Preview: 2017 New York ePrix

July is now upon us, and with it the penultimate and most hotly-anticipated stop on the 2017–18 Formula E calendar—New York City.

It’s a shame, really, that given New York’s billing as this season’s headline event (sorry, Montréal), the championship leader Sébastien Buemi will not be present at either race this weekend. His Toyota WEC priorities have hardly come as a surprise, and in his place Formula E will get to welcome another exciting young talent in the form of Red Bull junior Pierre Gasly, but for one of the sport’s box office stars to miss an event like New York is still regrettable.

But on a more positive note, the impact of Formula E’s clash with the WEC’s 6 Hours of the Nürburgring has proven to be much less than first expected. Of the half-dozen drivers previously at risk of skipping the New York round, only Buemi and his Toyota LMP1 teammate José María López will in fact leave vacant seats—meaning Gasly and DS Virgin reserve Alex Lynn will be the only new faces on the grid this weekend. Sam Bird, Nelson Piquet, Nico Prost and Jean-Éric Vergne have all opted to forego the fourth round of the WEC and contest New York instead.

Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E

The other upside to Buemi’s absence is that it naturally opens the way for a fresh change to the podium predictions. Lucas di Grassi will obviously be among the favourites to capitalise on his title rival’s double booking, and a pair of strong top three results would even see him assume the lead of the championship before the final round in Canada.

But if the previous round in Berlin is anything to go by, di Grassi will more than have his hands full keeping back the rapid Mahindra pair of Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld, the former of whom scored his and the team’s first victory last time out and will surely be eager for more of the same. Vergne also ought to pose a major threat at the front in New York with his Renault-powered Techeetah, as will his former DS Virgin teammate Bird, and nor can Prost be discounted; although the Renault driver has yet to finish on the podium this season, Prost is the only man to have scored in every round so far and is a proven ePrix winner.

Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E

The presence of two rookies at Renault and DS Virgin may also present an opportunity for some of the midfield teams to take a larger bite at the top ten than usual this weekend.

Such an opening will be especially attractive to Dragon Racing, currently languishing at the bottom of the standings and looking for a first points finish since Buenos Aires. But with only a handful of points splitting Dragon from Jaguar, Venturi and Andretti ahead of them, it will be a close fight between their respective drivers to see who comes out on top.

Jaguar and Venturi would seem to have the current edge in that regard, with Mitch Evans and Maro Engel contributing heavily to their teams’ rising points totals of late. But Andretti’s pairing of da Costa and Frijns is capable of brilliance on the right day, such as their fifth- and sixth-placed finishes in Hong Kong, and Dragon’s two-time ePrix winner Jérôme d’Ambrosio is no slouch either.

Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E

Formula E title blown open in Berlin

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Round 7 – Berlin ePrix, Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, Germany.
Saturday 10 June 2017.
Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Mahindra Racing, Spark-Mahindra, Mahindra M3ELECTRO, celebrates after winning the race.
Photo: Andrew Ferraro/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _FER1353

When the Formula E circus arrived at Tempelhof Airport for the double-header Berlin ePrix, there were few who would have bet against Sébastien Buemi running away into the lead and adding another two ePrix victories to his season three tally.

But instead the weekend saw Buemi forced onto the back foot almost immediately, as his Renault powertrain appeared to suffer a serious lack of drivability around the Tempelhof circuit compared to the likes of Mahindra and DS Virgin. Buemi was fastest in first practice but only a scruffy ninth in the second session, and when qualifying for race one came around he was not only knocked out in the group stages but lined up well off the mark in fourteenth position.

His woes were compounded when title rival Lucas di Grassi went on to claim his second pole position of the season, thus taking three points out of Buemi’s lead before the first race had even begun.

When the lights went out it looked as though it was only a matter of laps before di Grassi took another bite from that lead to the tune of 25 points for victory. The Brazilian was unopposed off the line thanks to second-placed starter José María López faltering and slipping back down the order, and with free air ahead of him set about stretching his legs ahead of Mahindra’s Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld, who duly assumed the remaining podium positions at the start.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Round 7 – Berlin ePrix, Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, Germany.
Saturday 10 June 2017.
Lucas Di Grassi (BRA), ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, Spark-Abt Sportsline, ABT Schaeffler FE02, leads at the start of the race.
Photo: Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _X0W8808

But although di Grassi was able in the early stages to lead by over two seconds, he was forced to back off as high battery temperatures and tyre wear began to affect his ABT Schaeffler-Audi. As the race approached its midway point, di Grassi’s lead over Rosenqvist had been reduced to nothing, and on the lap before they entered the pits the Swede went around the outside of Turn 1 to assume the lead of the race.

