Felix Rosenqvist salvaged eighth place in a difficult Paris E-Prix on Saturday, adding further championship points to his tally but leaving the French capital largely disappointed.
Having qualified on pole for two out of the previous three Formula E races, Rosenqvist was not able to launch a similar attack on this occasion, struggling to 11th place in qualifying with difficulties to switch on his tyres.
From his uncharacteristic midfield grid slot, the Swede – who still spearheaded the Mahindra Racing charge – fought an uphill battle to make progress at the notoriously narrow Circuit des Invalides, eventually coming home eighth to score four championship points.
The race was won by local hero Jean-Eric Vergne, who extended his overall lead in the process. Felix Rosenqvist remains third in the Formula E standings with eight out of twelve races completed.
”A disappointing day, simple as that,” says Felix Rosenqvist. ”We did score some points, which you really shouldn’t take for granted in a field as strong as this, but it’s hardly a secret that we’re looking for much more.
“We just didn’t have the ultimate pace today. It felt fairly OK in practice where I was fourth, a few tenths off, but then in qualifying we lacked overall grip and couldn’t get the tyres into the right operating window. It’s particularly hard to overtake at this track, so I think P8 was pretty much what we could hope for given the circumstances. We’re not satisfied and we know that we’ve got much more potential than this. We will bounce back.”
Rosenqvist now travels on to Japan, where round two of the Super GT season takes place in just a few days’ time on May 3-4 (mid-week event due to a Japanese holiday).
The Formula E campaign, meanwhile, resumes at Berlin’s former Tempelhof airport – the site of Rosenqvist’s maiden win in the electric single-seater series last season – on May 19.
RESULTS (top five)
ABB FIA Formula E Championship
Race 8/12 | Paris E-Prix
1: Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA), 49 laps
2: Lucas di Grassi (BRA), +4.882s
3: Sam Bird (GBR), +8.897s
4: Maro Engel (GER), +9.287s
5: Sébastien Buemi (CHE), +10.194s
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8: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), +15.271s
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (top five)
After 8/12 races
1: Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA), 147 p.
2: Sam Bird (GBR), 116 p.
3: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), 86 p.
4: Sébastien Buemi (CHE), 70 p.
5: Lucas di Grassi (BRA), 58 p.