News

• Quotes from Gary Paffett and Stoffel Vandoorne ahead of the race in Bern
• Ulrich Fritz: "We will do our utmost to put on another good show."
• Facts and schedule for the race in Bern

Affalterbach, 19th June 2019 – Rome, Paris, Monaco, Berlin – four times in a row, HWA RACELAB has finished in the top ten and scored points in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship. Next up for Gary Paffett and Stoffel Vandoorne is the Julius Bär Swiss E-Prix in Bern this Saturday (22nd June). Should the drivers manage to continue their points-scoring run, it would represent a strong finish to the five European races. A good result in Bern would also give the team from Affalterbach, still in its first season in Formula E, an extra motivation boost ahead of the grand finale in New York.

The signs coming into the weekend in Bern have been positive: The team has regularly shown good pace in recent qualifying sessions and has secured starting positions well towards the front end of the grid. In Berlin, Stoffel and Gary started the race from second and fourth. Stoffel should also have been inspired by his podium finish at last weekend's iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Bern, which replaces Zurich as the venue for this year's Swiss E-Prix, is hosting a Formula E race for the first time. One striking feature of the new track is its gradient, which is steep for a street circuit and results in a 50-metre change in elevation. The 2.7-kilometre track takes the drivers through the centre of Bern and offers views of the picturesque city centre and the river Aare.

Gary Paffett (38, England)
"We have improved consistently over the course of the season and want to compete at a high level at the final two race weekends. Our qualifying performance in Berlin showed where we are now. We now want to back that up in Bern. We had a lot of time to analyse that race and know what we have to do. We feel well prepared."

Stoffel Vandoorne (27, Belgium)
"It is a new circuit for everyone. It seems pretty impressive to me, with the change in elevation and its many climbs and slopes. We are coming to the end of the season and have enjoyed some success with the team recently - we've finished in the points at four events in a row. That has to be our goal for Bern too. It will once again be all about putting together a flawless weekend. That will pay dividends in the end. Our qualifying pace has been our greatest strength of late. We are still struggling in the race, but we will attempt to improve in that area too."

Ulrich Fritz, Team Principal HWA RACELAB
"In hindsight, Berlin was not as perfect as it looked like being after qualifying. However, despite all that, we can still take a lot of positives from it. The top results in qualifying, with P2 for Stoffel and P4 for Gary, showed us again that we are moving in the right direction. With such a strong starting position, you obviously hope for a podium come the end of the race. However, we can be very happy with Stoffel's fifth place. It could have turned out better for Gary too, had he not been involved in the incident on the opening lap. A completely new circuit awaits us and the other teams in Bern. As such, we all start from zero and nobody can call on any reference values from last year. That obviously helps us. At the same time, it is also the final European race of the season. We will do our utmost to put on another good show, before we head to New York for the final two races."

Facts on the Julius Bär Swiss E-Prix
Circuit Bern E-Prix Circuit
Length 2.7 km
Corners 14
Race distance 45 minutes + 1 lap

Schedule for 22nd June 2019
Free practice 1 08:55 - 09:40 (CET)
Free practice 2 11:20 - 11:50 (CET)
Qualifying 13:30 – 14:06 (CET)
Super Pole 14:15 - 14:35 (CET)
Race 18:00 (CET)
Podium ceremony 19:00 (CET)