Formula E newcomer Felipe Massa believes that his performance at the inaugural Ad Diriyah E-Prix allowed him to showcase his potential in the all-electric single seater series.
Massa, 37, experienced a difficult debut weekend in the championship in his first competitive outing for Venturi, starting in 11th place, however, finishing down in 17th.
From the sixth row of the grid, Massa was able to fight through the field, overtaking Daniel Abt on the opening lap before clearing fellow rookies Stoffel Vandoorne and Alexander Sims later in the race, running as high as eighth position.
Being one of a number of drivers to be penalised in the race, Massa was handed a drive-through penalty for exceeding power usage under regeneration which relegated the Brazilian driver to 16th in the field, removing him from contention for a points finish.
Overtaking Sims once more using his final Attack Mode, Massa took the chequered flag in 15th before being handed a 30-second time penalty for using his FanBoost too early which left the driver in 17th place.
“I felt very good for my first ever Formula E race," said Massa. "I’m happy with the strategy we adopted and pleased to have taken my overtaking opportunities.
"I used Attack Mode at the right times, had good pace and managed my energy well until the penalty.
"Overall, I really enjoyed driving the car and think I’ve showed my potential in Formula E.
"This weekend’s experience will serve us well for the next race. I’m eager to fight and get good results for the team.
"There are some great moments of racing ahead for us. I’m already looking forward to the next race in Marrakesh,” he added.
For Massa's Venturi team-mate Edoardo Mortara it was a particularly tough weekend, with the Swiss driver suffering from braking issues which saw him clatter the barriers – once in practice and on the opening lap of the race in Turn 1:
“Bad luck followed me around all day," he said. "I did the best I could with the brake issues.
"We’ll work hard over the next few weeks to resolve our challenges from today. One big positive is our speed in cornering.
"I could see that I was a lot quicker than the cars around me. Once we’ve sorted out our difficulties, I think we’ll be capable of challenging at the top of the table.”
The second race of the 2018/19 Formula E season will take place on January 12 as the championship heads to Morocco for the Marrakesh E-Prix.