Rosenqvist then held on to that lead for the remaining laps, even extending it to two seconds by the end as di Grassi continued to struggle with the handling of his ABT, and at the end of 44 laps crossed the line to take his and Mahindra’s maiden Formula E series win. Di Grassi held on to second and edged another eighteen points closer to Buemi, and Nick Heidfeld finished third to complete Mahindra’s first-ever double podium.

Initially, Buemi looked to ward off di Grassi’s advances in the standings by making a supreme recovery drive from fourteenth to fifth, netting him ten points. But after the race it was found that all eight tyres on both his cars were below the minimum pressure and Buemi was excluded from the results. With grip and degradation playing such a key role in the race, there’s little doubt that these lower tyre pressures gave Buemi a huge helping hand in passing half the field—though quite how a team as well-oiled as Renault e.Dams allowed such a costly mistake to occur is something of a mystery.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Round 7 – Berlin ePrix, Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, Germany.
Saturday 10 June 2017.
Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16.
Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _J6I8087

Sam Bloxham/LAT/FIA Formula E

This left Buemi with it all to do in the second race, with the possibility looming over him of losing not only points but even the championship lead to di Grassi. But any signs that the defending champion was feeling the pressure had apparently disappeared overnight. In the second round of qualifying Buemi looked his usual self again as he planted his Renault on the front row of the grid—despite there being nothing he nor anyone could do to stop Saturday’s winner Rosenqvist from storming to Sunday’s pole.

Nevertheless, that front row start turned out to be all Buemi needed to return to the top step of the podium. Although Rosenqvist remained out in the lead from lights to flag, a strategy stumble in the Mahindra garage saw the Swedish driver almost collect his teammate as he exited the pits, and the resulting ten-second unsafe release penalty meant Buemi had only to keep sight of Rosenqvist’s gearbox to inherit his victory.

Unfortunately for Buemi, however, he and Rosenqvist were also joined on the podium by Lucas di Grassi—the Brazilian had a quiet but profitable second race, rising from seventh on the grid to third at the flag, although he was too far adrift from the front to pick off another position from Rosenqvist’s penalty. Di Grassi’s double podium means that, even with Buemi’s 25 points on Sunday, the gap at the top of the standings has dropped to 32 points, and that could well be enough to change the lead of the championship when Buemi misses the next round in New York.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Round 8 – Berlin ePrix, Tempelhof Airport, Berlin, Germany.
Sunday 11 June 2017.
Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Mahindra Racing, Spark-Mahindra, Mahindra M3ELECTRO, congratulates Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16.
Photo: Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _X0W1575

Rosenqvist also benefited enormously this weekend, not only in taking his first win but in scoring more points in Berlin than at the previous six races combined, and he has surged from sixth to third in the championship. With four races left to go it would take something spectacular for the rookie to form a title bid off the back of his maiden ePrix victory, but there’s no doubt now that he will continue to be a serious contender for seasons to come.

DS Virgin also had an encouraging weekend in Berlin—despite missing out on the podium, both Bird and López made it into the Super Pole shootout on both occasions and converted those starts into two double points hauls for the team, López leading them home with a fourth- and fifth-place finish respectively.

By contrast, Techeetah had an off-colour weekend at best as its cars suffered the same drivability issues as the factory Renault machines. Jean-Éric Vergne could only manage two lower points finishes from his dual Super Pole appearances, whilst new signing Stéphane Sarrazin was unable to get to grips with his new car in time to score points, and took a best finish of eleventh on Saturday.

With the usual form-book shaken up in Berlin, the Formula E title race now heads into the unknown as it prepares to close out with inaugural races in New York and Montréal. There will be many questions over the coming weeks as to whether Renault’s Tempelhof form was a temporary blip, or if Mahindra and ABT can get close enough to the front to spoil Buemi’s party—but whilst we wait for answers, we can at least be sure that the fight for the 2016–17 Championship is still far from over.

James Matthews, Deputy Editor

Formula E: 2017 Berlin ePrix Preview

The calendar is now in June, and that means the 2016–17 Formula E championship has reached its halfway point. Having passed through Hong Kong, Marrakesh, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Monaco and Paris, there remain only three more rounds and six more races, in the form of double headers in Berlin, New York and Montreal.

2014/2015 FIA Formula E Championship.
Formula E Race.
Berlin e-Prix, Berlin, Germany, Europe.
Saturday 23 May 2015
Photo: Adam Warner/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _L5R8477

Last year, the Berlin ePrix represented a massive swing in the championship stakes, as Sébastien Buemi put a halt to Lucas di Grassi’s streak of wins and closed up to one point behind the Brazilian going into the final round in London.

