it a bit more difficult for me, but now it’s a new beginning with Gen3 and Envision Racing, so we will see who we have as rivals. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what
we can achieve, and I don’t really mind fighting anyone, but it would be nice to fight again with Vergne and Lucas.

Your first win in Formula E came in Uruguay in season one. What do you remember about that day?

It was an amazing day. Obviously, winning your first race is always special. I remember that was the third race in the championship, and I didn’t qualify so well, but then I had a good race, I was fast, and managed to bring it home first. It was a great location close to the sea,
near to the beach. I loved it. I miss Uruguay, I hope we’ll go back sometime in the future.

After a bad race or poor performance, how do you pick yourself up and get motivated to go again?

Obviously, it’s always tough when you don’t have a great performance because you put so much effort in and you feel like you don’t get rewarded. But this is part of motorsport, and I’ve experienced lots of good races and lots of bad ones. Whatever the result, I always look
forward. Sometimes if the race has been a bad one, I need a couple of days to pick myself up, but in general that comes quite naturally and quite quickly.

You won the title in season two, what were the key factors that took you to the championship?

I think in general, back then, you had to be fast and consistent back in those days. The qualifying format was different, so we had to start most of the time from the back when we were obviously leading the championship, so it was important to be consistent and get
through the weekend without any issues.

In season three, what was it like to lose the title despite winning six races? Did you enjoy that season which included three back-to-back wins?

Obviously, I started the season extremely well. I won lots of races and unfortunately, I had to miss the double-header race weekend in New York because of other commitments and it was hard to accept. It’s the only time a clash of races has happened, and obviously that
didn’t help.

There were 12 races and I had to miss two, so by missing two, obviously, yeah, I ended up losing the championship and finished second. It was a tough one to swallow because I had the feeling we were by far the fastest that year.

You are well-known for combining and winning in multiple motor sport categories. How different is the challenge of Formula E from the World Endurance Championship. What are the different skills required in the car?

I would say that formula E is extremely competitive because some of the car is the same for everyone, so the team focuses on the powertrain. Because of that, the differences between the drivers and how it works out on track are quite small, so the important performance is coming from the details – you must look closely at every detail if you want to make the difference.

With most of the tracks we discover them properly when we arrive to race. Obviously, we go back to some of them, but city tracks can undergo a very big evolution throughout the day and are always very bumpy and the cars get close to the wall. This element in particular
makes Formula E different from other categories I race in, and yes, you have to be up to speed extremely quickly, and obviously every detail will make the performance better.

What are you most excited about regarding the Gen3 phase of the sport?

The step forward in Formula E and the new Gen3 era is clearly a very big step for everyone, and evolution in motorsport is vital. Everyone knows the numbers. It’s going to be a lot more powerful, we’re going to have four-wheel drive, better braking performance, a lighter car
which will be more agile in the corners.

As a driver, you always look forward to having more power and speed. I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to drive the Gen3 car once. I enjoyed it very much and I can’t wait to be back in the car, start testing properly and get going at the first race.

How did the deal with Envision Racing come about?

I have had a huge amount of respect for Envision Racing, and I believe they’ve done a great job over the years to always maximise results. They have always been one of my biggest competitors when I raced for different teams, so I’ve always had a lot of respect in general
for the team.

I had several calls with Sylvain Filippi – We discussed things, and I was surprised how quickly we managed to close the deal. So, I am really honoured to join the team, and I hope we will be able to have great success together. Obviously, I’ll give my very best!

What are your goals and expectations with the Envision Racing team this coming season?

Everyone starts from scratch with the Gen3 cars, and my objective is to fight at the front. I want to fight for the best result possible. It’s always very difficult to set expectations and goals until you get to drive the car, and we will soon see where we are in terms of
performance.

I cannot enter a race not wanting to win, you know, so my objective is always to win and hopefully will be in the position to do so. I’ll do the very best I can to reward the team. I can’t wait to start testing and see what we can achieve together.

Climate change is coming more into focus with climate related emergencies increasing in frequency. How important to you is the element of Formula E?

Sport is very crucial in getting people to be aware of climate change. I think everyone is certainly more aware of the issues relating to climate change, but maybe some people don’t really want to see it.

Formula E is a great platform to raise awareness, and it’s a great platform to develop electric cars on the road. We know electric cars are the future and we’re going to have more and more EV’s on the road, so we want to support the development of these cars and the technology, and help people understand that electric cars are incredibly fast and fun to drive.

 

Watch the interview below: