Karun Chandhok forced to retire from Argentina ePrix

Buenos Aires, Argentina, January: India's Karun Chandhok was forced to retire from the FIA Formula E race after a suspension failure caused him to crash on the streets of Buenos Aires in Argentina. However the team came away with a good haul of points when his Mahindra Racing team-mate Bruno Senna fought back to finish in 5th position after making up 14 positions over the course of the race.

Chandhok looked strong early on in both practice sessions after finishing in 4th & 6th positions respectively in Free Practice 1 & 2. Both Mahindra Racing drivers drew strong qualifying groups during the morning’s qualifying lottery with Chandhok taking to the third group and Senna the fourth – this would enable them a chance to view the rest of the grid’s times before heading out themselves.

Overall I’m not feeling great about the race however we’re going to move on and look forward to racing in Miami.

Karun Chandhok

Chandhok, who had been on form all day, set the 10th quickest time ensuring his starting position however a red flag disrupted Senna’s group leaving him to start on the back row of the grid.

With positions to gain both Mahindra Racing drivers were aiming for a storming race as they lined up on the grid. And as the lights went out Senna began to push hard and by the end of what was a clean lap for everybody the Brazilian racer was in 17th while Chandhok was holding strong in tenth. Over the next few laps the racing was fair before the first round of pit stops began.

Unfortunately for Chandhok his right rear suspension failed just before his pit stop which sent him in to the wall and out of the race. The resulting safety car brought a flurry of cars in to the pit lane including Senna; however when he left to return to the circuit he was painfully held at the end of the pit lane on a red light. The race at the front was a thriller with all three race leaders encountering problems which forced them to retire from the lead.

A disappointed Karun Chandhok commented: ‘I was right up there in the first half of the race and looking good for a very strong result however the right rear suspension failed on my car which ruined the race. I had taken that corner in the same way all day so it’s a little hard to understand and while it’s great to see Bruno making the most of the pace it’s a shame because we could have been up there with him. Overall I’m not feeling great about the race however we’re going to move on and look forward to racing in Miami.’

Team Principal Dilbagh Gill added: ‘It was a bit of a tough race for everyone and it was bad luck for Karun whose race was terminated due to a component failure. However the second half of the race improved a lot for the team with Bruno making up so many positions with a fantastic drive from his original starting position of 19th to finish 5th. We can be pleased with the that but we’re now chasing for a podium in Miami.’

Karun Chandhok