Formula E returns to London this weekend for Rounds 12 and 13 of Season 7, at the ExCeL centre in the heart of the city's historic docklands.
NIO 333 - with its strong British contingent including Oliver Turvey and Tom Blomqvist - can't wait to hit the streets of the English capital after five years away.
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A points-double in Rome is Blomqvist's season high so far, and he's eyeing the opportunity to nick some more in London - at what'll be a completely new challenge for all 24 drivers, and a unique one with its indoor/outdoor layout.
'Heads down and keep the faith'
“We've had a short turnaround after New York," said Blomqvist. "It's great that we can finally return to London, as it’s another iconic city. It’s really cool that Formula E gets to race in the capital again after so many years.
"The circuit looks super tight, twisty and technical, with slow speed sections, so it’s going to be quite challenging in terms of getting the car set up right and over taking might be slightly difficult from what I have seen running on the sim.
"I think that it’s going to be another typical Formula E event – you’ve got to maximise what you’ve got. The track is going to pose new challenges, and we just have to keep our heads down and not lose faith. As a team we are giving it our all, as we have been doing all season long, and hopefully in London we can nip a few more points and have a good weekend.”
Home comforts
Turvey was there last time out in 2016, managed points in two out of four encounters at the Battersea Park circuit. The 34-year-old has been working hard in the short turnaround since the chequered flag fell on a disappointing weekend in New York City. Two retirements there quashed early-weekend pace, but he's hopeful the team have put things right in the interim.
“I’m really excited to be able to race in London again!" says Turvey. "As a British driver, it will be special to be able to race in the capital city in front of home fans.
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"The new track at the ExCeL looks challenging with half indoor and half outdoor making it unique. I've worked hard with the engineers in the simulator to prepare for this new circuit and we've made progress over the last races, so I hope to be able to show this in London and achieve the best result possible for the team.”
“I am so excited to be racing in London for the first time in my career. I joined NIO in 2017 and in all that time I have yet to race in this iconic city, something that has been a childhood dream," adds Team Principal Christian Silk.
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"The circuit itself is going to be really challenging. We are used to tight, technically challenging tracks, but I think this circuit is going to take that to a new level. With an emphasis on slow speed corners the teams are going to have to work on maximizing the grip in tight corners to give maximum apex speed and good traction on exit.
"With London doing such an amazing job of encouraging electric mobility and improving air quality, it will be great to show the high-performance side of electrification in the capital.”