Venturi driver Maro Engel has said that a mechanical issue with his second car at the Marrakesh ePrix cost him a top ten finish.
The German rookie made a solid start and quickly caught the Mahindra Racing car of Nick Heidfeld.
The two then made contact, and although it did not cause much damage, Engel thought it cost him time.
“I was ninth early on and it was looking pretty good. I had a bit of a barging session with Nick which cost me time,” Engel told Motorsport.com.
“We touched at Turn 1 and then he had a lunge at Turn 3, where we touched again, but it was not overly dramatic.”
Engel held position until the pit stops, but his second car wouldn’t start, something that he believes could be attributed to a battery change made that morning.
“The second car just wouldn’t start and it took five or six laps to get going.
“We had to change the battery in the morning to identify a problem so I am not sure at this stage if that was a cause.
“It was a shame because I think we were on for another top 10 finish, as we made up five places in the first section of the race.
“The team did everything to check and prepare the car, but when I jumped in it just wouldn’t go, which is obviously really frustrating.
“Our race pace was strong and the energy management was good so I was looking forward to the second stint but it never really came.”
Despite not scoring it’s been a promising start to the season for Engel. He has immediately been on the pace of his experienced team-mate Stephane Sarrazin, and outscored him at the opening round in Hong Kong.
