WHIP Radio Assistant Sports Director Dylan Coyle reports from New York on the latest in the Forumla E World Championship title hunt
At this point, Felix Rosenqvist’s strong start to the season seems like a distant memory.
After winning rounds two and three in the fourth season of the Formula E World Championship, Rosenqvist led Sam Bird by 4 points in the standings. His championship lead was no more after round four in Chile, but a strong 4th place finish kept him in the hunt with 66 points, 5 behind Jean-Eric Vergne.
He then went on to score only 20 points in the six rounds that followed.
The season started with so much promise, but numerous failures from Mahindra Racing and Rosenqvist have made it a bumpy ride down the stretch. Rosenqvist has some hope going into this weekend’s doubleheader in New York, however.
“I have a lot of hunger and expectations for this race, it’s our last chance to have a good result this season and be back where we were at the beginning of the year,” Rosenqvist said in a press release.
Rosenqvist finished 2nd in the second race in New York last year, capping off a double podium for Mahindra with Nick Heidfeld taking 3rd.
Now, Rosenqvist sits 5th in the Driver’s Championship and can mathematically finish in 2nd by the end of Sunday’s race. Heidfeld struggled all season, even going three races in a row with a DNF in one stretch. He currently sits 11th with 30 points.
“We are looking to end this season as we started it: on a high,” Mahindra team principal Dilbagh Gill said. “We still have fond memories of our double podium from last year, and we just need to add to those by climbing to the top step this time around.”
Whether that happens or not, the season will always be one of frustration for Roesnqvist and Mahindra Racing as a whole. They sit 4th in the Team’s Championship, 41 points behind D.S. Virgin. They’ll be able to claim the title of “the best of the rest” if they secure 4th this weekend, but you can’t help but wonder how much damage they could’ve caused this season without mechanical failures.
If they are able to be more consistent with the new second-generation car next season, Rosenqvist should contend for the Driver’s Championship, and Mahindra should have a fair shot in the Team’s Championship.
But first, they need to build momentum in New York City.
This article was written, researched, and published by WHIP Radio Assistant Sports Director Dylan Coyle. If you wish to interact with Dylan, you can reach him on Twitter at @DylanRCoyle.
Photo: LAT/Formula E
Originally published at WHIPRadioTU.com