Steven Lü

1. How would you describe TCR's performance this season? Were you expecting it to be this strong from the outset of this championship?We weren't expecting much when we first got our hands on the FE car. Our confidence grew only after a series of tests.

As for the races, I think we were a bit pushy in Beijing, and could have won second place in Malaysia if there was no an ­accident. Our team has ­developed some unique ways of fine-­tuning the car and that boosted our confidence and expectations a lot.

2. e.dams-Renault is now leading the team standings and has been one of the stronger competing teams this season. What are the reasons behind their success?

In FE, race cars are the same for every team in the inaugural season. And because of this, every little advantage counts.
Renault is involved in the development and testing of the racing car and should have tons of statistics at their disposal.

Lucas di Grassi from of Audi has been a test driver for the racing car, which helped him get to know more about the car than the other drivers.

3. TCR has been coming up really strong in recent races. What's the secret to your rise?

It's definitely a team effort. You can't ignore the contributions from our technicians. We're confident of the ­prospects of this championship and are hoping more and more ­Chinese technicians and ­drivers can join our team.

4. Next season, powertrain development will be open to eight manufacturers. But will there be too big a gap between teams like what we saw in F1?

In F1 you'd have one really rich and powerful team that has all the cutting-edge technologies and possibly win most of the races. But that's not going to happen in FE.

I believe our sets and configurations for the powertrain are different from other teams. We might have a slight advantage but need to be humble about this for now.

All teams are striving to develop the best powertrain not only for the performance of the car, but also for the future of electric vehicles.

5. What's your impression of the season? What's your most unforgettable race day?

We participated in many competitions and experienced ups and downs. With the maiden season ending on Sunday, I can tell you that FE has been a wonderful ride for us this year in terms of team operations, sponsorships and global impact.

For us, the most unforgettable race was definitely in Long Beach, California on April 4, when Piquet Jr ­emulated his father's success 35 years ago. We were prepared, but it still surprises you when it comes true.

6. How do you describe Piquet's performance so far?

We have had confidence in Nelson all along this season. Many teams wouldn't consider signing him because of his past with Renault in F1. But we thought this might actually encourage him to fight even harder.