Robin Frijns heads to the inaugural Portland E-Prix this weekend expecting one of ABT CUPRA Formula E Team‘s “greatest strengths” to come in handy, “perfect teamwork”.
The 2022/23 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship returns to the United States this weekend for its first trip to Portland, where the race won’t take place on the streets of the city. Instead, FE will be racing on an actual circuit, the Portland International Raceway. With it being a fourth new venue of the season, everybody is once again entering the weekend “with a blank sheet of paper”, highlighting how significant being on track as long as possible will be.
Frijns goes into the twelfth round of the season having finished in the top ten for the first time this season in Jakarta, after finishing ninth in the first of two races. He had to settle for thirteenth in the second race, with it still marking a solid performance by the Dutchman.
Things are certainly looking up for ABT CUPRA after what’s been a challenging return to the series; however, Frijns believes their “perfect teamwork” to make their comeback happen in the recent rounds will be pivotal in Portland.
“It’s always exciting when everyone arrives with a blank sheet of paper and only knows the track from the simulator. It’s all about being on the track as much as possible in practice and at the same time preparing as best as possible for qualifying and the race in the short time available. That’s where perfect teamwork comes in – and that’s one of our greatest strengths in our difficult comeback season.”
“I think we’ll see a lot of slipstream duels” – Nico Müller
On the other side of the ABT CUPRA garage, Nico Müller came close to achieving a top ten finish himself in Jakarta, after the Swiss driver finished eleventh and twelfth across the two races. Despite missing out on the points, he was once again able to prove that the Kempten-based team are making progress, something he’ll be hoping to make more of in Portland.
Müller heads to the West Coast expecting a “lot of slipstream duels”, due to the fact that the venue this weekend is expected to be the fastest of the season. With it being a normal circuit, the drivers will be able to push to the absolute limit, without hitting a wall. With that in mind, Müller is expecting to be able to “use some kerbs” in Portland, whilst he reckons the race will see a lot of “position changes”.
“Portland is new Formula E territory for all the drivers and therefore super exciting. The track looks very fluid. I think we’ll see a lot of slipstream duels and position changes. It’s unusual for all of us that the walls are not right on the track and you might be able to use some curbs.”
Credit: ABT CUPRA Formula E Team