In the iconic streets of Monte-Carlo, the MS Amlin Andretti team was unable to achieve their target of getting back into the points, with António Félix da Costa in eleventh and Robin Frijns twelfth.
“Monaco was unfortunately another race where the team showed good potential, but ultimately didn’t get the result it was looking for. We are disappointed to be finishing outside the points but encouraged by the fact that for the vast majority of the race we were running inside the top 10”, explained Co-Team Principal Roger Griffiths, bringing it straight to the point.
After struggling to find grip, António Félix da Costa started the race in 17th position. With the first few laps of the race being both chaotic and fast, the Portuguese driver managed to get back into the top ten as tenth. In the second part of the race, Félix da Costa moved up to ninth but was handed a drive through penalty for an unsafe release after the race, dropping the 25-year-old down to eleventh.
“I was not happy with qualifying and that set us back for the race. Nonetheless, we had good speed as well as a good race and managed our energy well, initially finishing ninth. Obviously being here where it’s so hard to overtake, I think that’s a positive to take home. It’s not where I want to be, finishing P11. I want to be higher up. As a team we know that so we will work harder to keep improving”, he explained.
Robin Frijns started in 13th position, also benefitting form the post-qualifying penalty against Loïc Duval (Faraday Future Dragon Racing) and fought his way up to eighths before the pit stop. The Dutch found himself battling Esteban Gutiérrez (Techeetah) for eighth position, which caused him to use more energy than the team was targeting. With the margin razor-thin, Frijns ran out of power just short of the finish line and dropped out of the top 10, finishing P12.
“Everything looked okay in the first car. I think the other cars were planning to stop one lap earlier than we were but then the safety car came out and everyone pitted at the same time. After that it was about everyone surviving. I had Gutiérrez behind me and I couldn’t follow the car in front of me while trying to hit my numbers which was difficult. Then in the last few laps, the regen went away and I couldn’t recover. It was a bit of a surprise but that’s how it goes”, summarised Frijns.
With the Formula E paddock now making their way to Paris for the forthcoming weekend, MS Amlin Andretti will be looking to make it count with points finishes in the French capital, even with a tight schedule for all involved.
