Nico Prost has admitted he needs to “up his game” to stay ahead of Mahindra’s Nick Heidfeld and Felix Rosenqvist in the championship fight.
The Renault e.dams driver is currently third in the drivers’ standings, but only three points ahead of yesterday’s race winner Felix Rosenqvist and six points ahead of Nick Heidfeld.
“Mahindra are putting in a really strong show since a few races, so we need to up our game,” he told Overtake Motorsport. “Obviously [at Tempelhof] they’re really strong, and we’re going to have two races, so it’s not the best for us, but lets see. Maybe tomorrow we can have a better race.”
Even with the challenge from those behind him, Prost is helping team mate Sebastien Buemi in his title fight. Buemi was behind Prost in the second stint of yesterday’s race, and the Frenchman moved aside to let the championship contender past.
“It’s going to be tight for him with Lucas [Di Grassi] so if he’s behind, I’ll help him,” Prost said after the race. “The team doesn’t need to ask; we’re working for the same team. We’ve been together for three years – it will be another two years. I’m sure if, in the future, it’s the other way round, he’ll help me.”
The decision to let Buemi past eventually had no impact on Prost’s finish. Buemi was later disqualified from the race, meaning Prost would take his second consecutive fifth place finish. He was also helped when Jean-Eric Vergne received a time penalty.
If neither penalty had occurred and Prost classified where he finished on track, he would have lost third in the championship to Rosenqvist. The team may be focusing on Buemi’s title fight, but another race like that could cost Prost valuable positions in his own battle.
Feature image credit: FIA Formula E Media
