SAM BIRD BRINGS HOME POINTS FROM MEXICO CITY FOR DS VIRGIN RACING

Having overcome the challenges of a dusty track during Free Practice One and Free Practice Two, both Sam Bird and Jean-Eric Vergne finished top of their qualifying groups, setting an optimistic tone in the DS Virgin Racing garage prior to the race.

Bird managed to achieve this despite having his qualifying lap disrupted by Nelson Piquet Jr crashing out at the first chicane and taking out the barriers. The Briton restarted his lap, but made a mistake on the last chicane that cost him 4/10 of a second and placed him further down the grid than his team-mate Vergne.

With Vergne starting the Mexico ePrix in P6 and Bird in P11, both drivers appeared to be in good form and were determined to move up the field.

As the lights turned green to cheering crowds, Vergne clashed with Dragon Racing’s Loic Duval heading into the first chicane, sending the DS Virgin Racing driver spinning and dropping him 11 places. He continued to race with a damaged car until his mandatory pit stop.

Despite his determination to recover from this setback, Vergne suffered more misfortune when a technical problem with his second car during the pit stop effectively brought his race to an end. The issue caused the Frenchman to slide to the back of the pack, placing him a lap down from his rivals and unable to recover.

Vergne commented: “Duval blocked me and I had nowhere to go, I was so far behind. I managed to make up those few places, the car was great today and I know for a fact as I was going as fast as I could in that respect. It was a different race for me after the problem in the pit-stop; when I left the pit-lane I was being lapped by the leaders. These things happen and I don’t intend to repeat what happened today. I am learning and I know I’m not having a great year but I envisage a long term relationship with DS Virgin Racing and I want to do better. One thing that did cheer up my day was the amazing atmosphere here. Such brilliant fans and spectators!”

Vergne’s team-mate Bird fought through the field to bring home points for the team, after starting in P10 and fighting for a further three places to finish in P6 after winner Lucas Di Grassi was disqualified after his Abt Schaeffler car was found to be underweight moving Bird from P7 to P6.

“It was a tough drive and the points we gained are invaluable. I know it perhaps wasn’t the ideal outcome overall for the team but we’re resilient and like Jev says, I believe we will only improve,” said Bird.

Both DS Virgin Racing drivers once again proved to be popular amongst the fans, finishing 3rd and 4th in the #Fanboost poll behind Lucas Di Grassi and local favourite Salvador Duran.

FIA Formula E Championship 2015-16 – Driver Standings

Pos

N°.

Driver

Team

Points

1

9

Sébastien BUEMI

Renault e.Dams

98

2

11

Lucas DI GRASSI

ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport

76

3

2

SAM BIRD

DS VIRGIN RACING FORMULA E TEAM

60

4

7

Jérôme D’AMBROSIO

Dragon Racing

58

5

6

Loïc DUVAL

Dragon Racing

44

6

8

Nicolas PROST

Renault e.Dams

38

7

27

Robin FRIJNS

Andretti Formula E Race Team

31

8

4

Stéphane SARRAZIN

Venturi Formula E Team

30

9

23

Nick HEIDFELD

Mahindra Racing Formula E Team

27

10

55

Antonio FELIX DA COSTA

Team Aguri

16

11

66

Daniel ABT

ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport

16

12

21

Bruno SENNA

Mahindra Racing Formula E Team

12

13

88

Oliver TURVEY

NEXTEV TCR Formula E Team

10

14

25

JEAN-ERIC VERGNE

DS VIRGIN RACING FORMULA E TEAM

6

15

1

Nelson PIQUET JR

NEXTEV TCR Formula E Team

4

16

77

Nathanaël BERTHON

Team Aguri

4

17

28

Simona DE SILVESTRO

Andretti Formula E Race Team

0

18

12

Jacques VILLENEUVE

Venturi Formula E Team

0

19

23

Oliver ROWLAND

Mahindra Racing Formula E Team

0

20

12

Mike CONWAY

Venturi Formula E Team

0

21

77

Salvador DURAN

Team Aguri

0

FIA Formula E Championship 2015-16 – Team Standings

Pos.

Team

Points

1

Renault e.Dams

136

2

Dragon Racing

102

3

ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport

92

4

DS VIRGIN RACING FORMULA E TEAM

66

5

Mahindra Racing Formula E Team

39

6

Andretti Formula E Race Team

31

7

Venturi Formula E Team

30

8

Team Aguri

20

9

NEXTEV TCR Formula E Team

14

For more information on the DS Virgin Racing Formula E Team, please visit the website:

http://www.ds-virginracing.com

FOLLOW DS ON TWITTER AT: www.twitter.com/ds_uk_official

FIND DS ON FACEBOOK AT: www.facebook.com/dsukofficial

FOLLOW DS ON INSTAGRAM AT: www.instagram.com/ds_uk

About Virgin group

Virgin is a leading international investment group and one of the world's most recognised and respected brands. Conceived in 1970 by Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Group has gone on to grow successful businesses in sectors ranging from mobile telephony, travel, financial services, leisure, music, holidays and health & wellness. Virgin employs more than 55,000 people, operating in over 50 countries and had global branded revenues of £15bn ($24bn) in 2013.

About DS Automobiles

A French brand born in Paris, DS Automobiles was officially founded on 1 June 2014. Its stated ambition is to revive the tradition of premium vehicles in the French automotive industry. Drawing on the very best of French know-how, DS Automobiles perpetuates the values of innovation and distinction inherited from the first DS, launched in 1955. Designed for customers looking for a means to express themselves as individuals, the DS range now comprises DS 3, DS 3 CABRIO, New DS 4 and DS 4 Crossback, New DS 5, DS 5LS* and DS 6*. The DS range stands out with exceptional styling, sensations and refinement down to the last detail, together with premium materials and advanced technology such as the Hybrid4 hybrid diesel drive train available on New DS 5. Marketed in Europe in DS Stores and dedicated showroom areas, DS has its own network of sales outlets in China. For customers, DS has come to represent a brand experience that goes beyond the product to include a range of exclusive premium services. The brand has sold more than 600,000 vehicles since launch. www.DSautomobiles.co.uk. Follow the latest DS news via @DS_UK_Official.

*Available in China only

About FIA Formula E Championship

Formula E is a ground-breaking FIA championship and the world’s first fully-electric racing series. It represents a vision for the future of the motor industry, serving as a framework for research and development around the electric vehicle, accelerating general interest in these cars and promoting sustainability. The first season began in Beijing in September 2014 and was completed in London in June 2015, racing in 10 major cities (11 races) around the world. The championship sees 10 teams, each with two drivers, going head-to-head to create a unique and exciting racing series designed to appeal to a new generation of motorsport fans. Season two got underway in October in Beijing when the series became an ‘open championship’ allowing approved manufacturers to develop new powertrain solutions. Future seasons will see the regulations open up further allowing manufacturers to focus on improving battery technology.

FIA & Michelin: Today’s partners for tomorrow’s mobility

As well as being the official Formula E tyre supplier, Michelin is an official partner, at the international level, of the FIA Action for Road Safety campaign. This program is designed to support the Decade of Action for Road Safety initiated by the UN, the aim of which is to save five million lives over the next ten years. This program is set up to educate and advocate for safer roads, vehicles and behaviours around the globe.