Venturi was left to rue what might have been in Santiago after collisions ended their chances of a big points haul on Formula E’s first race of 2020. 

Strong qualifying performances from both drivers saw Felipe Massa and Edoardo Mortara line up fourth and seventh on the grid respectively, but a slew of incidents saw the team take away just two points from the race.

Following a decent start, both drivers looked set for a top 10 finish, but a collision with Antonio Felix Da Costa saw Mortara’s race brought to an early conclusion.

Massa also fell down the field and was forced out of the points positions after a collision with Daniel Abt.

However, after post-race penalties were applied the Brazilian was reinstated to ninth place.

“Santiago will go down as a race of what could have been,” said Team Principal Susie Wolff after the race.

“A number of incidents on track compounded what was a tricky race for us – but we can take many positives away from this weekend.

“Our pace in qualifying was strong, with Felipe securing his place in Super Pole while Edo was only a fraction shy of the top six – despite an eventful opening to his lap. Both drivers continue to provide good feedback on our Season 6 package and we’re definitely heading in the right direction.

“Results like this only add to our motivation and, with some work on our race pace, I’m confident we can perform well in Mexico City.”

It was a disappointing afternoon for both drivers, although the team will likely have not been impressed with some of their on-track conduct.

At one point Mortara forced Massa wide as the former Ferrari driver looked make a pass on his teammate, with Massa losing a position to Nyck De Vries in the process.

Reflecting on his performance, Massa said: “From the second row after a strong qualifying, I had a lot of wheelspin at the start of the race which meant I lost two positions.

“Our pace was positive through the field. In the battle for the podium positions, I was shuffled down the pack. With only a few laps to go when I was seventh, I was hit by [Daniel] Abt, which meant I spun.

“From there, I couldn’t do anything anymore, which was frustrating. We had everything to finish inside the top five today.”

Edoardo Mortara added: “Our pace today was very positive – especially in qualifying, where we only narrowly missed out on a place in Super Pole with more time on the table.

“I made a good start to the race and was battling for a place on the podium until I had slight contact with Antonio [Felix da Costa]. That broke my front right suspension which meant that I couldn’t continue.

“It was an eventful race but we had the pace to score good points today. I’m looking forward to racing in Mexico City next month where I have good memories from last season.”

Venturi sit eighth in the constructors' standings after three races with 20 points.