Formula E drivers praise Sanya circuit

by sportswriter Michael Butterworth

Sanya, March 22 (Xinhua) -- Formula E racers Jean-Eric Vergne and Andre Lotterer have praised the new street circuit in Sanya, as the all-electric motor racing championship moves to the resort city in China's Hainan Province for the first time.

Speaking at an event on Friday evening hosted by their DS Techeetah Formula E team, both Vergne and Lotterer took the opportunity to talk up some of the unique features of the Sanya circuit, which, unusually for a modern race track, sees the start and finish lines located on different sides of the course.

"I think it has a great layout," said reigning Formula E champion Vergne. "The surface is really grippy, which is good for us. It would be nice to have some high-speed corners, but other than that, it's good. We don't have any chicanes where we have to stop, there are long, straight lines and opportunities for overtaking. So far, so good!"

Vergne's teammate Lotterer is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the German drew on his racing experience to explain how the characteristics of the Sanya track may affect the drivers' tactics during Saturday's race.

"I think it will be a great track. It will be good for us because you need to do quite a lot of energy management. In Formula E, we cannot race full throttle until the braking point; we need to save a little bit [of energy], so this opens up opportunities for overtaking. Some tracks have that more than others, but here, you have to do a lot more energy management. [Friday's] shakedown went well - we were first and fourth. I know it's just a shakedown, but it's always good to be up front."

The Sanya ePrix on Saturday, March 23 is round 6 of 13 in a 2018-19 Formula E season that has so far proved to be very open, with the first five races producing five different winners from five different teams. The previous round in Hong Kong on March 10 saw Edoardo Mortara of Switzerland claim victory, after Britain's Sam Bird was given a post-race penalty for colliding with Lotterer as the two were dicing for the lead in the closing laps.