Envision Virgin Racing have confirmed that both Sam Bird and Robin Frijns will remain with the team for season 6 of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.
During season 5, Bird and Frijns recorded six podiums to secure another 3rd place for Envision Virgin Racing in the Teams’ Championship as well as becoming the only teammates on the grid to both take victories during the season. Virgin’s partnership with Audi Sport will continue and their new Audi e-tron FE06 sports an updated version of their usual purple, silver and red colour scheme.
“I’m excited for season six,” said Bird. “As a team we really showed that our experience in Formula E is a huge strength last season and with a top three finish I think we can continue to use this and push forward.”
“It’s great to have Robin back with the team for a second season and in our new-look race suits I think we look great. The team, and our partners, have worked incredibly hard over the summer and are ready to head to Valencia for pre-season testing.”
His teammate Frijns is glad to be staying with the team and also looking to build on last season’s momentum, saying “It’s great to be continuing with the team for a second season of Formula E.”
“Season five was a real learning curve, as it was for all drivers with the introduction of the Gen2 car, so I’m excited to see what this new season has to offer. We ended last season on a high – with my season finale win in New York City – and we want to continue this momentum. We’ve worked hard over the summer period and are now looking forward to pre-season testing in Valencia.”
Envision Virgin Racing’s Managing Director, Sylvain Filippi, believes that continuing with Bird and Frijns, as well as Envision and Audi, is the key to success for the team.
“Formula E has become the most competitive championship in the world,” said Filippi. “And with new manufacturers joining – alongside those we were competing against in season five – having consistency is key for the team.”
“Retaining our strong driver line-up has allowed us to focus all our efforts on the upcoming season and to really utilise our knowledge and experience. Having concluded an extremely successful first full season with Envision Group, we’re now looking ahead to the upcoming seasons where we can develop our team experience, both as a team and with our partners.”
Vice President of Envision Group and Chairman of the Board of Envision Virgin Racing, Franz Jung, has been impressed with the team after their first year together and is excited to see what next season has to bring.
“The team really solidified its technical prowess with third place in the teams’ championship in season five and gained a large wealth of experience in the new era of Formula E,” said Jung.
“The Envision Group and I have been extremely impressed by the progress made by the team since becoming majority owner, especially with the limited testing that an independent team has and are excited to see what our second year together has to offer.”
“It shows the commitment that every member of the team has given, and continues to give, as the championship grows. We are confident that we will continue to be even more competitive in the upcoming season.”
