NIO celebrated the category’s 50th e-Prix in style by scoring Championship points again on the streets of Hong Kong. Oliver Turvey secured a ninth place finish while Tom Dillmann ended a rollercoaster race in 12th spot.
Starting 19th on the grid, after struggling to get heat into his front tyres in a rain-affected qualifying session, Turvey made his way up to 13th place prior to the appearance of the Safety Car and eventual red flag. Team-mate Tom Dillmann leapt into the top 15 at the same time.
The race action resumed with around 38 minutes remaining on the clock and both NIO drivers defended their positions. Dillmann dropped to 16th after being hit and pushed wide with just under half an hour to go but then, as a number of rivals encountered trouble, Turvey moved through into the top 10 and Dillmann recovered to 13th. After another Safety Car late-on, the Brit broke into ninth and the Frenchman crossed the line in 12th place.
“It has been a really tricky day with the weather conditions. We had a great start and strong first lap where I was able to move up six places to P13. It was a tricky race with lots of safety cars and restarts but we managed it well and made the most of it, the race dried out and our pace was pretty reasonable”, summarised Turvey.
Dillmann, who enjoyed a season-best performance in qualifying with 11th place, said: “We had a strong pace in the wet and were competitive in both in practice as well as qualifying. If I had not lost my position at the start, we could have finished in the points so it is frustrating, but we are making progress which is important.”
“Clearly, today’s weather conditions have presented some of the most challenging operating conditions that we have witnessed in Formula E to-date. Having said that, it is the same for all of the drivers and teams.
It is fair to say that we did not capitalise on our potential in qualifying during the changeable conditions this morning, and that hurt us going in to the race this afternoon. It was an eventful race for all the wrong reasons, but coming away from the Hong Kong e-Prix with some points is at least some return for the team’s continued efforts in keeping pace with our competitors”, closed Team Principal Gérry Hughes.
