Despite a 2nd place finish for Sam Bird in Marrakech, the season so far has not been a true reflection of the team’s capabilities. After being in a position to win in Hong Kong before technical difficulties ended Sam’s race, and having had its drivers top the timesheets in both practice sessions in Buenos Aires before each experienced difficult qualifying sessions, the team is determined to achieve a race result in Mexico City in line with the undoubted pace of its car and drivers.
The Mexico City ePrix consists of 45 laps and 17 turns around the 2.094km Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit. At over 2,500m, not only is this the highest circuit in the Formula E calendar, but it should also be the second quickest with a maximum speed of 210km/h.
Speaking ahead of Mexico City Sam Bird stated “I’m going into Mexico with a positive attitude after a difficult race in Buenos Aires. I believe in the team and in the car they have put underneath me and if we get qualifying right there’s podiums to be had”.
Following Buenos Aires, José María López stated “I’m growing in confidence with every second I spend in the DSV-02”, as demonstrated when he heroically battled his way through the pack from 20th after a difficult qualifying to finish in 10th position at the end of the race..
The weekend won’t be without its challenges for José María López who will be arriving in Mexico in the early hours of race day due to WEC testing. As a result, the team’s Reserve and Development Driver, Alex Lynn, will be driving the DSV-02 during shakedown on Friday and be on standby to race if required.
Ahead of Mexico José María López added “It will be a little challenging to be arriving in the early hours of raceday, but I’ve been doing a lot of work in the simulator in the build up to this race, and after fighting through the field in Buenos Aires to score another point in Formula E, I’m getting more and more comfortable with the car.” This fighting spirit is a glimpse of what the Argentinian can bring to Mexico City.
Team Principal Alex Tai commented “Virgin Racing is excited to return to Mexico. There is a huge passion for motorsport amongst the locals here in Mexico and it was no surprise that this circuit attracted a vast crowd for the inaugural Mexico ePrix in 2016, I expect the same this year. We intend to give the fans something to cheer about and will be doing our utmost to ensure both of our drivers are competitive and fighting for honours on the day.”
Note: Fanboost voting opens at 09:00 UTC on Monday 27th March 2017.
Vote for our drivers on the Formula E App, Website or on Twitter using the hashtags #Fanboost #SamBird or #Fanboost #JoseMariaLopez.