Both MS Amlin Andretti drivers were delighted to finish in the points at the Hong Kong ePrix after their dire qualifying session.
Antonio Felix da Costa admitted to making a mistake on his best lap, meaning he ended up in thirteenth.
With just a second separating the top thirteen it meant that a clean lap could have seen him comfortably make the top ten.
Robin Frijns meanwhile caused serious damage to his car after a heavy crash into the wall on the exit of the turn 3/4 chicane.
It meant he started at the back of the grid, and although the team repaired his other car, parts of it weren’t painted due to the lack of time.
In the race however their fortunes changed, with both drivers making good progress up the field before the safety car was brought out following Jose Maria Lopez’s crash.
Despite neither driver pitting and falling behind the eventual top four, their elongated stint meant they had more energy for the final phase of the race.
They used this to good effect, pulling off a series of good moves with da Costa moving up to fifth with Frijns behind in sixth.
Da Costa said the result gave the team something to build on, “To be honest, I didn’t have a good lap in qualifying, but then the race went better.
“You never know where you stand at the start of the season, but we can be totally happy with fifth and sixth.
“The race was exciting, and I pulled off a few good overtaking manoeuvres. We can build on this result.”
Frijns was also surprised with his result from the back of the grid, saying after the race, “Wow, I didn’t expect this result. I had a serious accident in qualifying, and our team built a completely new car in two hours.
“I am very proud of the crew. To leave Hong Kong in sixth place is fantastic.”
