- Models
NIO 333 Formula E Team – Round 13, 2021 London E-Prix Report
Round 13 of the 2021 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship at the ExCeL venue, London, was filled with all the thrills and spills that has become synonymous with the all-electric, street racing series.
Following a solid Qualifying lap by NIO 333 Formula E driver Tom Blomqvist this morning, he commenced the final race of the double header event from the middle of the grid in P14. Just as during yesterday’s opening lap, the bustle of cars heading in to the first set of narrow corners forced Tom into the wall causing front wing and tyre damage to his #88 NIO 333 FE 001 car. The team made the necessary pit stops to get Tom back out on track to gather valuable data and conclude his race a lap down at the chequered flag.
Fellow Briton and teammate Oliver Turvey in the sister #8 NIO 333 car was also on an encouraging flying Qualifying lap when he clipped the wall at Turn 7. Oliver made a clean start and managed to avoid all the incidents that punctuated the 45 mins plus 1 lap race this afternoon and made up eight positions to conclude the second London E-Prix contest in provisional P16.
Tom Blomqvist, NIO 333 FE 001 #88
Qualifying Group 4 - Race Grid Position: P14 Round 13 Race Result: P19 after post race penalties applied
“Another unfortunate race result for us, but I think that we made a step forward today in Qualifying and I managed to do a tidy lap that put me in P14. Maybe there was a couple more tenths in it with a perfect lap, but there was not that much more pace in the car, so I think I did reasonably well. I also got a decent race start, but then Nato decided to put me in the wall at Turn 2 which ripped my wing off and punctured the front right tyre, so that was basically my race over. It was a tough weekend, but the pace in the race seemed to be ok so we just need to look forward to Berlin.”
Oliver Turvey, NIO 333 FE 001 #8
Qualifying Group 4 - Race Grid Position: P24 Round 13 Race Result: P14 after post race penalties applied
“After struggling for pace in Free Practice 3 I pushed hard in Qualifying and unfortunately clipped the wall in the first sector which bent the track rod and put us at the back of the grid. The race went much better; we had better pace and managed to move forwards. Although we weren’t able to make it to the points, we had definitely made some improvements since yesterday, so hopefully we can learn more from this race ahead of Berlin.”
Christian Silk, NIO 333 FE Team Principal
“What a crazy race, I think today really shows why Formula E is so exciting and why once you have seen a race you are hooked. All the drivers put on an amazing show today. At NIO 333 we had a good morning session and went into Qualifying determined to show what we can do. Tom did a great job in tricky conditions and, despite feeling that he could have gone quicker, still managed to set a time good enough for P14. Oliver was equally determined to set a good time, but unfortunately, he pushed a little too hard and drifted wide at Turn 7 damaging the front suspension. He completed the lap cautiously finishing in P24. Sadly, our luck was no better in this race. Tom made a good start, but was pushed off track on the first lap, damaging the front wing and puncturing a tyre. The subsequent pit stops put him a lap down and out of contention. Oliver had a much cleaner race and showed good pace, but it was always going to be a difficult day having started so far back on the grid - he finished the race in P16. Overall, it has been a challenging two days in London, but we would like to thank Formula E and ExCeL for putting on such a great show and we look forward to the next race in Berlin in two weeks’ time with a feeling of unfinished business.”
The final two rounds of the seventh season of the FIA Formula E World Championship take place at the historic Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany on 14-15 August 2021.
@NIOFormulaE - Twitter, Instagram and Facebook: #BlueSkyComing #Acronis #NIOPeninsula
