After securing the team’s first podium finish of the 2015-16 FIA Formula E season during an eventful race in Putrajaya, Malaysia, last month, Sam Bird will be looking for another strong performance on the streets of Punta del Este in order to consolidate his position within the top 3 of the driver championship standings.
For team-mate Jean-Éric Vergne, Punta will bring back some fond memories – it was here where the Frenchman made his Formula E debut last season, storming to pole position before his race was ultimately cut short.
To celebrate the run-up to the holiday season, the DSV-01 car livery will be given a special festive make-over. Named after Holly and Bellie Branson, each car’s unique ‘flying lady’ graphic will be adorned with Christmas holly and bells for one-race only.
The Punta del Este Street Circuit is one of the most recognisable on the Formula E calendar. Often dubbed the St. Tropez of South America, the circuit features 20 turns as it snakes around the city’s spectacular harbour.
Speaking ahead of the race in Uruguay, Bird said: “After Malaysia the whole team was on a high, so we need to use that energy and channel it into another positive performance in Punta. We’re in a good place but there’s still a lot that we can improve on with the car too, which gives us plenty of optimism going into the weekend. I didn’t have the best of times in Uruguay last year, but it’s a circuit that all of the drivers enjoy and so I’m hoping we can round off the year on a high.”
Ahead of his return to Punta del Este, Jean-Éric Vergne, said: “It’s nice for me personally to come back to a track that has some good memories from last year. I’m hoping I can use that experience to get off the mark for the team, and give them an early Christmas present in the process.”
Virgin Racing Team Principal, Alex Tai, said: “We can’t wait to come back to Punta, which is always a great race to round off the year. It took a huge effort from the entire team to get the result that we did in Malaysia and we will need to show the same level of desire and determination to succeed in Uruguay.”
Fanboost is now open for the Punta del Este ePrix and Virgin Racing are giving fans a chance to win exclusive prizes every day with the ’12 Days of Fanboost’ competition. To enter, fans need to vote via Twitter and/or Instagram by posting the #Fanboost hashtag alongside either #SamBird or #JeanEricVergne, or vote via the official app or website at www.fiaformulae.com/fanboost, and post a screenshot of their vote using one of these same hashtag combinations.
Following the race on Saturday 19th December, the Virgin Racing team will remain in Punta del Este for a further day of testing on Sunday 20th December. This session will be open to accredited media.