Heading to Sanya off the back of a victory in Hong Kong, Susie Wolff has emphasised that there is "no room for complacency" within her Venturi squad as the team searches for further success in the Asian leg of Formula E's 2018/19 campaign.
The Hong Kong E-Prix marked Venturi's maiden Formula E victory, with Edoardo Mortara inheriting the win after original victor Sam Bird was handed a five-second time penalty post-race after the British driver collided with DS Techeetah's Andre Lotterer on the penultimate lap.
While Mortara's win marks the first time that both the driver and the team have stood on the top step of the podium, it also ensures that Venturi has been propelled into the fight for the Drivers' Championship, with the Swiss-Italian street circuit specialist only two points shy of the top of the standings.
With Felipe Massa completing the top five as a result of Bird's penalty, Venturi left Hong Kong with the largest haul of points on the grid, jumping from sixth in the Teams' Championship to fourth, 31 points adrift of Envision Virgin Racing who currently lead.
Despite this position to challenge Formula E's top teams, Team Principal Susie Wolff has expressed the importance for the team to avoid being complacent in the run to the inaugural Sanya E-Prix this weekend:
"Hong Kong went very well for us and whilst we definitely took time to celebrate our result, we were back to the business of preparing for Sanya very quickly," she said.
"We’re a comparatively small, tight team and there’s no room for complacency. We mustn’t forget that we’re only five races down, we still have eight races to go so our focus remains firmly forward and on the immediate and unique challenge that Sanya presents.
"The car is running well and we will arrive at the track in Sanya fully determined, ready to push hard and do our best," she added.
Formula E's most recent winner, Mortara, heads to Sanya off the back of two consecutive podium finishes and insisted that Venturi remains grounded in its approach to racing:
"Of course, we’re coming off the back of three good weekends, but we have to keep our feet on the ground, remain focused and continue to make improvements to our car," he explained.
"There’s no doubt that we are heading in the right direction and making progress at every race but there’s no room for error. The entire team is working extremely hard every day."
Following the coastline of the South China Sea, situated on the island of Hainan, the Sanya Street Circuit will pose a new challenge for drivers, with the coastal location meaning that the track will have little grip due to the presence of sand while the two long straights that form the layout will increase energy usage.
Addressing the circuit's two long straights, Felipe Massa highlighted this as a potential challenge on race day, with anticipated high energy consumption placing increased emphasis on the importance of regeneration:
“This will be my first time in Sanya and just two weeks after the race in Hong Kong, I’m delighted at the thought of encountering the Chinese fans again – they are so full of energy and positivity," said Massa.
"We’ve scored important points during the last three races, which highlights our current form. We have to continue along this path, and always keep improving.
"I hope that we’ll be competitive on this track, which is quite different from the last two. Its two long straight stretches offer an interesting challenge in terms of energy consumption and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do."
