Kevin Siggy (BMW i Andretti Motorsport) saw his chances of narrowing Formula E: Accelerate standings leader Erhan Jajovksi's points advantage end in a half-spin in Round 4, with a frustrated, overzealous overtaking manoeuvre by his own admission.
The Slovenian's charge was hampered again last time out after the frustration of qualifying down in 11th spot, some four tenths of-a-second shy of Frederik Rasmussen's benchmark. Siggy tussled his way to 10th in Round 5 and just a solitary point, leaving himself with it all to do heading into the double points Grand Final on the new Rome E-Prix Circuit tonight (19:00 UTC).
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That saw Siggy stay third in the running, with a 36-point deficit to make up on Jajovski, so the Race at Home Challenge winner will be looking to dip into a bit of his Formula E esports magic with the destination of the Gen2 drive still to be decided. He won't give up the chase lightly, and he's feeling good around rFactor 2's new Rome circuit.
"Heading out of Electric Docks, I was really angry with myself so I just took myself away and focussed some time on other sims," said Siggy. "I usually start to prepare around Sunday and I gave it a couple of shots and really enjoyed Rome right away.
"It’s got a pretty good flow but it’s completely different to the Electric Docks. It’s much slower, much narrower and much more enjoyable to drive. Electric Docks is just high-speed corners and it’s super annoying to drive around. It’s going to be much harder in qualifying this week as it’s a longer track and it’s very bumpy – especially in the braking zones.
"It’s going to be a really tough challenge but it’ll be more fun to drive than last week’s event. I think it should suit me well and it’s a great addition to the sim. The famous jump will be tough into the next braking zone, and to go side by side there, especially if you’re being squeezed on the inside. It’ll be interesting to see who can nail the lap in qualifying.
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"I think the pressure is intense and it’s all on Erhan. If you miss by a tenth of a second, like he did in Berlin, you’re down in 10th position. I think he needs third spot to make sure of things but it’s natural he has that pressure as the championship leader.
"I know I can do it and I have the pace. My mentality is always the same; to try and put together the best race I can and try to win. The Ws are what I’ve always been about in nine years of my career and I’ve never backed down from any challenge – I never give up."
"It’s not over for me yet, I’m going to at least have a try and that’s going to be my mentality going into it. I’ve kind of lost it a little bit after Round 5 but I’m just going to give it my all in qualifying and I have a few tricks up my sleeve for ATTACK MODE activation. Pole is key and that’s what I have to practice most."
Rasmussen told us that the prizes on offer - a share of a €100,000 prize pool and a real-world Gen2 test drive - do help bring in the very best in sim racing, and with 24 elites on the grid, the competition has been intense.
For Siggy, already a winner of a drive in a current Formula E car after that Race at Home Challenge triumph, being top dog and representing a team like BMW i Andretti Motorsport has always been the aim.
READ MORE: Siggy strides to win in Formula E: Accelerate Round 3
"It’s not all about the prizes it’s about being the best," adds Siggy. "That’s what’s on my agenda most of all. I’m happy where I am with BMW i Andretti Motorsport here and with all the support I’m being shown but I will always be happiest when I am winning when the chance is there to be on top. It’s been really tough at the front, and I consider myself to be up there with the best in the Formula E sim.
"I know I can do it and I have the pace. My mentality is always the same; to try and put together the best race I can and try to win. The Ws are what I’ve always been about in nine years of my career and I’ve never backed down from any challenge – I never give up."