HWA Racelab have said their debut in Formula E as disappointing after they finished well outside of the points at the Ad Diriyah ePrix.
A strong qualifying performance saw Stoffel Vandoorne line-up in fourth with Gary Paffett in ninth, but both drivers went backwards in the race.
Vandoorne held on to the top ten for the first few laps before dropping back as the team admitted they did not have the pace to keep up with the frontrunners.
Paffett meanwhile hit the barrier and was forced to retire after just over ten minutes of the race.
The British driver said that it was a small mistake that led to the crash, but that with it being a street circuit he was punished for it.
Paffett said, “That was a very disappointing race weekend for me. I started from ninth place, the race calmed down a bit after some duels in the opening phase and I was feeling very good on the track.
“But then I made a little mistake between the eighth and ninth turns, lost the racing line and ended up in the wall. That was the end of my race – it just happens sometimes when you’re racing on street circuits.”
Vandoorne meanwhile was trying to find the positives, and said that although they did fundamentally lack pace he was confident that the team would be able learn from the race and make improvements for the Marrakesh ePrix next month.
“Unfortunately, that was not the result we had been hoping for,” he said. “It was a difficult afternoon and we had a few problems in the race. It was a shame that we didn’t show the pace we had been aiming for.
“I think that a somewhat better result could have been a possibility here. Nonetheless, we did manage to finish the race. We have really learned a lot this weekend.
“The result is a bit disappointing, especially after the good qualifying session. We want to do better at the next race.”
