DS Virgin content with 6 points in Punta Del Este

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The ePrix in the Uruguayan beach town of Punta Del Este proved to be a bitter sweet affair for the Virgin Racing team. Before Sam Bird put in his best qualifying effort of the season to start a lofty 3rd, Jean-Eric Vergne was caught up in traffic with Nathanael Berthon and hence was forced to start from 17th place.

In the race, Bird looked as though a podium finish could be on the cards, but his luck was cut short when he ran into reliability issues, causing him to retire from the race. However, the Brit still had words of praise regarding the team and his weekend in general.

“In the first half of the race, things felt really good and it was going really well,” Bird said. “We showed a good turn of pace and I think there’s lots of positive signs to suggest that we can be challenging again in Buenos Aires.

“I must give a lot of credit to the team, who put in a huge amount of work to repair the car between free practice one and the race after I hit the wall [in practice].”

The race saw much better fortune for Jean-Eric Vergne compared to qualifying, with the Frenchman finished in 7th place despite having to start from the back row of the grid.

“I’m really pleased with my race and don’t think it could have gone much better after starting at the back of the grid,” Vergne enthused. “I drove hard and had a lot of fun with what was in front of me. It was a great effort from the team.

“I’d also like to say a special thank you to all the fans that helped me win Fanboost, which made a real difference during the race.”

Virgin are proving themselves to be the most popular team in Formula E, with both drivers receiving the coveted ‘FanBoost’ to use during the race for the second time in three races.

Impressed by Vergne’s performance was Virgin Team Principal Alex Tai, who said: “JEV drove a great race out there and we’re delighted that he’s got his first points for the team. We’ve shown good pace again this weekend and proved that we can be competing for big points.

“I must also thank the fans for their fantastic support that we’ve received here in Punta and say thank you to everyone that voted for our drivers in Fanboost.”

Jordan Harvey | e-racing.net

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Image courtesy of FIA Formula E Media

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