Ma: “Quite different to any racing car on the planet”

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Following the Paris ePrix, ERN senior editor Bethonie Waring caught up with Team Aguri rookie Ma Qing Hua. The Chinese racer impressed in the early stages of the race, before a slow pit-stop and a crash cost him a strong result.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_toggle title=”Your first Formula E race, how did it go for you?” style=”text_only” color=”green” open=”true” css_animation=”appear” el_id=”1457462462183-ad45c2b2-e9be”]

“Yeah, not a bad day. I improved every session, getting on the pace quite well. In the quali, I think the first two sectors were good, the pace was quite good, but I did a mistake in sector three, but it’s my first quali so it’s not bad.

“In the race, in the first stint, it was quite consistent and everything was on the plan. We just did what we were planning to do. In stint two, we changed the car. There was a little issue on the car and I didn’t get out the pits very quick.

“In the last corner, when I crashed, I don’t know what the reason was. I guess, in the last sector in the old tarmac, which has some grooves, maybe I hit one of the very big ones so I upset the car.

“That’s a bit of a shame but that’s racing.”

[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”Coming in to the race so late, do you think it was difficult to get up to date with the car before you got into it for the first time?” style=”text_only” color=”green” open=”true” css_animation=”appear” el_id=”1457462462432-953e496d-e0ae”]

“Yeah. This is a difficult race and a difficult car to be ready quick because it’s quite different to any racing car on the planet. It’s a completely new experience. But especially here. The Paris track is quite a difficult track. So far, it’s the most difficult one. Today the conditions didn’t help because it’s very cold, with our tyres not warmed up, so it was a big struggle on the out lap, I think for everyone. But, with my experience with this car, I think there’s a lot of things I need to learn. But today I learned a lot of things from the first session to the end of the race. I know a lot from the team and I think we’re on a good way to improve.”

[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”How does it compare to your expectations of Formula E?” style=”text_only” color=”green” open=”true” css_animation=”appear” el_id=”1457462462612-90635bfd-853c”]

“I think it’s better than what we expected. Because my engineer, everyone was telling me there’s no chance for any rookie driver in this championship to perform well because it’s so difficult and especially for this Paris track. But today, I think we performed well. Me and my engineer are working really hard to get the right plan and to get the right things and to learn as fast as possible. They try to help me to understand everything well so it was good.”

[/vc_toggle][vc_column_text]

Bethonie Waring | e-racing.net

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]

Image courtesy of Rajan Jangda

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]