News

• 14th place for Gary Paffett, retirement for Stoffel Vandoorne
• Gary Paffett: "We completed the full race and gained more experience."
• Stoffel Vandoorne: "It is a great shame, as we were in a position to score points today."
• Ulrich Fritz: "We witnessed both highs and lows today."

Santiago de Chile, 26th January 2019 – Stoffel Vandoorne was well placed going into the Antofagasta Minerals Santiago E-Prix. In qualifying, he benefitted from the fact that the 2.4-km circuit in Parque O'Higgins was becoming faster all the time, and progressed to the Super Pole - the shoot-out for the first six places on the grid - for the first time.

And so, the Belgian started the race from fifth place. He did a great job of defending his position over the first few laps. In scorching heat, with the temperature outside the car soaring as high as 37 degrees Celsius, the 26-year-old was among the front-runners until the middle of the race. Running in sixth place, he skidded into the crash barriers in a corner and was ultimately forced to retire his damaged VFE 05 from the race.

Team-mate Gary Paffett, who started the race from 16th on the grid, finished 14th after suffering intermittent technical issues. In doing so, the British DTM champion completed a full Formula E race for the first time.

Quotes after the race

Gary Paffett (37, England, car number 17), 14th place
"It was a very tough race. At the start, we were able to match the pace of the others, but we then had to change our strategy due to the high temperatures. In the end, we were able to return to the standard settings and the pace was good again. We have to learn from situations like this, in order to keep the energy consistent in high temperatures. On the positive side, however, we did complete the full race and gained more experience.

Stoffel Vandoorne (26, Belgium, car number 5), DNF
"That was a frustrating race for me. We were fifth at the start and had decent pace, but it was not easy to stay with the leading group – with that in mind, we still have a bit of work ahead of us. After the safety car phase, I was a little too wide in turn three and ended up in the wall. Unfortunately, that was it for me. I am cross with myself for making that mistake. It is a great shame, as we were in a position to score points today."

Ulrich Fritz, Team Principal HWA RACELAB
"We experienced both highs and lows today. P5 for Stoffel in qualifying was a great result. However, the race was disappointing again. It was all looking good at first and Stoffel was able to establish himself in the top six. Unfortunately, he then had a crash and his race was over. With regard to Gary, I would say that he did his job and finished the race. That was our main goal for today, as every kilometre of racing means useful information for the future for us."

Preview
The next round of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship is the Mexico City E-Prix on 16th February 2019.