Stoffel Vandoorne has said that HWA Racelab deserved its double points finish in Formula E's Season 5 finale in New York after a difficult and tiring maiden season in the series.
HWA Racelab joined Formula E for Season 5 in preparation for Mercedes' arrival to the series for the impending 2019/20 campaign which will commence later this year.
Using a customer Venturi VFE05 powertrain, the German squad endured a difficult season, failing to register points in the first four races before securing pole position and eighth place in Hong Kong.
Taking a season-best finish of third in Rome, HWA Racelab powered to ninth in the Teams' Standings, racking up 44 points to beat veteran Formula E outfits GEOX Dragon and NIO.
Securing its first double points finish in New York Race 2, HWA ended its sole season in Formula E on a high – a result that Vandoorne deemed as "well deserved" following the team's fast-paced development programme since December's Ad Diriyah season-opener:
"It is really nice to end the season with two points finishes for the team," said Vandoorne. "We deserved that after a tiring season for all of us.
"A few months ago, we started this project from scratch. As such, congratulations to the whole team for the rapid development we have achieved over the course of the season.
"It was tough at times, but it was all about preparing for the future, and that is the most important thing. I am now looking forward to a short break – we have all earned that now."
Gary Paffett, who secured nine of HWA's 44 points, added: "I am very happy with our last race. After a good start, I was able to defend 12th place, despite the issues we had with the temperature.
"The collision at the end allowed me to gain two positions and end the race in the points. It is a fantastic way to end the season."
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