Formula E rookie Stoffel Vandoorne believes that the new Parque O'Higgins circuit, site of this weekend's Santiago E-Prix, will play into the advantage of HWA Racelab, with all 11 teams on the 2018/19 grid starting from scratch at the event.
The Santiago E-Prix made its debut on the Formula E calendar in 2018, with the all-electric single seater series racing on the Santiago Street Circuit where Jean-Eric Vergne and Andre Lotterer secured a 1-2 finish for the formerly independent DS Techeetah squad.
For 2019, the race sees a relocation, with drivers twisting along 2.4kms of Tarmac and concrete through the Parque O'Higgins – the Chilean capital's second largest park, with the track sharing similar characteristics to the Flughafen Tempelhof Circuit – venue of the Berlin E-Prix.
After two races in Season Five, HWA Racelab currently sits in last place in the Teams' Championship, holding one classified finish after a difficult debut in Formula E, with Gary Paffett and Stoffel Vandoorne most recently failing to see the chequered flag after colliding with one another in Marrakesh.
With Vandoorne's running in Ad Diriyah and Marrakesh disrupted by limited running and reliability problems in his customer Venturi VFE05, the Belgian heads to Santiago with optimism due to Formula E visiting a new circuit this weekend:
"This is a new country for me," said Vandoorne. "I have never been to Chile before, but I've heard a lot of positive things about it.
"I will have a bit of time to take a look around, which will be cool. I watched last year's race on television, and it was pretty crazy. However, this year's circuit is new.
"It is hard to say how it will pan out, as it is new to everyone. That is definitely a positive thing for us, as it means that everyone will be starting the weekend from scratch.
"I am looking forward to the race. The first two races were difficult for us as a team. We did not get many kilometres under our belt. I really hope the weekend runs smoothly for us this time."
Reigning DTM champion Paffett, who has not yet seen the chequered flag this season, expressed his need to understand his customer Venturi car further, hoping to make the best of what is a learning year for HWA:
"After two really tough weekends, the goal for Chile is to improve," said Paffett. "For the team, that means improving the car. For me personally, that means improving my driving and learning more about the Formula E car.
"We have to make it through to the end of the race and learn as much as possible. We are still learning and have to make the best of this situation."
Ulrich Fritz, Team Principal of HWA Racelab, added: "Unfortunately, our outings so far in Formula E have not gone as we would have hoped.
"It was obviously good to have another test after the race in Marrakesh, which allowed us to deal with some of the technical problems that occurred on the Saturday.
"I hope we have found a solution. That is basically what this year is all about: uncovering problems and finding solutions.
"Our goal for Chile is to do as much driving as possible and to finish the race with both cars."
The Santiago E-Prix will take place on Janaury 26.
