HWA RACELAB in Santiago out of luck again

HWA RACELAB driver Stoffel Vandoorne was unable to capitalise on a strong qualifying performance in round three of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in Santiago, Chile. He damaged his car in the race and was forced to retire from the E-Prix. As such, the new team failed to complete its goal of completing the full race distance with both cars for the first time.

  • 14th place for Gary Paffett, retirement for Stoffel Vandoorne
  • Gary Paffett: "We completed the full race and gained more experience."
  • Stoffel Vandoorne: "It is a great shame, as we were in a position to score points today."
  • Ulrich Fritz: "We witnessed both highs and lows today."

Santiago de Chile, 26th January 2019 – Stoffel Vandoorne was well placed going into the Antofagasta Minerals Santiago E-Prix. In qualifying, he benefitted from the fact that the 2.4-km circuit in Parque O'Higgins was becoming faster all the time, and progressed to the Super Pole - the shoot-out for the first six places on the grid - for the first time.

And so, the Belgian started the race from fifth place. He did a great job of defending his position over the first few laps. In scorching heat, with the temperature outside the car soaring as high as 37 degrees Celsius, the 26-year-old was among the front-runners until the middle of the race. Running in sixth place, he skidded into the crash barriers in a corner and was ultimately forced to retire his damaged VFE 05 from the race.

Team-mate Gary Paffett, who started the race from 16th on the grid, finished 14th after suffering intermittent technical issues. In doing so, the British DTM champion completed a full Formula E race for the first time.

Quotes after the race  

Gary Paffett (37, England, car number 17), 14th place
"It was a very tough race. At the start, we were able to match the pace of the others, but we then had to change our strategy due to the high temperatures. In the end, we were able to return to the standard settings and the pace was good again. We have to learn from situations like this, in order to keep the energy consistent in high temperatures. On the positive side, however, we did complete the full race and gained more experience.

Stoffel Vandoorne (26, Belgium, car number 5), DNF
"That was a frustrating race for me. We were fifth at the start and had decent pace, but it was not easy to stay with the leading group – with that in mind, we still have a bit of work ahead of us. After the safety car phase, I was a little too wide in turn three and ended up in the wall. Unfortunately, that was it for me. I am cross with myself for making that mistake. It is a great shame, as we were in a position to score points today."

Ulrich Fritz, Team Principal HWA RACELAB
"We experienced both highs and lows today. P5 for Stoffel in qualifying was a great result. However, the race was disappointing again. It was all looking good at first and Stoffel was able to establish himself in the top six. Unfortunately, he then had a crash and his race was over. With regard to Gary, I would say that he did his job and finished the race. That was our main goal for today, as every kilometre of racing means useful information for the future for us."

Preview

The next round of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship is the Mexico City E-Prix on 16th February 2019.

About HWA AG
HWA AG is an independent, 360° engineering specialist in the fields of automobile racing and high-performance cars. Formed in 1998 by Hans Werner Aufrecht, the company is based in Affalterbach (Germany) and employs roughly 300 highly-qualified members of staff. HWA AG offers all its products and services under the motto ENGINEERING SPEED: The company’s objective is to develop the best possible, high-quality solutions, in order to get its partners and customers to their destination quicker. The portfolio of services ranges from designing all vehicle components to assembling complete cars, together with the relevant logistics, after-sales and support services.
 
About HWA RACELAB
HWA RACELAB is HWA AG’s operations team in motorsport. It brings together experienced specialists in high-quality race engineering and the associated services, in pursuit of success on the motorsport scene. HWA RACELAB will enter Formula E as a new team in the 2018/19 season, adding a future-oriented string to HWA’s wealth of racetrack expertise. With eleven Drivers’ titles and over 180 race wins as a works team for Mercedes-AMG in the DTM, the company is one of the most successful players in international motorsport. HWA RACELAB also draws on the company’s other core areas of expertise, such as the development, assembly and running of GT cars for customer racing, as well as the assembly of Formula 3 race engines.

 

Oliver Kapffenstein
Motorsport Communications, Formula E

tel:       +49 (0) 711 17 57 00 4
mob:    +49 (0) 160 8 67 47 97
email:   o.kapffenstein@hwaag-partner.com

Marlene Wieland
Motorsport Communications, Formula E

tel:       +49 (0) 711 17 51 80 3
mob:    +49 (0) 160 8 62 80 80
email:   m.wieland@hwaag-partner.com

 

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