Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler team boss Allan McNish has said that the German marque is focussed on securing a "perfect day" at this weekend's Paris E-Prix.
As Formula E heads to Paris for the eighth round of the 2018/19 campaign, the series has seen seven different winners from seven teams in the first seven races this season, with this marking the series' most unpredictable year of competition to date.
While it is Mahindra Racing's Jerome d'Ambrosio who currently leads the Drivers' Championship, only 11 points cover the top eight in the standings, with Lucas di Grassi sitting seven points adrift of the Belgian while Daniel Abt completes the top 10, 21 points off the trail.
As a successful Formula E race weekend requires peak performance in most sessions, the series is a battle of margins and as such, McNish emphasised the importance of having a "perfect day" – something that his Audi team is searching for in Paris, aiming to take command of the championship:
“This season, we’ve seen that our race car and team have the performance to be at the very front of the field – scoring our 1,000th point in Formula E at the last race in Rome," he said.
"However, with its extremely high level and competitive racing, Formula E doesn’t forgive even the smallest of mistakes.
“Seven winners in seven races, the top six in the drivers’ championship are covered by ten points, the exact difference between finishing first and third on Saturday: We are right there in contention, but you need a perfect day in order to win in Formula E.
"We are all focusing on making that perfect day happen in Paris.”
For Season Three champion di Grassi, the Brazilian highlighted qualifying as a crucial session for the coming weekend, and despite his Group One position in the session set his sights on Super Pole:
“The championship is becoming increasingly tough: anyone can be on pole and anyone can win the race – Paris will be no exception,” said di Grassi.
"So, we also need to work hard to stay in the game. As always, qualifying will play a crucial part.
"I’ll be in the first group again which, no doubt, is not an advantage – but even from there, it’s possible to make it into Super Pole and that’s exactly what our main goal has to be so that we’ll have an optimal starting position in the race.”
Abt, who missed out on a top 10 finish for the first time this season in Rome, added: “That was chalked up as experience on the Monday after the race. You have days like these in Formula E; sometimes it’s simply not in your hands.
“We know that we’ve got what it takes and just need to do better in Paris. The racing is very close and everything is still open in the championship. For me, this race is one of the highlights: a stunning location in the heart of the city. That’s exactly what makes Formula E so special.”
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