McLaren’s Ian James: Jake Hughes’ Strong Star a “testament to the hard work he’s put in”

Life in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship started well for the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, as the British side performed very well in the official pre-season test at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Valencia.

Across the week in Spain, rookie Jake Hughes and the returning René Rast completed an impressive 517 laps between them, with McLaren having been a regular side in the top six. Interestingly, the all-electric championship’s newest side fared better than the team they are a customer side of, with the Nissan Formula E Team having done nothing special during pre-season.

Despite this, NEOM McLaren Team Principal Ian James was pleased to see that Nissan have given them a “very solid basis” to start Season Nine and Gen3 from; however, James noted that there is “still a lot more learning to do”.

“We came to Valencia not knowing exactly what to expect. We didn’t have sight on how the other teams and manufacturers had been preparing for the event and have had little track time with the new generation of cars. I’m pleased to say that overall, we’ve had a successful few days of testing here. It’s been crucial given how little time we’ve had as a team to prepare for the season and how little track time we have been able to get with the Gen3 cars. So, it’s been very important for the drivers and the team to get in some good mileage.

“From a package perspective, the car performance has been promising. We’ve been able to see that Nissan have given us a very solid basis on which we can build on during Season 9. The team itself is getting used to the new generation of cars and the nuances of these cars. It comes with its own complexities, which we are just now starting to get to grips with. And we know there is still a lot more learning to do.”

Hughes was one of the stars of pre-season testing, with the rookie having adjusted to life in Formula E brilliantly. The British driver incredibly won a mock-race on Wednesday, suggesting that Hughes is certainly a driver to watch this season. Rast also performed strongly, considering that he hasn’t driven a Formula E car for sixteen months.

James hailed Hughes in particular as “very impressive”, whilst adding that Rast was “quick from the start” of the week in Valencia.

“We are very pleased also with the performance of the drivers so far. Jake has been very impressive in the way he’s been able to hit the ground running. It’s testament to the hard work he’s put in over the last few years as he gets used to Formula E as a championship. That will hopefully provide him with a foundation upon which he can build.

“For René, after being away from Formula E for around 16 months, he’s been quick from the start and he’s starting to get more comfortable with the car with every lap he does – a car that which is significantly different from the machinery that he’s been driving in the past. That being said, each session he’s been improving his pace already.”

“We now return to the UK for an intense couple of weeks, full of further preparations and analysis of data we have been able to collect, ahead of the first race of the season in January, in Mexico City.”