Envision Virgin Racing Team Director Sylvain Filippi has said that the British outfit’s double DNF in Diriyah is a difficult pill to swallow.
The Envision Virgin team showcased strong pace in the first race of the season, with Sam Bird flying to victory while Robin Frijns secured fifth at the chequered flag after starting from 12th.
Looking to build upon this form in the second E-Prix of the weekend, Race 2 unravelled for the Richard Branson-backed team, with Bird crashing out of the race following contact with Mitch Evans and Pascal Wehrlein
Frijns meanwhile lost control of his car after getting offline on the Riyadh Street Circuit, crashing his car due to a lack of grip.
“After such a strong day [in Race 1], a double DNF is a difficult pill to swallow,” said Filippi.
“Sam’s shown incredible pace throughout this weekend and it’s such a shame that he was taken out of the race as he looked set to take a podium finish.
“Robin has shown his overtaking skills once again and simply lost the back on a notoriously dirty track off-line.
“The team is coming out of the weekend with a large points haul still, and we’ll now be looking forward to round three.”
Despite recording its first double DNF since the 2017 Monaco E-Prix, the team currently holds second in the Teams’ Championship with 36 points – two points behind leaders Mercedes EQ.
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