RENAULT e.dams on top with unofficial Formula E lap record at Donington

Only six weeks after the final round of the inaugural FIA Formula E Championship, Teams’ title-holders RENAULT e.dams came out on top during the first two-day test session taking place at Donington Park on August 10/11.

The French squad made the most of the track time following a short summer break, with Sébastien Buemi posting the fastest overall lap and an unofficial lap record in the final session earlier today. Meanwhile his team-mate, Nico Prost, ended up with the fifth fastest time from across both days.

It was the first time the team had tested their all-new Renault Z.E.15 powertrain in public ahead of the 2015/16 season, which kicks off in Beijing on October 17.

RENAULT e.dams get back on track in a week’s time (August 17/18) for the second of the three official test sessions.

• Buemi stormed to the top of the times with a 1m31.050s on Tuesday afternoon, beating his personal best around Donington Park from last season.

• The Swiss driver also topped the timing sheets on day one with a 1m32.092s lap in the afternoon session.

• Buemi has now been fastest in six of Formula E’s seven official pre-season tests since the series began.

• Both drivers managed to complete vital running in wet conditions when rain briefly hit the circuit on Monday.

• Prost was consistently quick throughout the test, clocking a best time of 1m31.592s during Tuesday afternoon’s three-hour session.

Vincent Gaillardot, Project Leader Renault Formula E Project: “This was the first outing for us with the new powertrain and we ran nearly trouble-free so the performance is very promising. Obviously we have a lot to do before the first race but this has shown us where we are. We also managed to carry out a full ‘event simulation’ too, including practice, qualifying and the race.”

#8 Nico Prost: “Overall it went pretty well and I think we’re looking competitive, especially in the first two sectors. Tuesday morning was quite good and in the afternoon we managed to get a race simulation in, so it’s looking good! And it certainly helps to be with the same team because we all know each other really well and have a great working relationship. Obviously, everyone is pushing out there so it’s important that we keep improving, too.”

#9 Sébastien Buemi: “Obviously this is just testing so we don’t take anything for granted, but I think we’re all really pleased with the results over the past two days. We do still have some work to do to ensure that every time we come back to Donington we can improve, but it was a good couple of days overall. It’s also great that we were able to run in the wet yesterday as it gave us some insight into how the powertrain performs in different conditions. We have lots of potential so now just need to deliver.”