Piquet Jr: “We are aiming for Super Pole again”

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Despite enduring a disappointing race in Hong Kong, Nelson Piquet Jr is encouraged by the new-found pace shown by the NextEV team, which led to the Brazilian taking his maiden pole position.

Having only scored eight points in season two, the season one champion surprised everyone in the season three opener by setting the fastest time in qualifying, with the team’s pace backed up by team mate Oliver Turvey taking second on the grid.

The race turned out to be a hard one to swallow as the Brazilian, who looked set for an easy win as he pulled away from the pack, tucked his nose into the barrier at turn four as he took evasive action on Jose Maria Lopez’s prior crash.

Nevertheless, Piquet left Hong Kong happy with the vast improvements to the car and hopes to be at the sharp end once again in Marrakesh.

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“I hope so, we were very happy to qualify on the front row, but I think it’s going to depend on the track. Hong Kong was a really tough track and Oliver and I have shown before that we do well on complex circuits. Oliver showed it in London and we both demonstrated it in Hong Kong. If Marrakesh is difficult then I can see a repeat. The track seems like it might be a bit wider and therefore easier. If this is the case, it will rely less on the skill of the driver and will make the competition tighter. Looking at the worst case, I would say we would be in the top six or eight, but we are aiming for Super Pole again.”

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“Off-season testing is not on a street track, so the first time we can put the car to a real test is at the first race of the season. So, in Hong Kong it was our first opportunity to really experience our new technology, which means that post-event there is a huge amount of work to do to look at all the data and evaluate the new parts that were introduced. We work between every race to make the next one the best that we can.”

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“I think it’s going to be a faster track because it’s built for racing and other series have been there before. It’s not going to be as urban or bumpy as other places we usually go so it might be a slightly different challenge. It will be an interesting city to race in though, and I’m looking forward to getting back on track.”

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“I think a lot of the same names as usual will crop up this season, but I thought that Sebastien Buemi did really well in the race in Hong Kong and Sam Bird was strong in the early part of the day.”

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“We have pretty much got a brand-new team. It’s a big adjustment for everyone bringing in around 20 new people but it’s a good work in progress. Each race the car, personnel and team will keep getting better and the whole team is working flat out to keep improving.”

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Main image courtesy of FIA Formula E Media
Support images courtesy of Rajan Jangda

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