Sylvain Filippi, Managing Director of Envision Virgin Racing is remaining “cautiously optimistic” about his team’s chances as Formula E heads to Santiago for the third race of season six. 

Virgin Racing has had a strong start to the season with Sam Bird winning the season opener in Diriyah, with team-mate Robin Frijns finishing in fifth. 

Although season five saw Bird claim victory in Santiago, Filippi knows other teams in the series have had the chance to catch up over the past year leaving him feeling cautious about the race this year. 

“Last season we proved that we were able to manage the high temperatures and able to control the situation very well, however other teams had a year to learn, and catch-up, with us so we’re cautiously optimistic heading into the Santiago E-Prix.” 

Despite already proving they are strong enough to win races this year Filippi knows the team needs to keep these performances up this season.

He said “We’ve got one win under our belts this season but as we’ve seen previously, consistency is key in Formula E.”

Thinking back to the race last year Bird recalls how special the victory was for him but also how similar conditions will be this year. 

“Winning in Santiago last year was spectacular, the race itself was both physically and mentally demanding which made the win even more special.

“It looks like we’ll be battling with very similar conditions again so it’s likely that battery and tyre temperatures will play an important role in the strategy for the race.”

He added that all the preparation put in ahead of the race has left him feeling confident in producing a similar outcome this weekend. 

“We proved that we’ve got the experience to manage the external factors last time out and I feel confident going into race week, with all the preparation I have done with the team, so I’m positive that we can show our true capabilities again,” he said.

Team-mate Frijns is excited to see what result he can produce in Chile after finishing fifth in the race last year. 

“Last season I managed to move up 10 places during the race and the layout changes to this circuit seem to be more conducive to overtaking so I’m excited to see what I can do out on track.”

“As with last year, tyre degradation is going to be high, arguably one of the highest all season, so it’s going to be interesting and for sure, an exciting race to watch for the fans,” he added.