Nelson Piquet Jr. is happy for NEXTEV TCR to try out some aggressive strategies in the remaining races of the second FIA Formula E season as he looks to bounce back from a tough start to the campaign.
Piquet won the inaugural Formula E title in London last June, but difficulties with the season two powertrain produced by NEXTEV TCR has left his championship defence in tatters after just four races.
The Brazilian driver has scored just four points so far this season and finished 12th last time out in Buenos Aires, but is hoping to make the best of a bad situation as the championship heads to Mexico next weekend.
"This year has been difficult so far. Because the design of our car is now frozen due to Formula E rules and regulations, we’re going to have to optimise everything we can on the car to try to maximize our results," Piquet said.
"We’re learning as much as we can about the car and working on all the different areas we can. But the worst thing we could do is say ‘we don’t have a good enough package, let’s sit still, cross our arms and do nothing’. This is a development battle and we have to keep optimizing every area we can."
Much of Piquet's championship success in season one came by rolling the dice with strategy, often staying out longer than his rivals before pitting, and he feels that a similarly aggressive approach is best for NEXTEV TCR this year.
"We were undoubtedly the best at saving energy in season one," Piquet said. "It’s harder to do that this season because our car is much heavier, but we’re going to be running some truly aggressive strategies to get the best results we can."
The Mexico City ePrix takes place on March 12.
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