The lowdown on the season before the Buenos Aires ePrix: what you shouldn’t have missed

Carlos Ghosn confirms Renault’s interest in Formula E.

After the grand presentation of the new sports structure of the Renault Sport F1 Team, Carlos Ghosn assured this Wednesday, February 3rd, the sustainability of the brand within Formula E. The CEO of the Renault-Nissan group himself took the lead by reminding that Renault is not solely focused on Formula 1: « We see Formula 1 as the essential base of our racing activity,” he indicated to the journalists present at the Renault Technocentre. « But we also have many other activities like Formula E, with many partners from a technological point of view. We believe in this championship, we are fully committed to it. »

Carlos Ghosn also specified that the Renault brand has renewed its association with the e.Dams structure led by Jean-Paul Driot and Alain Prost for an additional two seasons.

A Senna-Prost Duel… on Video Game!

Unsuccessful since the start of the season, Bruno Senna (Mahindra Racing) and Nicolas Prost (Renault-eDams) had the opportunity to shine during a virtual event organized in London around the video game Forza Motorsport 6. As a highlight of a day that pitted fans against Formula E figures, the two drivers faced off in a best-of-three race showdown. In a duel reminiscent of the great days of 1980s Formula 1, Ayrton Senna’s nephew bested Alain Prost’s son.

On the sidelines of this event, Bruno Senna took a lot of pleasure in this unusual event: “It was really fun to follow and participate in this virtual race. I think eSports is a very interesting prospect, especially when there is so much interaction between the drivers and the fans. Video games are also getting closer and closer to reality.”

Good sport, Nicolas Prost stated that he needed a bit more training to come back stronger!

Driver Replacements: End of the Journey for Jacques Villeneuve!

We will not see Jacques Villeneuve on a Formula E starting grid this season. The 1997 Formula 1 World Champion and the Monegasque team Venturi have ended their collaboration at the end of January by mutual agreement. The event of the Canadian driver’s presence in the discipline did not take the expected turn. After a collision in race 1 with Antonio Félix da Costa, Villeneuve managed to finish the second race in Putrajaya in 11th place under the checkered flag.

Alas, a crash during the Qualifications of the third race in Punta del Este dashed his ambitions: he was not even able to participate in the race at the end of the day, which therefore remained his last weekend of a prematurely ended season.

The Quebecer will be replaced in Buenos Aires by Mike Conway. A former test driver for the Honda team in 2008 and currently 33 years old, Conway already has a bit of experience in the discipline, having tested for the Dragon Racing team during the very first tests in the summer of 2014. Conway is currently a driver in Toyota’s official WEC program. He has also participated in several Indycar Series races and even won on the Long Beach street circuit in 2011.

Similarly, Nathanael Berthon leaves the ranks of Team Aguri. The Frenchman, who had also joined the discipline’s ranks during the off-season, has ended his commitment with the Japanese team. Berthon had an encouraging start to the season in Beijing with an eighth place finish, but the next two races were more chaotic with two retirements. However, he hasn’t lost hope of finding a drive for the rest of the season: « I am more determined than ever to continue my career in Formula E. I am confident about my participation in the Paris ePrix on April 23rd, and I hope to score points there! »

Finally, let’s welcome back Nick Heidfeld to the Mahindra team. After a hand injury sustained during the Putrajaya ePrix, the former Formula 1 driver missed the Punta del Este round, with former Formula Renault 3.5 champion, Briton Oliver Rowland, taking his place. Now fully recovered, he returns to his seat for the upcoming race this weekend in Buenos Aires.