Closed Circuit: Team Aguri in London

17/07/2016 Analysis, Closed Circuit, ePrix, Formula E, London ePrix, News

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Team Aguri said goodbye to Formula E after two years in the category in London, with a takeover by China Media Capital seeing the team renamed as Techeetah for season 3. Their final weekend was a difficult one, with António Félix da Costa taking points on Saturday.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”THE TEAM” color=”green”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” color=”green” c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”1″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”The team’s race in words” tab_id=”1461512664883-ac9eb41a-467a5043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_column_text]

With the season 1 machinery used by both Team Aguri and MS Amlin Andretti struggling on the bumpy Battersea Park circuit, qualifying was always going to be difficult for the team’s driver duo of António Félix da Costa and Ma Qing Hua. Rain during the session didn’t make it any easier, with da Costa lining up P14 and Ma a row behind in P16. Changeable conditions during the race made it tricky, but da Costa put in a trademark strong drive to finish P6 and score valuable points. Ma came home P11 in a race of attrition, narrowly missing out on points.

Sunday saw bright sunshine during qualifying, and the pace deficit of the season 1 cars came to the fore as da Costa would start 13th, with Ma in 17th. Yet again, da Costa was able to charge up through the field, finishing P5 on track but receiving two penalties that dropped him out of the points. Ma was a lap down in P12, after receiving a drive-through penalty of his own.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Team mate comparison: qualifying” tab_id=”1461512175704-af49c202-f1e45043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_line_chart type=”line” style=”modern” x_values=”Beijing; Putrajaya; Punta del Este; Buenos Aires; Mexico City; Long Beach; Paris; Berlin; London 1; London 2″ values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Ant%C3%B3nio%20F%C3%A9lix%20da%20Costa%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2216%3B%204%3B%208%3B%203%3B%2017%3B%2017%3B%2010%3B%200%3B%2014%3B%2013%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Nathana%C3%ABl%20Berthon%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2217%3B%2015%3B%2014%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B0%3B0%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23f7be68%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Salvador%20Dur%C3%A1n%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%220%3B%200%3B%200%3B%2017%3B%2014%3B%2016%3B%200%3B%200%3B0%3B0%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22pink%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%2358b9da%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Ma%20Qing%20Hua%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%220%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%2015%3B%2014%3B16%3B17%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22orange%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%2300c1cf%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Ren%C3%A9%20Rast%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%220%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%2013%3B0%3B0%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22purple%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%235472d2%22%7D%5D” title=”Team mate comparison: qualifying”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Team mate comparison: race” tab_id=”1461512175763-831c2584-42cf5043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_line_chart type=”line” style=”modern” x_values=”Beijing; Putrajaya; Punta del Este; Buenos Aires; Mexico City; Long Beach; Paris; Berlin; London 1; London 2″ values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Ant%C3%B3nio%20F%C3%A9lix%20da%20Costa%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2217%3B%206%3B%206%3B%2017%3B%2017%3B%2017%3B%208%3B%200%3B6%3B11%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Nathana%C3%ABl%20Berthon%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%228%3B%2015%3B%2014%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B0%3B0%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23f7be68%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Salvador%20Dur%C3%A1n%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%220%3B%200%3B%200%3B%2018%3B%2015%3B%2014%3B%200%3B%200%3B0%3B0%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22pink%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%2300c1cf%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Ma%20Qing%20Hua%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%220%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%2017%3B%2014%3B11%3B12%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22orange%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%236dab3c%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Ren%C3%A9%20Rast%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%220%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%200%3B%2017%3B0%3B0%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22vista-blue%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23f7f7f7%22%7D%5D” title=”Team mate comparison: race”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Championship standings” tab_id=”1461512214611-352b21f1-c5375043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Beijing; Putrajaya; Punta del Este; Buenos Aires; Mexico City; Long Beach; Paris; Berlin; London 1; London 2″ values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Team%20Aguri%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%224%3B%2012%3B%2020%3B%2020%3B%2020%3B%2020%3B%2024%3B%2024%3B%2032%3B32%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%7D%5D” title=”Championship standings”][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”António Félix da Costa” color=”green”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” color=”green” c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”1″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”António Félix da Costa’s race in words” tab_id=”1461512310664-cbeb96df-4af05043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_column_text]

The London weekend really summed up da Costa’s season: always quick, always impressive, but rarely getting the results he deserved. Saturday saw rain affect qualifying, with the Portuguese driver lining up P14 on the grid. But in a race filled with changing weather conditions, safety cars and incidents, he kept a cool head while also making strong overtaking moves, making his way up to P6 by the end of the race to score eight valuable points.

Sunday again saw him start down the order in P13, and again climb up through the field. Passes on Senna, d’Ambrosio, Turvey and Conway, as well as getting ahead of Piquet Jr at the car swaps, left him P5 in the closing stages and chasing down Nick Heidfeld. They touched several times, damaging da Costa’s nosecone, but try as he might he couldn’t get past the German. Just a few seconds before crossing the line in P5, da Costa’s usable energy hit 0% – the same fate befalling Vergne and Heidfeld ahead of him – and the subsequent penalty dropped him down to P9. Several hours after the race he received a second penalty, for overtaking off track limits and gaining an advantage, dropping him down to P11 and out of the points.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Lap chart” tab_id=”1461512310716-c8bf2e2d-dbb95043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Starting position; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33″ values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Saturday%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2214%3B14%3B14%3B15%3B15%3B15%3B15%3B15%3B15%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B12%3B12%3B12%3B11%3B15%3B9%3B9%3B9%3B7%3B7%3B7%3B7%3B7%3B7%3B7%3B7%3B8%3B8%3B8%3B7%3B7%3B6%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Sunday%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2213%3B11%3B11%3B11%3B11%3B11%3B11%3B9%3B9%3B9%3B8%3B8%3B8%3B8%3B8%3B8%3B8%3B7%3B7%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%3B5%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%7D%5D” title=”António Félix da Costa: lap chart”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”The race in numbers – Saturday” tab_id=”1461512375203-dc62694e-d0395043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_column_text]

