Susie Wolff has said that races such as the Santiago E-Prix only add to ROKiT Venturi Racing’s motivation for future races in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.
In Santiago, the Monegasque Venturi squad showcased promising pace, with Felipe Massa progressing to Super Pole for the fourth time in his career while Edoardo Mortara secured seventh in qualifying – briefly holding the fastest lap at the close of Group 2 despite losing time behind Robin Frijns.
Following a strong start, both Mortara and Massa ran in fourth and fifth, with the prior driver briefly holding a place on the podium after overtaking eventual race winner Maximilian Guenther early on.
A hit from DS Techeetah’s Antonio Felix da Costa ultimately brought Mortara’s race to an early end, 11 laps from the end while Massa continued to run in seventh in an intense midfield scrap.
In the closing minutes of the E-Prix, Massa was tipped into a spin by Audi’s Daniel Abt, with this dropping the Brazilian outside of the top 10 although post-race penalties saw the former F1 ace ascend to ninth.
“Santiago will go down as a race of what could have been,” said Wolff, Team Principal of ROKiT Venturi Racing following a challenging race.
“A number of incidents on track compounded what was a tricky race for us – but we can take many positives away from the weekend.
“Our pace in qualifying was strong, with Felipe securing his place in Super Pole while Edo was only a fraction shy of the top six – despite an eventful opening to his lap.
“Both drivers continue to provide good feedback on our Season 6 package and we’re definitely heading in the right direction. Results like this only add to our motivation and, with some work on our race pace, I’m confident we can perform well in Mexico City.”
For Season 6, in collaboration with Mercedes EQ, Venturi is using a powertrain designed by the German marque and has shown promise in the first three races, taking points away from each E-Prix – one of four teams to achieve this.
