Following a commanding victory at the Punta del Este ePrix, Senior Team Managers for the Renaut e.dams squad, Alain Prost and Jean-Paul Driot, review the team’s performance at Round 3 of the 2015/16 FIA Formula E Championship.
Jean-Paul Driot: Obviously we’re delighted with both Sebastien and Nico’s results from Punta del Este. They both put on stunning performances in the race, and the work from the team was just fantastic.
Alain Prost: Yes, the whole team really pulled together after we encountered a few small problems over the course of the weekend and, of course, following Sebastien’s crash in FP2. The mechanics worked tirelessly to fix the car before the start of the race so we must recognise their efforts.
J-PD: Of course, they did a great job! And both drivers, too. Sebastien drove brilliantly to move from fifth on the grid to first, and hold that position to the end. It can be really difficult to bounce back after something like that happens on a race weekend, particularly at Formula E because there is so little time between each session.
AP: This championship is quite unique in its set-up. I think the experience of the entire team really came into play in this race, as they were able to turn the situation around so quickly. Both Sebastien and Nico’s results push us back into the top spot in the Teams’ and Drivers’ standings, which is a great position to be in going into the Christmas break.
J-PD: I really think that’s going to boost the team’s morale going into the New Year, and then Buenos Aires in February. Clearly we will still be working hard to keep on improving where we can over the next month or so. As a team, we put a lot of time and energy into preparation so that, if and when we encounter problems, we can react quickly and professionally.
AP: We certainly have a good car, and we made some good choices in Uruguay, but I think it’s clear that it doesn’t always come easy! A failure for Nico in Beijing, as well as the issues we encountered in Putrajaya proves that we still have work to do and cannot get complacent. It’s also so important that there is competition within the championship; there should be two or three teams fighting at the top. Our win in Punta del Este puts us in front, but only just, so continuing that momentum over the course of the season is going to be a big challenge.