Putrajaya ePrix Ratings: Venturi

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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 Venturi and their two drivers, Stéphane Sarrazin and Jacques Villeneuve, in Putrajaya.

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Venturi – 7/10
Miraculous recovery drive from Sarrazin secures twelve points

Following on from a Beijing race in which Stéphane Sarrazin qualified sixth but was only able to take home two points due to a pit stop issue, Venturi hoped for a better race in Putrajaya. After Sarrazin qualified in a stunning second place, he was unable to take the start due to a car issue on the grid, so was forced to start from the pit lane. However, what followed was brilliant: he rose from last place all the way up to P4 by the end of the day, helped by a rapid pit stop, scoring twelve points and showing once again the raw pace that he possesses. Team-mate Jacques Villeneuve is still learning the car, and after an engine change in free practice was on the back foot for the rest of the day. He qualified a credible P12 and finished one place ahead, just outside the points, but lost over 20 seconds in the pits which compromised his race.

Average Rating (2 races): 6.75

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Stéphane Sarrazin (qualified 2nd, finished 4th) – 8.5/10
Story of what might have been for veteran Frenchman

Quickly becoming one of the best qualifiers in the category, Stéphane Sarrazin followed up his pole in the season 1 finale, and P6 on the grid in Beijing, by qualifying second in Putrajaya. However after an issue with his car on the grid, he was wheeled to the pit lane from where he had to start the race. Despite this, Sarrazin did not let his head drop – he rose up through the field with regular overtaking moves, with victims including Nelson Piquet Jr and Simona de Silvestro, before a car swap phase in which he got ahead of both Berthon and team-mate Villeneuve to run in P12. Further places were gained when various drivers ahead ran into issues, and a pass on Daniel Abt with a few laps left secured P4 at the end of a crazy race for Sarrazin.

Average Rating (2 races): 7.75

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Jacques Villeneuve (qualified 12th, finished 11th) – 6.5/10
Lack of preparation hinders Villeneuve

An engine change in the single free practice session put Villeneuve on the back foot from the start of the Putrajaya race day and, considering his lack of running, P12 on the grid was an impressive return from the Formula E rookie. But while team-mate Sarrazin was able to move all the way up to P4 by the end of the race after being forced to start last, Villeneuve experienced a quieter race. He was involved in the first lap collision with Jean-Eric Vergne and Nick Heidfeld but emerged unscathed, driving a calm first stint after that. Unfortunately he lost 22 seconds in the pits, which compromised his second stint. Nonetheless, he was able to pass both Simona de Silvestro and Nathanael Berthon and finished in P11 by the end of the race – just outside the points positions.

Average Rating (2 races): 6.25

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Images courtesy of FIA Formula E Media

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