Newly certified carbon neutral team Envision Virgin Racing secured a strong double-points finish during today’s second Berlin E-Prix of the Formula E season six showdown.
Following Sam Bird’s podium yesterday on the first of two races on the reverse Tempelhof circuit, both drivers showed strong qualifying pace and started the race with Robin Frijns in P5 and Bird just behind in P9.
The pairing created a spectacular show for the fans at home, with plenty of wheel-to-wheel racing to move up the order, with Frijns just losing out on a podium position in the final laps of the race and Bird making his way up to join the battle for third place before crossing the line in P6.
It’s great to have both drivers bringing in a good point haul for the team, as it’s definitely all still to play for in both the teams’ and drivers’ standings. It was a tense last few laps, especially with Sam catching the third-place pack towards the end, but that’s what makes this sport so interesting – it’s not over until the chequered flag falls!
– Sylvain Filippi, Envision Virgin Racing’s Managing Director
Frijns added: “I think the battle was hard with Di Grassi but it was fun to be racing right on the edge against him. I think the end result is great for me, coming home with points and not risking too much going for the podium was definitely the right call and I’m looking forward to heading out again on Saturday on the normal Tempelhof circuit.”
Sam Bird said: “Consistency is key in Formula E and we’ve managed to get a great points haul for the team between the two of us – it’s still all to play for with the next four races and I think we have a good chance of fighting at the top again over the next week. The team have put in some hard work already over the past few days and with only a day between double-headers it’s definitely tough, but we’re going to dig deep and continue to show our strong performance.”
Today’s result rounded off a successful double-header for the team which included scoring the second highest points haul, hosting its Race Against Climate Change Live sustainability forum, as well as a virtual hospitality programme and being certified carbon neutral.
The next Formula E race takes place on Saturday 8 August from 19:00 (local time).
RACE RESULTS
ABB FIA Formula E Championship, Round 7, Berlin E-Prix:
1. Antonio Felix Da Costa, DS Techeetah, 38 laps (28pts) (P)
2. Sebastien Buemi, Nissan e.dams, +3.090s (19pts)
3. Lucas Di Grassi, Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler Formula E Team, +8.296s (15pts)
4. Robin Frijns, Envision Virgin Racing, +9.239s (12pts)
5. Stoffel Vandoorne, Mercedes Benz EQ Formula E Team, +9.695s (11pts) (FL)
6. Sam Bird, Envision Virgin Racing, +10.081s (8pts)
7. Oliver Rowland, Nissan e.dams, +13.897s (6pts)
8. Edoardo Mortara, ROKiT Venturi Racing, +16.367s (4pts)
9. Andre Lotterer, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, +16.893s (2pts)
10. Jean Eric Vergne, DS Techeetah, +20.919s (1pt)
DRIVERS’ STANDINGS (after Rd 7)
1. Antonio Felix Da Costa, 125pts
2. Lucas di Grassi, 57pts
3. Stoffel Vandoorne, 57pts
4. Mitch Evans, 56pts
5. Sam Bird, 52pts
14. Robin Frijns, 22pts
TEAMS’ STANDINGS (after Rd 7)
1. DS Techeetah, 157pts
2. BMW i Andretti Motorsport, 92pts
3. Nissan e.dams, 88pts
4. Mercedes Benz EQ Formula E Team, 87pts
5. Envision Virgin Racing, 74pts