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Edoardo Mortara
Practice 1 // P16
Practice 2 // P7
Qualifying // P18
Race // P13
Championship // P11 [32 points]
Norman Nato
Practice 1 // P15
Practice 2 // P24
Qualifying // P10
Race // P14
Championship // P23 [11 points]
ROKiT Venturi Racing
Championship // P10 [43 points]
In a landmark event for Formula E, ROKiT Venturi Racing returned to its roots to contest the Monaco E-Prix – the crown jewel of Season 7.
Carrying the pride of the Principality, clear promise and potential was shown throughout practice which preceded qualifying for Round 7.
From Group 2, Edoardo Mortara took P18 on the starting grid while Norman Nato secured P10 from Group 4, falling only 0.1-seconds short of the Super Pole shootout.
A two place grid penalty demoted Norman to P12, and amidst a chaotic opening lap, the Frenchman picked up damage which afflicted his steering throughout the race.
Edo, meanwhile, made an impressive start to gain five positions from the outset, progressing to P13 in only one lap with his sights firmly set on the top 10.
Dueling with Andre Lotterer and Lucas di Grassi, Edo quickly moved forward to P11 before alate safety car created a six-minute + 1 lap sprint to the finish.
In a hotly contested fight, Edo advanced to the points-paying positions and was closing in on P9 when, in the penultimate corner of the final lap, the Swiss-Italian was struck from the side.
This pushed Edo down to P13 when the chequered flag waved while Norman, in the face of a difficult recovery drive, took P14.
“Season 7 so far has been eventful and today’s race was no exception. Overtaking in Monaco is notoriously difficult, and from P12 and P18 on the grid, we knew that we faced an uphill battle. Edo was able to make a very good start and made up five positions on the opening lap but contact damaged Norman’s steering which effectively ended his race before it had even begun. Edo fought forward and was in a position to score points but, unfortunately, he was hit on the final lap with only two corners to go. It was just one of those races, but we’ll continue to work hard and learn from today so we can bounce back and aim for the results that I know we’re capable of achieving in Mexico.”
“Overall, today was quite frustrating because we had very good pace from practice that we failed to capitalise on. A difficult qualifying session meant that we started in P18 and because overtaking is so challenging in Monaco, I knew that we were in for a tough race. Despite this, I made a good start, navigated my way through the trouble and gained five positions on the first lap. From there, I was closing in on the top 10 and on the final lap, tried to make the most of the chaos in front of me. I went for it but was hit quite hard in Rascasse and that was it. Points could have been possible today but ultimately, we’ll never know. Finishing P11 or P13, it’s the same and doesn’t make a difference – it’s about seizing every opportunity and going for it. There are positives to take from this weekend though and we’ll bounce back in Puebla.”
“My pace in qualifying was quite good and I was only one-tenth away from Super Pole but a two-place penalty pushed me further into the field. The start to the race was quite chaotic and the cars in front of me were running side-by-side, three wide. To avoid one of the cars, [Sebastien] Buemi had to turn and he touched the front of my car. This damaged my steering, in the hairpin, I could barely turn and from there, my race was pretty much over. We’ll learn from today and for sure, we will bounce back at the next race in Mexico.”
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