SANTIAGO CHALLENGE LAYS AHEAD FOR GARY PAFFETT

This weekend will see Gary Paffett and his HWA RACELAB team travel to Chile for the third round of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship - the Santiago EPrix.

Following challenging trips to Saudi Arabia and Marrakesh, Paffett and HWA RACELAB will be hoping to gain as much track experience as possible, in what is still only their third ever race in the all-electric series.

This Saturday’s EPrix will be Santiago’s second year of hosting, having made its debut on the calendar last year. The event will be held at the 2.407KM, 14-corner, Parque O'Higgins circuit, taking the drivers through the streets of the Chilean capital.

Having completed times around the top-ten in the first free practice session in Marrakesh, Paffett has shown that the VFE05 cars are adapting well to the challenges that Formula E has to offer. However, the double retirement previously in Marrakesh, now means that it is vitally important for the Fitbit-sponsored driver to ensure that his car finishes the race in Santiago, to gain valuable track experience from behind the wheel of the Gen-2 Formula E car.

Looking forward to getting back behind the wheel, Gary is eager to see an improvement in his performance this weekend.

"After two really tough weekends, the goal for Chile is to improve. For the team, that means improving the car. For me personally, that means improving my driving and learning more about the Formula E car. We have to make it through to the end of the race and learn as much as possible. We are still learning and have to make the best of this situation."

Likewise, HWA RACELAB’s Team Principal, Ulrich Fritz, is also keen for improvement this weekend.

“Unfortunately, our outings so far in Formula E have not gone as well as we would have hoped. It was obviously good to have another test after the race in Marrakesh, which allowed us to deal with some of the technical problems that occurred on the Saturday. Our goal for Chile is to do as much driving as possible and to finish the race with both cars.”

The full day of racing in Santiago will get underway with two free practice sessions at 11:00 GMT, followed by the qualifying at 15:00, with the race getting underway at 19:00.