HWA RACELAB out to build on Hong Kong success in Sanya

HWA RACELAB heads to round six of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship with its first points in the bag. The team goes into this Saturday's race, in the Chinese city of Sanya, full of a new-found confidence.

  • Quotes from Gary Paffett and Stoffel Vandoorne ahead of the race in Sanya
  • Ulrich Fritz: "I feel we are capable of springing a surprise or two."
  • Facts and schedule for the E-Prix in Sanya

Affalterbach, 20th March 2019 – Little by little, HWA RACELAB is growing into its first season in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. Pole position for Stoffel Vandoorne and the team's first points at the race in Hong Kong are clear signs of the continuous improvement, which the team is hungry to continue at the FWD Sanya E-Prix on Saturday (23rd March).

In a rainy Hong Kong, the team from Affalterbach demonstrated how quickly it was able to adapt to tricky weather and track conditions. Drivers Stoffel Vandoorne and Gary Paffett showed in qualifying that they are capable at any time of producing a perfect lap and securing a good grid position for the race. Should they now manage to match the pace of the front-runners in the race, there is every chance that HWA RACELAB will add to its point tally in the Team competition.

China is hosting a Formula E race again for the first time since the 2015 E-Prix in Beijing. The circuit, located on the southern tip of the popular tourist island of Hainan, runs 2.3 kilometres along the shores of the South China Sea. The varied track requires the drivers to cross a bridge over the Sanya River and to master eleven corners in total, including a tricky hairpin.

Gary Paffett (37, England)
"We enjoyed some success in Hong Kong, which we can back up now. We exceeded all our expectations in qualifying on a wet track. Fourth place on the grid for me, pole position for Stoffel. That was fantastic for the whole team. It was the highlight of the season so far. The race was not quite as successful, but I did finish eighth to score my first points. Together with Stoffel's points, they were the first for our team. That is something we can really build on. We want to finish in the points again in China. The circuit in Sanya is new to everyone. That improves our chances, as none of the other teams have more experience of the track than we do. I hope we continue to make progress and close in on the front of the field."

Stoffel Vandoorne (26, Belgium)
"I have never been to Sanya, but the location in a holiday resort seems to be very nice. This is the first time a Formula E race has been held there, so the circuit is new to everyone. It is a circuit with several long straights, which could complicate energy management. We have shown that our qualifying performance is very good, particularly with the pole position in Hong Kong. I hope we can continue that trend, but there can be no guarantee. Our focus in Sanya is on improving our race performance and having a trouble-free weekend. Then we'll see what we can achieve."

Ulrich Fritz, Team Principal HWA RACELAB
"We took a big step forward in Hong Kong. The pole position was fantastic and to score points in the race gave the whole team a big boost. It is obviously a shame that Stoffel was unable to finish the race, due to a technical issue, but the positives far outweigh that disappointment. For Sanya, we are working on improving the reliability of the cars. It would be nice to have a weekend without any technical issues. Should that be the case, I definitely feel we are capable of springing a surprise or two."

Facts on the FWD Sanya E-Prix
Circuit:                       Sanya Seafront
Length:                      2.3 km
Corners:                    11
Race distance:          45 minutes + 1 lap

Schedule for 23rd March 2019
Free practice 1:         00:30 - 01:15 (CET)
Free practice 2:         02:35 - 03:05 (CET)
Qualifying:                  04:20 - 04:56 (CET)
Super Pole:                05:05 - 05:25 (CET)
Race:                         08:00 (CET)
Podium ceremony:    09:00 (CET)

 

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. Furthermore, HWA RACELAB will race in the new, international FIA Formula 3 championship in 2019. 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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