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This weekend will see Gary Paffett take on the fifth round of this year’s ABB FIA Formula E Championship and, having seen an improvement in his and the teams' fortune, Gary and his HWA RACELAB team are now looking another clean weekend in the fifth round of this season’s all-electric series.
Boosted by a recent run of positive performances, Gary now travels to Asia for this weekend’s HKT Hong Kong E-Prix. Coming off the back of another full race distance last time out in Mexico, Gary is intent on continuing the upward trend for himself and his HWA RACELAB team in results and has his sights firmly on securing more crucial running time and gathering more vital data.
This weekend’s race will be held at the Hong Kong Harbourfront Circuit, on the 1.86KM track, where the drivers will race through the city’s harbour district, with a view of the spectacular skyline of Hong Kong. The circuit will present the drivers with a variety of challenges, including two 180-degree turns and the long straight that allows drivers to reach a top speed of 280 km/h.
Having now gained more valuable experience by taking the chequered flag in his last two outings, as well completing 167 laps of testing alongside teammate, Stoffel Vandoorne, during post-race testing following the Mexico E-Prix, the SAP-sponsored driver, will now be keen to see a positive result for the team in Hong Kong.
“We are continuing to make good progress. The race result in Mexico was not what we had hoped for but the test after the race was very good and productive. That was a step in the right direction and I think that our form is improving every weekend. I am looking forward to Hong Kong and to seeing the city as I have never been there before. The atmosphere with the fans in Mexico was unbelievable and I hope we will experience something similar in Hong Kong. We are still battling away for our first points and that is the goal I have set myself for Sunday.”
HWA Team Principal, Ulrich Fritz, is also looking for a positive result, ahead of the teams' first race in Asia.
“Hong Kong will be our first Formula E race in the region and the whole team is really looking forward to this fascinating city and the challenges that await us. The race in Mexico did not go as we had hoped but we did enjoy very productive testing afterwards. We were able to gather plenty of data and the guys had enough track time to try out a few things. This information should now help us in Hong Kong. Our priority is now to fix the technical problems that have often overtaken us in recent races and experience a weekend free of incidents. I am sure that everything else will follow on from that.”
Action will begin for Gary on Sunday 10th March, with free practice at 00:30 GMT followed by qualifying at 03:45 GMT, with the main race commencing at 08:00 GMT.