Putrajaya ePrix Ratings: Amlin Andretti

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Over the course of the season, ERN senior editor Laurence Thorn will be rating the performances of all drivers and teams on each ePrix weekend.

This time around, he takes a look at Amlin Andretti and their two drivers, Robin Frijns and Simona de Silvestro, in Putrajaya.

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Amlin Andretti – 8/10
Frijns shows S1 powertrain is still competitive; issues for de Silvestro

After scoring a solitary point in Beijing, Amlin Andretti took a big step forward in Putrajaya, scoring their first podium of the season – and the first podium for an S1 powertrain in Formula E’s second campaign – through Robin Frijns. The Dutchman had qualified 8th, made regular progress up the order, and despite hitting the wall while passing Loic Duval, he managed to drag his damaged car home in third place. Simona de Silvestro, meanwhile, did not have such a successful race day. Down on power in qualifying and suffering from battery issues in the race, she came home in 13th, the last car on the lead lap. However, she did pass reigning champion Nelson Piquet Jr during the race.

Average rating (2 races): 7.5

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Robin Frijns (qualified 8th, finished 3rd) – 8.5/10
Debut podium for rapid rookie

After just two Formula E races, Dutch rookie Robin Frijns has shown once again how quickly he is able to adapt to new series and cars. After winning both the Formula Renault Eurocup and Formula Renault 3.5 titles at the first attempt, and winning a race on his very first GP2 race weekend, Frijns can now add a Formula E podium to his CV. Following his 10th place finish in Beijing, Putrajaya saw him qualify an impressive 8th and start well, passing Jerome d’Ambrosio on the first lap to run in P6 after Stephane Sarrazin had been forced to start from the pits. Frijns then showed excellent battery management, with 7% usable energy still left on lap 18 when many other drivers had already swapped their cars. However he lost seven seconds in the pits, which dropped him behind d’Ambrosio again. However after a pass on an energy-saving Nicolas Prost, Frijns came across the ailing car of Loic Duval two laps later, with the Frenchman nursing broken suspension. Frijns made a brave move, but clipped the wall while doing so and damaged his suspension. However, he somehow brought a heavily crabbing car home in 3rd place, scoring a deserved maiden podium.

Average rating (2 races): 8

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Simona de Silvestro (qualified 18th, finished 13th) – 6/10
Battery issues plague de Silvestro’s weekend

A weekend to forget for de Silvestro, who suffered from battery issues in qualifying and also her first stint – leaving her down on power and in an overheating car. Qualifying 18th and last after having 10kW less power than usual, she was able to get past Oliver Turvey on the opening lap as the Brit struggled with a sticking throttle, and then made a good move on Turvey’s team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr on the 10th lap. Stephane Sarrazin, who had started from the pits, passed her on lap 12, and she pitted five laps later. Losing around four seconds in the pits, she nonetheless had a better feeling in her second car, which did not suffer from the same issues as the first. However she was unable to stop Jacques Villeneuve from getting past. She eventually finished P13, the last car on the lead lap. Mostly a weekend to forget, but the move on Piquet is one to remember.

Average rating (2 races): 6

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Images courtesy of FIA Formula E Media

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