HWA RACELAB in the points again at its home E-Prix in Berlin

HWA RACELAB finished in the points for the fourth Formula E race in a row in Berlin. Stoffel Vandoorne claimed a top-ten finish at the German team's home E-Prix. The Belgian, who has emerged as a real crowd favourite (10x Fanboost in 10 races), came home fifth in excellent weather and track conditions. His team-mate Gary Paffett was 16th. Race ten of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship followed a strong start to the weekend from HWA RACELAB, with both Venturi VFE05 qualifying for the Super Pole session.

 

  • 5th place for Stoffel Vandoorne, 16th for Gary Paffett
  • Stoffel Vandoorne: "I am happy to have scored points for the team again."
  • Gary Paffett: "I was unlucky at the start of the race, and then lacked pace."
  • Ulrich Fritz: "We have very mixed feelings today, as far as the result is concerned."

Berlin, 25th May 2019 – HWA RACELAB enjoyed the perfect start to the day in qualifying on Saturday morning. Stoffel Vandoorne set the fastest time of the third qualifying group at the former Berlin-Tempelhof Airport. Gary Paffett followed this with the fourth-fastest time shortly afterwards. This meant that both HWA RACELAB drivers qualified for the Super Pole session for the first time since Hong Kong. In the shootout between the top six drivers, Stoffel secured second place on the grid and Gary fourth. The starting positions on the first and second row of the grid meant the two HWA RACELAB drivers were excellently placed going into the race.

Both Vandoorne and Paffett were initially able to hold their ground at the start of the race. Vandoorne did drop one place, but successfully defended third place with a number of lovely manoeuvres. Even in the eventful phase of the race, when the teams started to activate their first Attack Modes, the Belgian remained on course for a podium finish. However, Stoffel came under greater pressure in the second half of the race, and could do nothing to prevent two rivals from passing him. After 37 laps of the 2.375-kilometre circuit, he eventually crossed the finish line in fifth place.

Paffett, who started from fourth on the grid, was unlucky in the early stages of the race. The Brit made contact with the crash barrier during a tight battle for position. He was consequently unable to match the pace at the front of the field in his damaged car and dropped back down the standings. By the midway point of the race, the DTM champion had already dropped out of the top ten, and he was to lose more places before the finish.

Quotes on the race  

Stoffel Vandoorne (27, Belgium, car number 5), 5th place
"All in all, it was a positive race for me. When you start from P2, you obviously have your sights set on a podium. With that in mind, I am a little disappointed. In the past, our race pace has always been a little slower than the others - when you take that into consideration, fifth place today was a good result. I am happy to have scored points for the team again. We have once again learned a lot here in Berlin."

Gary Paffett (38, England, car number 17), 16th place
"That was a disappointing race for me. After all, I started from P4. The start was really good, but I then hit the wall while trying to avoid another car. I immediately lost a few positions there. After that, for whatever reason, I lacked pace for the rest of the race. Furthermore, I struggled a lot with the balance of the car."

Ulrich Fritz, Team Principal HWA RACELAB
"We have very mixed results today, as far as the result is concerned. Stoffel fought hard and ultimately finished fifth - which Is a really good result. Gary had a few issues with the car, after he was forced Into the wall early on. We must look into that, as he simply did not have any pace any more after that incident and was unable to go with the others. It is a shame, as he deserved to finish in the points after an impressive qualifying. I'd like to say a big thank you to the team. They did a good job at their home race in Berlin.

Preview
The next round of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship is the Julius Bär Swiss E-Prix on 22nd June in Bern.

 

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