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NIO 333 Formula E Team – 2021 London E-Prix
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship has returned to London, UK, as the first international motorsport event to take place in the capital since the last all-electric, street race in Battersea back in 2016.
Rounds 12 and 13 of the 2021 contest are taking place at ExCeL London, an international event venue situated in the Royal Docks on the River Thames. The bespoke 1.39-mile indoor/outdoor circuit is a world first in international motorsport featuring 22 corners and two substantial elevation changes on incline and decline ramps.
Tom Blomqvist, NIO 333 FE 001 #88
Qualifying Group 4 - Race Grid Position: P15 Round 12 Race Result: provisional P22 (DNF)
“It was a challenging day, and we are quite disappointed as we had slightly advantageous track conditions in Qualifying. Ultimately the car pace wasn’t there, and I made a little mistake in the last sector of my flying lap, so we started the race in fifteenth. On the first lap someone hit me from behind at T3 and broke my suspension, so that was my race ruined. The team did a great job fixing my car to get me back out to use the remaining laps as a test session. Hopefully we’ll have a better day tomorrow.”
Oliver Turvey, NIO 333 FE 001 #8
Qualifying Group 4 - Race Grid Position: P19 Round 12 Race Result: 15
“It was a difficult day with tricky wet conditions in practice and changeable damp track in Qualifying. I struggled with the car in Qualifying and was disappointed to end up P19. The race start went well, I managed to move forwards four positions on the first lap. Unfortunately, after a few laps I picked up damage to the front track rod when another car overtook which put the steering out of alignment. We managed to finish the race with this damage and learn more about the car which will be useful for tomorrow.”
Christian Silk, NIO 333 FE Team Principal
“The whole team has been really looking forwards to racing again in London and the track here certainly does not disappoint. The circuit is very challenging with lots of ramps, bumps, tight corners, changes in surface and even a section indoors. For the first session this morning an added dimension was added to the challenge as a rain shower resulted in the outside part of the track being wet whilst the inside mostly remained dry. Both drivers took it relatively easy for our first wet session and focused on learning as much as possible. By the end of the session the rain had stopped, and we thought it would dry for qualifying. As it was the circuit stayed wet longer than anticipated and the drivers struggled with a general lack of grip with Tom and Oliver finishing Qualifying in P15 and P19 respectively.
The race proved even more difficult. Tom was hit on the opening lap forcing him to pit and change a rear track rod. Given the loss of time Tom was effectively out of contention, but he continued running to acclimatise to the challenging circuit given the lack of running he had had in the dry. Oliver had a slightly cleaner first lap but did get tagged by another car later in the race which bent the front suspension. The damage was not sufficient to warrant a pit stop, but it did take the edge of the car performance. None the less, Oliver ran consistently and settled into a rhythm, taking the car up to P15. Unfortunately, on the last lap his car was hit from behind, pitching him into a spin and he finished the race in P17 after losing positions during the ensuing incident.”
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