Putrajaya ePrix Ratings: NEXTEV TCR

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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 NEXTEV TCR and their two drivers, Nelson Piquet Jr and Oliver Turvey, in Putrajaya.

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NEXTEV TCR – 6.5/10
Points salvaged once again after qualifying disappointment

In Beijing, it was Oliver Turvey who mixed strategy and luck together in order to score unlikely points – and team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr repeated the feat in Putrajaya for the NEXTEV TCR squad. The reigning champion ensured that the Chinese outfit did not leave the Asian continent without points on the board, but it was once again a trying race day for the team. A lack of pace, and poor reliability once again hampered the squad in Malaysia, with Piquet qualifying in P16 and Oliver Turvey one place behind. Turvey then suffered a sticking throttle, which caused him to lose places early in the race and then retire in the barriers soon after. Piquet was able to expertly manage his battery, impressively stretching his first stint to 20 laps, before taking advantage of issues suffered by other drivers in the second stint in order to rise up to P9.

Average Rating (2 races): 6.5

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Nelson Piquet Jr (qualified 16th, finished 9th) – 7/10
Excellent battery management leads to first points of title defence

Following on from a nightmare race day in Beijing, in which the reigning champion qualified last and finished two laps off the lead, Nelson Piquet Jr would have been forgiven for thinking things would be no better in Putrajaya after qualifying. He could only manage P16 on the grid, ahead of team-mate Oliver Turvey and a down-on-power Simona de Silvestro, in his NEXTEV machine. The first stint would not be much better, as de Silvestro and Stephane Sarrazin (who had started from the pit lane) both passed him. Where he was able to turn the race around was with his battery management – he was already known as one of the best at this skill last season, and in both of the races this season has continued to show his talent at driving efficiently. He did not make his car swap until lap 20, two full laps later than anyone else, and this benefitted him in the late stages as he was able to rise to P9 by the end of the race, passing Nick Heidfeld on the final lap to cement his place in the points.

Average Rating (2 races): 6.25

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Oliver Turvey (qualified 17th, DNF) – 5.5/10
Stuck throttle leads to early retirement

Oliver Turvey made a blistering start to his Formula E career, scoring points in each of his first three races in the category for NEXTEV TCR. And while his two ninth places in London to end last season were impressive, his P6 in Beijing was the pick of the bunch, as he managed to rise up the field despite a car down on pace. In Putrajaya, however, his run would come to an end. Qualifying saw Turvey only manage P17, with team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr directly ahead in P16 to demonstrate how far off the pace NEXTEV are over a single lap. And while his team-mate was able to make his way up the field during the race, Turvey never got the chance – throttle issues on the first lap led to him losing places, while the throttle stuck open just a few laps later which saw Turvey end his race in the barriers. His pace in practice was good, setting the 11th quickest time, so it is a shame he was not given the chance to have a successful race day.

Average Rating (2 races): 6.5

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Images courtesy of FIA Formula E Media

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