Best time in FP1: 1.26.647

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Best time in FP2: 1.24.996

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Best time in qualifying: 1.38.501

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Best time in the race: 1:28.136 (lap 27)

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Pit stop time and difference to minimum pit stop time: 71.6s (1.6s above minimum time)

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Best time in FP1: 1.26.397

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Best time in qualifying: 1.24.273

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Best time in the race: 1:27.626 (lap 30)

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Pit stop time and difference to minimum pit stop time: 71.341s (1.341s above minimum time)

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Saturday:

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“It was OK. Tricky qualifying, with the weather, with the rain there before my group and then I had to start at the back. I was in the same boat as Buemi and Di Grassi. We all had the same mindsets to go forwards and that’s what we did. I could see them attacking, I was trying to follow through.
“I looked after my energy pretty well and the car was ok so I could go a little bit forwards. I was also a bit lucky with the guys that crashed out in front of us, so I’m happy with P6.”[/pullquote]

Read more from da Costa on Saturday here.

Sunday:

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“(The race was) very good up until the end. A little bit of a summary of our season: we’ve had some very good qualifyings this year, we’ve been three or four times in the Super Pole, we did a pole position. Today, poor qualifying because, with our car, we couldn’t do any better but at the end we were looking good to finish P5, and I know that Nick and Jean-Eric also ran out of energy, so we should have just stuck to our plan and we would have been third.
“I got told to push flat out on the last lap – that I didn’t need to worry about energy and that was clearly not the case so we were caught out and used too much energy.”[/pullquote]

Read more from da Costa on Sunday here.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Championship standings” tab_id=”1461513704972-abbca216-e1a55043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Beijing; Putrajaya; Punta del Este; Buenos Aires; Mexico City; Long Beach; Paris; Berlin; London 1; London 2″ values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Ant%C3%B3nio%20F%C3%A9lix%20da%20Costa%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%220%3B%208%3B%2016%3B%2016%3B%2016%3B%2016%3B%2020%3B20%3B28%3B28%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%5D” title=”Championship standings”][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Ma Qing Hua” color=”green”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” color=”green” active_section=”1″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Ma Qing Hua’s race in words” tab_id=”1461512547855-b3644413-70595043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_column_text]

With Ma Qing Hua still learning the intricacies of the Formula E car, and the unique challenge presented by the bumpy and undulating Battersea Park circuit, the London ePrix was always going to be a challenge for the Chinese driver. He struggled for pace all weekend but managed to finish the two races in P11 and P12, not far off his maiden Formula E points.

Saturday saw him start P16, and despite the tricky weather conditions – it started raining mid-race only to then stop again a while later – Ma was able to bring the car home in 13th, which became 11th post race – just one place outside the points, although he was 23 seconds back from the next car up the road. Sunday saw a hot, sunny day, and from 17th on the grid he stayed out of trouble at the start and drove a sensible if lonely race. A drive-through penalty for speeding in the pits led to him being lapped towards the end, coming home in 12th place.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Lap chart” tab_id=”1461512548457-fc72c98b-1a615043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Starting position; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33″ values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Saturday%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2216%3B17%3B17%3B17%3B17%3B17%3B17%3B18%3B18%3B18%3B18%3B18%3B18%3B18%3B18%3B18%3B12%3B18%3B18%3B18%3B16%3B16%3B16%3B16%3B15%3B15%3B15%3B15%3B15%3B15%3B15%3B14%3B14%3B13%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Sunday%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2217%3B%2016%3B15%3B16%3B15%3B15%3B15%3B14%3B14%3B14%3B14%3B14%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B13%3B12%3B12%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%5D” title=”Ma Qing Hua: lap chart”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”The race in numbers – Saturday” tab_id=”1461512549057-0abe4d02-33bc5043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_column_text]

Best time in FP1: 1.29.637

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Best time in FP2: 1.25.972

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Best time in qualifying: 1.36.748

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Best time in the race: 1:29.774 (lap 28)

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Pit stop time and difference to minimum pit stop time: 72.0 (2.0s above minimum time)

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Best time in FP1: 1.28.583

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Best time in qualifying: 1.26.259

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Best time in the race: 1:28.432 (lap 16)

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Pit stop time and difference to minimum pit stop time: 71.661 (1.661s above minimum time)

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Ma Qing Hua says: “…“” tab_id=”1461513386630-de10c68d-06ab5043-b572853b-7c503820-ff92″][vc_column_text]

[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“The whole weekend was okay. We had some issues with the software system yesterday, but today we fixed that. In the race, we were much better than yesterday as well but we still had some issues and the car didn’t go perfectly, especially during the pit-stop. We had some software issues again when going through the pits and on my second car I had some mechanical problems. The car was moving quite a lot when braking so I couldn’t really catch the front but anyway… The good thing is to finish the race and we got some important data to learn from and to compare with my teammate’s and it’s a solid preparation for the future, for sure.”[/pullquote]

Closed Circuit: Team Aguri in London

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