Unsung hero: Albert Lau becomes first race engineer from Hong Kong to win a Formula E race
- The 39-year-old has a wealth of experience competing at the highest level in Europe
- Venturi move to fourth in the table, while HK race winner Mortara is fourth in the drivers’ standings thanks partly to Lau
While Edoardo Mortara and his Venturi racing team soaked up the accolades in Sunday’s Hong Kong E-Prix, Hong Kong-born Albert Lau was creating a slice of history of his own.
Lau is the first Hong Kong race engineer to win a Formula E race and he should also be credited for the team’s astounding success not only at Central Harbourfront but also in the series, where the Monaco-based team are lying fourth in the standings.
Swiss-Italian driver Mortara has made an impact in the drivers’ standings, his victory in Hong Kong lifting him to fourth place, just two points below DS Virgin’s Sam Bird, who was stripped of his title after nudging race leader Andre Lotterer, of Techeetah, on the penultimate lap on Sunday.
Mortara celebrated his maiden Formula E win and Venturi also won for the first time in what was the 50th Formula E race – and this is thanks largely to Europe-based Lau, the unsung hero in the midst of it all.
Lau manages the mechanics and the engineering aspects of the car that are specific to Mortara’s car. And this was made trickier by the weekend’s rain but Lau helped mastermind Venturi’s first triumph in 50 Formula E races.