Both NextEV TIO drivers came away from the New York ePrix disappointed after powertrain issues affected them all weekend.
The hot temperatures in Brooklyn affected the performance of both cars, and although Oliver Turvey was able to finish sixth in Saturday’s race, he fell back sharply through the field on Sunday.
He says that the problem was exacerbated in the second race by the start time being earlier in the day when temperatures were hotter, and by the race being six laps longer than the day before.
“We have struggled a lot this weekend with thermal issues and with the powertrain, and that has been frustrating,” Turvey said.
“It was even more difficult today with the hot temperatures due to the race starting earlier and the longer race distance.
“I was happy to finish P6 yesterday, which was the best we could have done, and score eight points, but it was a shame that we couldn’t get anything out of the race today.”
It was a similar story for his team-mate Nelson Piquet Jr, who finished in a lowly sixteenth position on Sunday having started at the back of the grid following a motor change.
He called for the team to look into their problems urgently in the hope they could find a solution for the final rounds in Canada.
Piquet said, “Yesterday was a frustrating day because we had a decent qualifying session so we were hopeful of a strong race result, but we dropped back through the field in the race due to powertrain issues.
“Today, we knew that getting a result after starting from last today due to the emotor change was close to impossible.
“We are going to have to see if there’s anything we can do for Montreal regarding the powertrain issues so we can improve our qualifying and race results.”
Their poor showing in New York means that NextEV are now realistically out of touch of fifth in the team’s championship, and will be looking to defend sixth place from the teams below.
Driver’s Championship
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Team’s Championship
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