Shot over 10 hours in thunderstorm conditions in the abandoned streets and walkways of Manchester’s Media City, the video opens with a panning shot through a lightning storm and across a pitch dark harbour. Out of the darkness emerges hints of a DS Virgin Racing car, complete with new Season 3 Livery.
DS Virgin Racing driver Sam Bird – winner of three pole positions in the 2015-16 season and fourth ranked driver globally for Formula E appears alongside DS Virgin Racing’s new 2016 driver José María López, a nine-time world champion across seven different racing categories, known in the racing community and his Argentinian homeland as “Pechito”, or ‘The Cold One’ for his aggressive driving style. The pair walk through the darkened streets, before the footage cuts to the cars, alternately screaming through abandoned streets in the rain and speeding around corners, reflections of updated livery sliding off of glass buildings and wet roads.
The big reveal comes around the 60 second mark, where a driver performing 360 degree water-spraying doughnuts dramatically unveils the DS Virgin Racing season 3 livery, complete with a unique new pattern effect stretching across the chrome, and a brighter, more vibrant version of purple, which has become the signature colour of the team in Formula E. The new front wing, in a stacked double decker design, is also a stunning addition to the racing car, and looks amazing in the colours of the DS Virgin Racing team.
Throughout the video, shifting slow and rapid motion cuts between stuttered audio and bassy electronica. Weaved between all of this is the unmistakable, turbine-like whine of the Formula E engines as the cars tear through the silent streets: hinting at the pop-up, street takeover nature of Formula E race tracks.
“The video took all night to shoot! We were trying to get the cut just right. If we had an energy drink partner, it would have been a great proof of concept for the product. As it was, we were and are absolutely thrilled with the result, and hope that fans of the team will love it as much as we do” a member of the team commented.
There’s little denying the tight anticipation building in advance of Hong Kong with less than two weeks to go until the beginning of season three of motorsport’s newest creation: Formula E.