Mike Conway made a positive return to Formula E at the Paris ePrix last weekend and showcased his skill around street circuits once again, despite no running prior to the weekend.
Stepping into the #6 Future Faraday Dragon Racing to replace Loic Duval, who was away with DTM duties, Mike Conway made his first return to the electric series since the 2015/16 season where he drove for Venturi Racing.
A new team, a new car and new tyres set the weekend up to be another learning experience for Mike Conway on his return. For his first session back in the sport, Mike ended free practice up in 7th place; a fantastic result that saw him finish half a second quicker than regular teammate, Jamie D’Ambrosio. For qualifying Mike again impressed by qualifying just outside the top-ten in 11th place, missing out on the ‘Super Pole shootout’ by just two tenths and again being the fastest Future Faraday Dragon Racing driver.
When the lights went out for the Paris ePrix, Mike got off to a good start, getting off the line well and keeping his position through the first few corners. As Mike was trying to get to grips with the racing conditions, he left the door open for teammate D’Ambrosio to get through and without risking damage with his stablemate, let the Belgian through.
A midrace crash between Lucas di Grassi and Antonio Felix da Costa saw the race officials deploy a Full Course Yellow as the damaged cars were recovered. All the drivers jumped straight into the pits as soon as they could and switched cars – apart from Mike. Making a bold call, Mike decided to stay out on track with still almost a third of his energy left in his first car.
Leading the pack provisionally, but the only driver yet to pit, Mike put the hammer down as the FCY ended. Mike cranked up the power and started to pull away from the pack, using the final blast of energy from his car.
Finally pitting on lap 26, Mike experienced his first car switch since his departure from the series in July 2016. A hasty stop saw Mike rejoin the action in 17th place but with a much larger percentage of power compared to the field.
The narrow street circuit made overtaking difficult for Mike and managed to make his way back up to 15th before Jean-Eric Vergne crashed out with a few laps remaining. With the final laps running under safety car, Mike wasn’t able to use his added power percentage to his benefit and crossed the finishing line in 14th place.
After a quick cameo with the Faraday Future Dragon Racing team, Mike now returns to his TOYOTA GAZOO RACING team to prepare for the showcase event of the year – the 24 Hours of Le Mans.