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Putrajaya ePrix Ratings: Team Aguri

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Over the course of the season, ERN senior editor Laurence Thorn will be rating the performances of all drivers and teams on each ePrix weekend.

This time around, he takes a look at Team Aguri and their two drivers, Antonio Felix da Costa and Nathanaël Berthon, in Putrajaya.

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AguriDriverRatings

Team Aguri – 7.5/10
Season 1 powertrain pace demonstrated by da Costa

Having scored points in Beijing through Nathanaël Berthon, Team Aguri looked to repeat that feat in Putrajaya and prove once again that they made the right choice in sticking with the season 1 powertrain. After Antonio Felix da Costa qualified an excellent P4, that looked a strong possibility – and so it proved, although da Costa could have had far more than the sixth place he finally ended up with, if his car had not stopped twice on track with a technical issue while in second place. Berthon, meanwhile, could not recreate his Beijing form, struggling with handling issues and battery overheating throughout the race day and never really getting on top of the conditions or circuit. He came home in P15, the same place he had started, and did not make an impression on the top ten.

Average Rating (2 races): 7.25

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Antonio Felix da Costa (qualified 4th, finished 6th) – 8.5/10
Potential win or podium scuppered by issue

A tale of what might have been for da Costa, who put the disappointment of his Beijing race behind him with an excellent performance in Putrajaya. He started in P4 and inherited third straight away when Stephane Sarrazin could not start. It looked unlikely that he could keep Nicolas Prost behind for too long, but he managed to frustrate the Frenchman until lap nine – helped by a rapid safety car restart the lap before. After both Prost and team-mate Buemi suffered technical issues and pitted, da Costa was then able to leapfrog Loic Duval in the pits to run in third place. Unfortunately, he suffered a software issue twice on lap 26, having just passed Prost for P2, and slipped down the order. A strong recovery drive, including passes on Heidfeld and Abt, moved him back up to sixth by the end.

Average Rating (2 races): 6.75

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Nathanaël Berthon (qualified 15th, finished 15th) – 5/10
Difficult weekend for rookie Berthon in Malaysian heat

An impressive debut in Beijing saw Formula E rookie Berthon taking his first points, finishing a mature eighth on his first ever race in the category. He was brought back down to earth in Malaysia, as he was only able to qualify in P15 and finished the race in the same position. Several issues hindered him over the weekend, including poor handling on his car as well as battery overheating. Thus, he was never able to fully push and show his full potential on the streets of Putrajaya, and did not make a strong impact on the race. He will hope that Punta del Este next time out sees him return to form, especially as team-mate da Costa proved what the car is capable of by running in P2 before suffering from technical issues.

Average Rating (2 races): 6.25

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Images courtesy of FIA Formula E Media

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