Antonio Giovinazzi and Joel Eriksson completed a successful first test of the all-electric Virgin Racing Formula E car today during the inaugural Formula E rookie test in Marrakesh.
Held at the Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, the occasion marked the first time Giovinazzi, 24 and Eriksson, 19, had sampled the DSV-03, completing a combined total of 103 laps around the 2.97km temporary street circuit.
Split into two three-hour sessions, the morning stint saw the pair finish in the top five before rain limited running heading into the interval. Conditions improved for the afternoon with times tumbling to see Giovinazzi end the day seventh overall (1:20.876s) and Eriksson just behind in ninth (1:20.971s) – both a few tenths off qualifying pace from Saturday’s Marrakesh E-Prix.
Speaking after the test Giovinazzi said: “Today has been really fun. The car is very different to anything I’ve driven in the past with less downforce and more focus on the braking, but it was an enjoyable day.”
Eriksson said: “It’s a fun car to drive but for sure very different to what I’m used to with the instant torque and different sound. It’s been a good day learning with the team and getting experience of Formula E.”
Team Principal Alex Tai said: “Both Antonio and Joel have a strong pedigree in single-seaters, so it was interesting to see how they fared in our race-winning Formula E car. Overall, they did a good job for the team as we worked through our testing programme.”
DS Performance Director Xavier Mestelan Pinon added: “It was interesting to see a young generation of drivers in the series and every test session is obviously a good opportunity to draw new learnings and to optimise the performance of our car.”
The next rounds of the 2017/2018 ABB FIA Formula E Championship take place on February 3 at the inaugural Santiago E-Prix. For more information on the Virgin Racing Formula E Team, visit: http://map.ds-virginracing.com/
ABB FIA Formula E Championship
Rookie Test (Combined Times):
1. Nico Muller, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, 1:19.651s
2. Pietro Fittipaldi, Panasonic Jaguar Racing, +0.946s
3. Maximilian Gunther, DRAGON, +1.006s
4. Paul di Resta, Panasonic Jaguar Racing, +1.123s
5. James Rossiter, TECHEETAH, +1.143s
6. Daniel Juncadella, Mahindra Racing, +1.223s
7. Antonio Giovinazzi, Virgin Racing, +1.225s
8. Andrea Caldarelli, DRAGON, +1.313s
9. Joel Eriksson, Virgin Racing, +1.320s
10. Nyck de Vries, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, +1.457s