Formula E

Mistakes leave Andretti pointless

2 Mins read
2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship. Marrakesh ePrix, Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan, Marrakesh, Morocco. Saturday 12 November 2016. Robin Frijns (NLD), Amlin Andretti, Spark-Andretti, ATEC-02. Photo: Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E ref: Digital Image _W2Q5444

Andretti were left disappointed after mistakes cost them the chance of points in Marrakesh.

Robin Frijns span while attempting to overtake Nick Heidfeld in the early stages of the race, and he finished eleventh having been unable to make the places back.

Meanwhile Antonio Felix da Costa was running in the top ten before a technical error caused him to stop on track.

Although the Portuguese driver was able to eventually get his car back to the pits, he was outdone in his attempts to secure the point for fastest lap by Loic Duval in the closing stages.

Da Costa said that the result was hard to swallow, especially after the work the team had put into the car since Hong Kong.

“We had a technical issue with the car and we stropped on track. That was the end of the race for us, really.

“We came in and jumped into the other car with the goal of going for the Fastest Lap, which we held until a lap or two from the end.

“It’s frustrating because it has been a month of hard work for the MS Amlin Andretti team and to die right there is hard to swallow.

“We need to regroup and get everyone motivated to go again in Buenos Aires.”

Speaking about his incident with Heidfeld, Frijns said that it could have gone either way.

“I came to a point when I was a bit quicker than Heidfeld and he seemed to be struggling,” the Dutchman said.

“I went for a gap and he defended, I braked and locked the two fronts in the corner causing me to spin.

“It was unlucky and unfortunate, but it was one of those times when you try something and, if it works you’re a hero, and if it doesn’t you’re on the outside.”

He was still confident that he would be able to make up some places in his second car, however the cars around him were too competitive.

“I thought with the second car we could make some steps in moving forward as we were the latest to come in for the car change, but I didn’t really see any cars struggling at the end.

“It’s more competitive and everybody has the same way of driving now so it’s getting tougher to overtake.

“It’s a bit of a shame we didn’t score any points today; at maximum we could have been P8. Hopefully the next race will be a better one.”

The result saw Andretti drop fifth in the team’s standings, having been overtaken by Mahindra Racing and DS Virgin Racing.

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Formula E writer for TCF since 2015-16 and fascinated by all things electric.
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