Andre Lotterer said he was robbed of a potential first race win in Formula E after he received a drive-through penalty for a technical infringement.
Both Lotterer and DS Techeetah team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne had worked their way to the front of the field in Ad Diriyah but were hit with penalties for exceeding regeneration limits.
It demoted them down the field, and although a late safety car helped, Lotterer was only able to recover to fifth with Vergne finishing second.
But Lotterer, who got close to passing Vergne early on, said that he felt he could have won or at least helped the team to a 1-2 had it not been for the penalty.
Speaking after he commented, “We had some issues today, but we should be happy about the pace we had. We were really putting the car through its paces and it responded so well.
“It’s of course frustrating to have the issues that we had as I lost out on a potential win, or at least a one-two or a double-podium as we had the pace for it, but we gained some valuable points and that’s what matters the most in this championship.
“I have mixed feelings about today but now we’re looking to the next race and it will be good to flex our muscles in Marrakesh,”
Team-mate Vergne meanwhile was also encouraged by the pace the Techeetah car showed, and how well it ran around the Ad Diriyah circuit.
Vergne said, “I would like to say a huge thanks to the whole team for this race but also for the lead up to this moment. Today was just a taster of what is to come from DS Techeetah.
“The course was so much fun to drive, it was like walking on a cloud out there.”
