On the road to London: Loïc Duval
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After a very good job in season 1, achieving important points to position the team 2nd overall, Frenchman Loïc Duval was kept on by Dragon Racing, aiming to achieve even more in S2 – with what seemed the strongest lineup in the grid.
However, alongside team-mate Jérôme d’Ambrosio, Duval has experienced a mixed bag of a season. Dragon has often shown front running pace, but hasn’t achieved the results they deserved and currently lie fourth in the teams’ standings. Duval himself is P8 in the drivers’ championship.
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After joining the American squad in Miami last year, Beijing was Loïc’s first season-opening race. An untroubled race for Duval, allowed him to achieve a 4th place finish, after starting the race on the 8th place of the grid. Loïc started the season on the right foot, and gave the team 12 important points, to position it 2nd in the first round.
Malaysia was a race to forget for both Dragon racers. He made it to Super Pole and got a 3rd place on the grid. Duval also led the race for some laps and was likely to achieve his first S2 podium, when suspension problems hit the car and didn’t allow him to finish the race in a good position, losing his 4th place on the Drivers’ Standings. In the Teams’ Standings, Dragon Racing was now fifth, due to bad results for both its drivers in Putrajaya.
Formula E moved up to South America, and brought Dragon hope again. There was a 1-2 in qualifying, and lots of hope this could finally be their time. Duval was second on the grid at the start of the race, but lost some positions during the course of it, dropping to fourth, still getting 12 valuable points that, in addition to D’Ambrosio’s 18, put Dragon Racing 3rd on the standings. Loïc himself was back on the Top 5, with a total of 24 points.
Buenos Aires did not start well for the French driver. He crashed during Friday’s shakedown and the team had to repair the car as soon as possible in order to get a decent result in qualifying. All in all, Loïc managed to finish 6th on Argentinian soil, now 4th on the standings, and still defending the team’s third place.
Mexico was a good race for both Dragon drivers. Loïc Duval got a 4th place finish again, achieving important points, not only for him, but also, for the team. This was probably Dragon Racing’s best weekend, as Jerome D’Ambrosio won the race, after Di Grassi’s disqualification; and the climbed second on the standings. However, the Frenchman dropped to 5th on the Drivers Standings, 12 points behind his teammate.
Long Beach was the team’s home race, and all the hopes were put in both drivers to have a good weekend. Despite earning some points, the race was rather disappointing for the team, as they dropped to third in the Teams’ Standings; and Duval dropped out of the Top 5 in the Drivers’ Standings. In total, he achieved 4 points in California.
Duval was hoping for a good result, now that Formula E was racing in his home country. However, the race in the French capital wasn’t good at all for Loïc. He started the race from the 16th position on the grid, and couldn’t finish, having to retire on the fourth lap. He was the only Frenchman who couldn’t finish the race.
Back in Berlin with Formula E, Duval got a 9th place start on the grid in the qualifying session; but the misfortunes from the past race were still with him. After an accident on lap 39, Loïc had to retire, not scoring any points, and is now far from the Top 5. His team had also dropped to fourth in the Teams’ Standings.
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Loïc’s first Formula E podium came in London, and he has had good performances in this track. This could be a benefit for him when it comes to the last two rounds of S2. If he gets a podium – and why not a win? – he could be able to forget the past two European races that were full of bad luck for him. The team will surely trust last year’s results and will give all they can to allow him have a brilliant performance.
Andrea Perilli | e-racing.net
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In-car images courtesy of Rajan Jangda
Podium image courtesy of FIA Formula E Media
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