Techeetah Formula E's Andre Lotterer left Switzerland frustrated and disappointed after a drive-through penalty hampered his chances of taking a podium and a potential win at the Zurich E-Prix.
In Zurich, Lotterer qualified in second place while Jaguar Racing's Mitch Evans claimed pole position with 0.137s separating the pair.
In the race, Lotterer maintained second from Evans before dropping down to third place on lap 16 after being overtaken by Lucas di Grassi.
A drive-through penalty for speeding under a full course yellow hurt the German driver's race further, with the penalty dropping him to fourth – the position he took the chequered flag in on lap 39, taking 13 points away from a weekend in which Lotterer believed victory was possible.
"[It's] very disappointing, it's not a big crime I think I'm sure that all of the cars that had this penalty didn't really benefit in any sense to influence the race and it's just something that ruined my day, completely," Lotterer told Motorsport Week.
"I hit 57 [km/h], I don't know when, going in or going out of the full course yellow. It's really disappointing because I think we had a really good car.
"The first stint was not the best, it was ok, Lucas [di Grassi] passed me but then in the second stint my car was really really fast and I'm sure we could have challenged Lucas because I had fastest lap, the car was really really good, it was managing the energy well but…
"Fantastic to race here, I think it's a great venue, great place, just too many penalties… Easy to get in this championship."
Looking ahead to the season-closing New York City E-Prix next month, Lotterer, who will contest Le Mans this weekend, believes that a maiden Formula E win could be on the cards:
"[New York] is a new track to learn for me, obviously the simulator helps, we also have the data from last year so we'll learn that fast and get a win," he concluded.
By finishing in fourth place in Zurich, Lotterer has been promoted to eighth in the Drivers' Championship with two races remaining of Season Four, overtaking Nelson Piquet Jr and Oliver Turvey in the standings.
Discussion about this post