After the disappointment of Mexico, Envision Virgin Racing is heading to Marrakesh optimistic they can bounce back from a run of disconcerting results in Marrakesh.
Neither driver scored any points in Mexico with Sam Bird losing control and crashing out in the last few minutes and teammate Robin Frijns being disqualified from the race. Since the opening round of the season, the team has scored only 2 points, which came from Bird finishing tenth in Santiago.
Despite suffering these tough results Sylvain Filippi, Virgin Racing’s managing director, has confidence that the team can recover from this and still be competing for the championship title.
“We started the season on such a high – with Sam’s race win – that the last few races have been disappointing, to say the least – to come away with no points, was extremely tough,” Filippi said.
“We know as a team that we’ve got a competitive package with the Audi Sport car and the pace has been there in every race so I’m positive that we can bounce back from this. The championship is still open to anyone and we know we perform well at this track but we need to start scoring points consistently,” he added.
After losing out on a potential second-place finish in Mexico, Bird is having to put that behind him and is ready to get back out on track in Marrakesh.
“I was disappointed with last weekend’s result – whilst the track conditions were not ideal, I can only blame myself in this instance. However, I have picked myself back up and look forward to fighting back in Marrakesh.”
The 33-year-old is hoping that previous performances in Marrakesh, which have earned him a podium will give the team and himself a boost going into the E-Prix.
“The team have been a great support and given this is a track where we have previously performed, I relish the opportunity to get back out and race there again. There has been a lot of work put in on the simulator – as we know energy saving will be massively important at this circuit – and we’re ready to hit the track,” he said.
Frijns is hoping that his luck will turn around in Marrakesh after being wiped out in Mexico, which ultimately lead to him being disqualified. Echoing the thoughts of his teammate, Frijns also hopes the double-podium the team secured last year will help allow the team to start scoring points again.
“Luck just hasn’t been on my side so far this season and it’s incredibly frustrating but there’s nothing you can do except look forward. Marrakesh has always been a good track for the team and the double-podium here last time out was special so we’ll be looking to do something similar again this time.”
He added, “We really need a decent points haul at this race to ensure that we stay at the top of the field when it comes to the championship and we’ve put in the effort as a team, with such a short turnaround, to be able to deliver that.”