Envision Virgin Racing's Robin Frijns believes that high ambient temperatures at this weekend's New York City E-Prix will make the race more challenging.
The double-header race in the Big Apple marks the final weekend of racing in Formula E's fifth season of competition, with Frijns standing as one of eight drivers who can still mathematically win the Drivers' Championship.
Earlier in the season, Formula E raced in its hottest conditions to date with temperatures in January's Santiago E-Prix reaching 37°C, with higher temperatures resulting in increased battery and tyre management throughout the 45-minute + 1 lap race.
While temperatures are unlikely to match those in Santiago this weekend, with expected highs of 32°C on Saturday and Sunday, Frijns placed emphasis on the challenges that the temperature could pose on each day:
"High ambient and track temperatures could make things even more interesting for us drivers so it’s going to be a challenging event for sure," said the 27-year-old Dutchman.
"Every race this season has shown how close everything is between teams and drivers so we know every little detail will count.
"I’m really looking forward to this weekend, especially after the disappointment of the race in Bern last time out. All the prep has been completed and we know what needs to be done, so we just want to get out there and give it all we’ve got and cap off a great first season with the team."
Frijns' team-mate Sam Bird heads to New York with fond memories from the past after winning both races of 2017's double-header and as such, heads to the city with confidence:
"The season finale is understandably a big occasion with a lot at stake, so we’ve worked really hard with the engineering team to ensure we’re fully prepared," added Bird.
"We’ve put a lot of laps in at the simulator too and, compared to last season, the circuit is virtually the same aside from the odd tweak here and there.
"I’ve obviously got an impressive record at this track so hopefully we can get two good results and score as many points for the team as possible.
"Of course, it would be nice to replicate what we did in 2017 but we’ll just have to see!”
The New York City E-Prix will take place on July 13 and 14.
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