Venturi in the running, still with Sarrazin as reference

The Monegasque structure is part of the Venturi group, a manufacturer of electric vehicles. The founders of the team are Gildo Pallanca Pastor… and American actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who is still one of the team’s major shareholders. During the 2014/2015 season, the team reached the podium once through Nick Heidfeld, during the Moscow race.

For the 2015/2016 season, the team once again managed to step onto the podium at Long Beach, with Stéphane Sarrazin. Notably, they showed significant progress by finishing sixth in the constructors’ standings with a total of 77 points, despite the premature departure of Jacques Villeneuve, who only participated in the first four races before being replaced by Mike Conway, who brought in 6 points over the last 6 races.

With its blend of experience and freshness (brought by rookie Mario Engel), the Monegasque team aims higher this year after a more convincing second campaign: aiming to challenge the big players in the championship.

In any case, the new Venturi was inaugurated as it should be, by Prince Albert II of Monaco himself. The Regent of the Principality drove the electric car in front of the media, gathered for the occasion in the private gardens of the Prince’s Palace.

A great sports enthusiast, Prince Albert II firmly believes in the future of the discipline. Needless to say, he is quite proud of his team, based solely in Monaco, in the district of Fontvieille.

VenturiGP season lauch @palaismonaco with #PrinceAlbert
“Hopefully Venturi will play the top positions throughout the season.” pic.twitter.com/T1s3aWZUAh

— Venturi FormulaETeam (@VenturiGP) 26 septembre 2016

« We hope to see the Venturi cars fight for the top spots and victory. » he stated to the journalists present on site. « You know how attached I am to electric mobility and renewable energies. I would be very proud if the team manages to make the colors of the Principality shine! »

Let’s remind ourselves that the Venturi brand is a reference in the electric world, having recently set the new world speed record for an electric car, the Venturi VBB-3, which reached the phenomenal mark of 549.43 km/h! So, will the team’s drivers be inspired by such an achievement?

@FOXSports https://t.co/ViOJv4k85v #EWSR #Venturi #VBB3 @OSUCtrAutoRsrch @OSUengineering @OEEatOSU @GvtMonaco @MEB_Monaco

— @Venturi Automobiles (@venturi) 25 septembre 2016

Maro Engel: The 31-year-old German driver is new to the discipline and will have to quickly adapt to single-seaters that are difficult to master and weekend formats with limited track time. This observation is even more reinforced by the fact that his last experience in single-seaters is quite old, dating back to 2007 in British F3, where he finished as runner-up. For several years now, he had turned towards GT racing but mainly Touring Car in DTM and V8 Supercar. However, he will be able to benefit from his team’s experience and his teammate’s expertise. One of the five rookies of the season can already boast quite satisfactory times during the Private Tests held at Donington!

Stéphane Sarrazin: The 41-year-old French driver, the oldest in the championship, is returning for a third consecutive season with Venturi. His first season proved quite difficult as his best result was a sixth place in Berlin. He finished this first season with 22 points and a fourteenth place overall. His second campaign was more fruitful with a podium in Long Beach, seventy points, and a sixth place overall. The Frenchman has raced in many disciplines including F1 as a test driver for Prost GP and a race with Minardi in 1999, and he is currently part of Toyota’s official program in WEC since 2012. The last season was very convincing for the native of Gard, which opens excellent prospects for season 3. His performance will also depend on the capabilities of his car, which, if effective, could allow him to excel and perform more consistently.

Great end to @FIAformulaE testing at Donnington with P2 in the last session @VenturiGP #VenturiGP #FormulaE pic.twitter.com/vbmmlcT9LW

— Maro Engel (@MaroEngel) 25 août 2016