Held at the famous Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in the Mexico capital, the team’s all-British driving pairing of Sam Bird and Alex Lynn will be aiming high – quite literally – at the 2.093km circuit with it being the highest on the calendar at 2,200m (7,218ft) above sea level. They’ll also be hitting speeds of up to 210kph as they tackle the 17-turn track over 47 laps.
Bird, who finished third during last year’s race, will be hoping to replicate this and continue his strongest ever start to a season where he currently lies in third place in the drivers’ standings. Meanwhile, team-mate Lynn will be hoping to bounce back from last month’s race in Santiago where mechanical issues forced him to retire – ending his run of scoring points in every race to date. As for the teams’ championship, Virgin Racing currently occupy third spot in the closely fought battle.
This year also marks the third running of event and will have a special significance with Formula E donating all profits from the race to the post-earthquake reconstruction efforts in Mexico City. In addition, the DSV-03 together with all Formula E cars will be sporting the hashtag #FuerzaMexico in support.
Sam Bird said: “It’s always great to be racing in Mexico as it’s a great circuit with some of the best fans in the world. Last time out we finished on the podium and we’ve shown strong pace all season so hopefully we can perform well this time round.”
Alex Lynn said: “The last race was really frustrating for us but that’s racing and for sure we’ll put that behind us and look to do the best job we can in Mexico. It will be another new track for me, so we’ve been working hard in the simulator to fine tune everything and ensure we’re in the best possible shape.”
Virgin Racing Team Principal Alex Tai commented: “Mexico is always a fantastic event, largely due to the amazing fans which last year tallied more than 35,000. I’m sure this year will be just as atmospheric and it’s great that we can help support the post-earthquake reconstruction efforts. As always, we’ll head to Mexico looking to come away with a strong points haul and continue our fight for both the drivers’ and the teams’ championship.”
DS Performance Director Xavier Mestelan Pinon added: “The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez track is really quick and we know from the previous years it will be really difficult to overtake. Qualifying will be particularly crucial. The high temperature will also be an important point to manage for the team, with high speed and altitude, component cooling will be an important point to look after.”
Round five of the 2018 ABB FIA Formula E Championship takes place in Mexico on March 3. For more information on the team, including high-res images and video content, visit: http://map.ds-virginracing.com/
Formula E Mexico E-Prix – Time table
Round 5: Saturday, March 3 (local time // GMT-6hrs)
08:00-08:45 Free Practice 1
10:30-11:00 Free Practice 2
12:00-12:36 Qualifying
12:45-13:00 Superpole
16:00 Race (47 laps)
TV Coverage:
Live on Eurosport from 22:00 GMT
Live on 5Spike from 21:30 GMT