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Closed Circuit: Venturi in Marrakesh

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Venturi finished the first ever Marrakesh ePrix without points after a frustrating weekend for the team. Electrical problems kept Maro Engel in the pits for seven laps, whilst energy problems for teammate Stephane Sarrazin left him unable to challenge for position.

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Once again, a difficult qualifying saw both Venturi drivers start towards the back of the grid. Again, it would be Maro Engel the better of the two, starting from fourteenth with Stephane Sarrazin one place behind in fifteenth.

Neither driver was able to make much progress on their opening stint, entering the pits only two places higher than they’d started the race. That was where Engel’s race ended. Seven laps passed whilst the German was in the pits, struggling with an electrical problem in the car. Though he was able to leave the garage eventually, he was at the back of the field and a number of laps down to anybody he came across on the track.

Sarrazin looked to fair a little better, coming out of the pits in ninth and inside the points, but energy consumption in the second half of the race meant it would be a struggle to get to the end of the marathon ePrix. The Frenchman was unable to defend against those challenging him for position, and he eventually dropped back to twelfth.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Team mate comparison: qualifying” tab_id=”1461512175704-af49c202-f1e45043-b572f277-515f”][vc_line_chart type=”line” style=”modern” x_values=”Hong Kong; Marrakesh” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Maro%20Engel%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2212%3B%2014%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Stephane%20Sarrazin%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2215%3B%2015%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23f7be68%22%7D%5D” title=”Team mate comparison: qualifying”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Team mate comparison: race” tab_id=”1461512175763-831c2584-42cf5043-b572f277-515f”][vc_line_chart type=”line” style=”modern” x_values=”Hong Kong; Marrakesh” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Maro%20Engel%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%229%3B%2019%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Stephane%20Sarrazin%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2210%3B%2012%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23f7be68%22%7D%5D” title=”Team mate comparison: race”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Championship standings” tab_id=”1461512214611-352b21f1-c5375043-b572f277-515f”][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Hong Kong; Marrakesh” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Venturi%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%223%3B%203%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=”Maro Engel” 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=”Engel’s race in words” tab_id=”1461512310664-cbeb96df-4af05043-b572f277-515f”][vc_column_text]

Fourteenth wasn’t where Engel wanted to start the race, a difficult qualifying putting him on the back foot again, but the rookie had already proven in the opening race of the season that he was able to recover than a less than perfect qualifying.

There would be jumping up through the pack in the early stages of the race. Though he was able to get past a slow starting Jose Maria Lopez on the opening lap, there Engel’s progress would stop. Though he always had the driver ahead of him in his sights, he was never quite close enough to challenge, and went into the mid race car swap twelfth, boosted another position by troubles for a driver ahead.

There, Engel’s race fell appart. The German couldn’t get out of the pits, an electrical problem which the engineers are still investigating keeping the car stationary. By the time Engel had left the pits, he was seven laps down on the race leader and at the very back of the field. Though the fastest lap of the race was still available, Engel wasn’t able to manage the lap, and finished the race seven laps down in P19.

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Best time in FP1: 1:23.849.

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Best time in FP2: 1:22.339.

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Best time in qualifying: 1:22.236.

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Best time in the race: 1:23.164.

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Pit stop time and difference to minimum pit stop time: 682.798s (difference: 632.728s).

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[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“It’s difficult because you don’t control anything in that kind of situation. I wanted to push, we were good in our strategy in regard to our position on the grid and everything collapsed. it’s a shame. We were on for top 10.”[/perfectpullquote]

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Stephane Sarrazin’s string of points finishes came to an end in Marrakesh. After starting fifteenth for the second race in a row, Sarrazin was aiming a repeat of the opening race last month, but he wouldn’t be able to make up a place until lap four, making his way past Lopez and up to fourteenth behind his teammate.

Good energy management in the opening stint would be crucial, with the longest Formula E race to date set to take a toll on the battery life. Sarrazin, like Engel, was one of the late pitters. Sarrazin was able to make up places in the pits, coming out ahead of Mahindra’s Nick Heidfeld and inside the points. He wouldn’t stay there for long though.

A problem with the energy consumption meant he wasn’t able to keep the attacking Mahindra behind him. By the end of the race, not only had Heidfeld made his way past the Venturi, but also Lopez and Robin Frijns. That put Sarrazin P12, without points for the first time since the beginning of last season.

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Best time in FP1: 1:23.259.

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Best time in FP2: 1:23.387.

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Best time in qualifying: 1:22.270.

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Best time in the race: 1:25.260.

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Pit stop time and difference to minimum pit stop time: 51.985s (difference: 1.985s).

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[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“It’s been a difficult race. I made a mistake during qualifying I could have been in a better position on the grid. That’s for me. During the second part of the race we had troubles with energy and we have to look into that. It’s the first time since long and at the end I have lost positions and i am not in the points.”[/perfectpullquote]

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Championship standings” tab_id=”1461513723518-ee223709-f56c5043-b572f277-515f”][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Hong Kong; Marrakesh” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Stephane%20Sarrazin%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%221%3B%201%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_column_text]

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Image courtesy of FIA Formula E Media

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