Nelson Piquet Jr. is looking forward to returning to Long Beach next weekend, one year on from claiming his first Formula E victory.
Piquet followed in his father’s footsteps to win at the famous street course upon Formula E’s first visit to Long Beach, kicking off a run of form that would take him to the championship.
Although the struggles faced by NEXTEV TCR in season two mean that Piquet stands little chance of repeating his win, but he is still looking forward to returning to Long Beach.
“It’s a race and track that I really like. It’s an iconic circuit and, having lived and raced in America for six years, I love the country so it feels like a home track,” Piquet said.
“Our reality this season is that we won’t be fighting at the front unfortunately so we will go and do the best that we can.
“We have the same approach to each race this season. We are working hard to see what improvements we can make race-to-race and we are trying different strategies to try to get the best possible out of the weekends. If we can finish in the points it would be good for us.”
Reflecting on his 2015 victory, Piquet said that if felt particularly special to have emulated his father 35 years later.
“It was very special. For a few races I knew we were competitive enough to achieve it and we were just waiting for that win, but it almost felt like it was meant to be that weekend, it was a great moment,” Piquet said.
“It was at Long Beach that my father had won his first F1 race 35 years previously and I was wearing a replica design of his Formula 1 helmet there, which meant a lot. I also won my first FanBoost, so it was a very key weekend.
“In the race I had everything under control, the start was amazing, the car was great and we found something that won us the race.”
The Long Beach ePrix takes place on April 2.