Andrea PerilliAfter a brilliant drive which took him to his first ever Formula E podium, Oliver Turvey was back in the points in Punta del Este, and believes they can aim for podiums and victories if they continue working this way.
Formula E never disappoints when it comes to providing the public with top-level racing. But this season, the series is taking this to another level. As we have seen in the past 6 races, anyone can win or get to the podium, because the majority of the cars seem competitive enough.
Among the season’s stars we have seen so far, is Oliver Turvey. The British NIO driver did not have the start of Season 4 he wished for, but was able to turn the tables and got his first ever Formula E career podium in Mexico City earlier this month.
Turvey, who has been involved in the series since the last two rounds of Season 1 –and has seen the fully-electric championship grow; could not repeat the podium feat in Punta del Este, but still managed to take home valuable points.
“We had a good qualifying session and again in Super Pole, and I was pleased to be starting on the second row of the grid. The dirty side of the track was a bit tricky, but I managed to hold the position in Turn”, he comments.
“Just felt difficult to hit the energy target and keep the pace with the guys ahead, so in the end it was just trying to maximise everything we could. Came in in fifth in the pit stop and we lost a couple of seconds there, so lost two positions, which was a shame, because I think everything went pretty smoothly. We just need to analyse that”.
He saw the chequered flag in P7. During the second half of the race, he showed great defence of his position, as the drivers behind tried to overtake him in the streets of Punta del Este. “Second stint, I was just trying to drive, to maximise everything in the car, and I felt good with the car.
“I think P7 is the beast we could have achieved today with the pace we had. We got some more points for the team; we need to look at it and see where we can improve for the next race”.
Last season, the 30 year-old easily managed to enter Super Pole several times, but then dropped back during the race, as the car’s race pace was quite contrasting to the qualifying one. This year, however, things seem to be improving for him, especially after the brilliant drive he showcased in Mexico City.
“I’ve been confident in myself in the qualifying for a while. Last year, we had a lot of good qualifying sessions, then we struggled a lot in the race, but this year we made a really good step forward in terms of pace, and actually I think our package is much more competitive during the race”.
NIO team members do not believe the podium obtained in Mexican soil was just a matter of luck; but the result of an arduous job that is finally paying off. Two consecutive point finishes for Turvey, in addition to the 8 points he scored in R2 have allowed him to be sitting eighth in the standings at the moment.
“We are still growing as a team, still improving, and certainly it was great to get my first podium in Mexico, and today to be also racing at the front. We want to be consistently fighting for podiums and for race wins, so we just need to keep improving as a team and keep going forward, and keep learning”.
The driver of the number 16 car is aware of the level of competitiveness the series currently has. “Formula E is so competitive now, there’s a lot of quick guys, quick teams, so you really need to maximise everything. But I think we’re going in the right direction, we’re improving. As a team, certainly the aim is to be fighting for race wins”.
“Since last season, we’ve made a big step forward with the car and with the team, and I think Mexico gave us a lot of confidence as a team, and I hope we can be fighting for podiums every weekend and certainly be fighting for a race victory”, he expresses when asked whether they can aim for a win in the upcoming races.
Bethonie Waring
