Another electrifying top-five at second Formula E test

RENAULT e.dams took another promising step towards the start of the 2015/16 FIA Formula E Championship campaign during the second official pre-season test at Donington Park on August 17/18.

Following an encouraging first session at the Leicestershire track last week, the French squad made further progress this time around by finishing in the top-five over the course of the two-day test despite encountering some set-up issues.

Drivers Sébastien Buemi and Nico Prost made the most of their time behind the wheel of the striking blue and yellow Renault Z.E.15s by posting the second and fourth fastest laps, respectively.

The entire RENAULT e.dams team will return to Donington Park for the final official test session on August 24/25, ahead of the opening round of the all-electric championship’s second season in Beijing on October 17.

• A battery problem hampered Sébastien’s progress on Monday, running only 18 laps.

• However, the Swiss’ 1m30.382s – set late on Tuesday – was enough to place him second fastest in the combined times.

• Nico ended the test fourth quickest with a best time of 1m30.677s.

• The Frenchman completed a total of 74 laps despite encountering some set-up issues.

• The RENAULT e.dams squad continued to learn about and improve the new Z.E.15 powertrain during both days of running.

Vincent Gaillardot, Renault Formula E Project Leader: “Overall this has been a really useful test for us. It’s clear there is still a lot to do, but we’ve ticked many boxes with regards to preparation for Beijing. Yes, we came across a few issues, which prevented us from doing as many laps as we would have liked, but this is normal during testing. We’ll keep going with our development ahead of the final test next week.”

#8 Nico Prost: “It’s been a difficult session for me in terms of the car’s set-up. Being fourth fastest isn’t too bad, but not good enough! While our reliability was good there is still some way to go. A big thanks to the team who did a great job and worked extremely hard.”

#9 Sébastien Buemi: “We’ve learned a lot over the last couple of days. Clearly there is still some work to be done, but at the moment we are focussing on getting the most out of the car. The team have been brilliant to resolve any issues we’ve had and we all feel there is still a lot of potential to unlock. Overall, I’m happy with how it’s gone.”