LONDON EPRIX RACE REPORT – ROUND 10

The FIA Formula E Championship concluded Season 2 in London, England. The Andretti Formula E Team received a rough send off from the London ePrix. Drivers Robin Frijns and Simona de Silvestro both retired early from the race at Battersea Park. Simona de Silvestro ended her race early due to a mechanical issue with the No. 28 MS Amlin car. The issue left her stranded on track and without the time to switch cars and fight for a finish. Two laps later Frijns and Loic Duval made contact, with the racing incident pushing Frijns into a wall he too was stopped on track. The incident caused too much damage for the No. 27 MS Amlin car to carry on. 

With season 2 now complete, The Andretti Formula E Team heads into a busy off season. The team will continue advancing the technology in its new 2016/2017 powertrain. The new car will be debuted in Round 1 of Season 3 which takes place in Hong Kong, China on October 9, 2016.

Roger Griffith, Co-Team Principal of Andretti Formula E Team

“It’s obviously extremely disappointing to end the season with a double retirement for the team,” Griffiths said. “One appears to be a mechanical issue with the car. It’s not a problem we’ve ever seen before but one that will be council measured for next season. Secondly, even more frustrating, is to be taken out but unnecessary contact two races in a row. Very optimistic attempt at an over taking maneuver in a place that doesn’t invite overtaking, especially that early on in the race. It really ruined what was shaping up to be a good race for Robin. He’d driven a smart race and was intelligent with his energy management; he was actually the best in the field at that particular time. We were waiting for our strategy to take hold, and potentially with the way things turned out there could have been a third or a fourth place finish. 

“It’s really frustrating to finish the season this way, we like to finish on a high. But we will take the good results that we’ve had through the course of this season. We’re very excited about what we’ve got building with our new powertrain which to date has proven to be not only reliable but also has significantly advanced our performance. Season 3 starts tomorrow really, for now we take stock over what has happened this weekend. We’re excited to continue with Robin, we’re still working on our second driver. We’ll be on track this week doing more testing with our Season 3 powertrain.”

Robin Frijns, No. 27 Amlin Andretti Spark-Renault SRT_01E

• Qualified and started the final race of the season 16th overall. 
• Did not finish the race after a racing incident with Loic Duval of Dragon Racing.

“This season went well and we tried to finish decent but it didn’t happen,” Frijns said. “I was crashed out of the race twice, once by Abt and once by Duval. Both times we were in the position to score quite a lot of points again. It’s sad to end a good year like this, but we’ll see what happens next year. Thanks to MS Amlin, TE and Andretti.” 

Simona de Silvestro, No. 28 Amlin Andretti Spark-Renault SRT_01E

• Qualified and started 17th in the season finale.  
• Did not finish the race after a mechanical issue with the No. 27 left her stranded on track.

“Our end just kind of summed up this season,” de Silvestro said. “We struggled a little bit, finishing like that was really frustrating but it is what it is. Having a gear box issue was a bit annoying. We haven’t had many failures this year, the boys did a great job on that. It’s a bit unfortunate that we’re here in London with two shots and didn’t end up with anything. I’m a bit annoyed, but on to different things. Also, thank you to MS Amlin and TE Connectivity for their support of the team all year and Julius Bär as well.”

The FIA Formula E Championship and Andretti Formula E Team will have plenty of news to follow this off season, stay tuned to Amlin-AndrettiFE.com for updates and go behind the scenes with team via Twitter @AmlinAndrettiFE.

About MS Amlin:  

MS Amlin delivers continuity by insuring commercial enterprises and protecting other insurers around the world. We build lasting client relationships, together in strength as part of the global top-10 insurance group MS&AD. We are experts in underwriting and claims, focused on Property & Casualty, Marine & Aviation and Reinsurance, with operations in the Lloyd’s, UK, Continental European and Bermudian markets. To learn more visit: msamlin.com