With Buemi’s win tally almost perfect this season, it’s hard to imagine the championship leader doing anything other than repeating that result again this weekend, perhaps even in both races. What makes things even more ominous for the rest of the field is that Buemi also comes to Berlin off the back of two pole positions in Monaco and Paris.

However, even with the level at which Buemi is currently performing, his and Renault’s rivals can draw some inspiration from the fact that the championship leader will be under supreme pressure to win this weekend. After Berlin the calendar moves to the infamous WEC-clashing round in New York, from which Buemi will be absent and leaving a considerable open goal so late in the title race.

And although Buemi’s buffer to di Grassi in the standings is currently the largest it’s been all season, at 43 points it’s still not enough to cover off the possibility of di Grassi taking away a maximum points haul in New York.

That makes it imperative for the championship leader to win at least one, if not both, of the races in Berlin—but as we’ve seen many times before, when the pressure mounts Buemi often becomes overwhelmed, allowing his more collected rivals to land some heavy blows amidst his distraction.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Qatar Airways Paris ePrix, France.
Saturday 20 May 2017.
Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16, on the grid.
Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _J6I9038

But of course, it’s not all about Buemi and di Grassi this weekend, and of the eighteen other drivers heading to Tempelhof Airport, Stéphane Sarrazin will certainly be one to watch. The Frenchman has scored points only twice this season and sits last of the full-time drivers in the standings, but this weekend his chances of a top ten finish will be vastly improved as he moves up from Venturi to Techeetah, taking over the former car of Esteban Gutiérrez as the Mexican leaves Formula E to join the IndyCar series.

Sarrazin’s move means rookie Tom Dillmann gets another chance to show his abilities following his eighth-place finish substituting for Maro Engel at the last race in Paris. Dillmann had been eyeing up a full-time drive in Formula E for season four, and with Sarrazin on the move it looks like his future at Venturi is secure for now.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Qatar Airways Paris ePrix, France.
Saturday 20 May 2017.
Tom Dillmann (FRA), Venturi, Spark-Venturi, Venturi VM200-FE-02.
Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _W6I9760

Also worth keeping an eye on both in Berlin and for the rest of the season are those drivers in and around the top ten in the standings. Mahindra’s Nick Heidfeld and Felix Rosenqvist are matched closely with Jean-Éric Vergne in the battle for fourth place, whilst two points separate Sam Bird and Nelson Piquet in seventh and eighth respectively. Bird’s teammate José María López has launched himself into the top ten at last after taking his first podium in Paris, and is just two points clear of a consistent Daniel Abt.

Below them, Robin Frijns and Oliver Turvey are in a fight to head the second page of the standings with Jaguar’s Mitch Evans. Although the British marque has had a slow start to Formula E, neither Evans nor Adam Carroll can be discounted from the points anymore now that Jaguar appears to have settled into the demands of the series and is hunting Andretti for seventh in the Teams’ Championship.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Qatar Airways Paris ePrix, France.
Saturday 20 May 2017.
Mitch Evans (NZL), Jaguar Racing, Spark-Jaguar, Jaguar I-Type 1.
Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _W6I8428

James Matthews, Deputy Editor

Renault rumoured for Formula E exit; Nissan to take over

FIA Formula E Hong Kong e-Prix.
First Practice Session.
Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16.
Hong Kong Harbour, Hong Kong, Asia.
Sunday 9 October 2016.
Photo: Adam Warner / FE / LAT
ref: Digital Image _L5R7464

 

Defending teams’ champions Renault could be set to exit Formula E at the end of the current season, leaving the e.Dams team to be rebranded as a works Nissan outfit for season four.

This is according to information from German news site Motorsport-Total.com, which reported earlier this week that Nissan has been preparing itself to enter the series since the winter of 2016.

Talk of Nissan competing in Formula E is nothing new. During season two, the Japanese company was one of many automotive giants alongside BMW and Mercedes said to be investigating an entry in the all-electric series—it was even reported by Autosport that Nissan was in talks to join in the current 2016–17 season as a powertrain supplier, most likely with Techeetah.

But such a move would have required the approval of Renault, with whom Nissan has been in a commercial alliance since 1999. It is understood the two companies were concerned about the negative impact of competing against their own sister brand on the same stage, in a scenario similar to Audi and Porsche in the WEC, and so Nissan’s participation in Formula E was put on hold.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Buenos Aires ePrix, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Saturday 18 February 2017.
Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _X0W5504

But since then, the Renault-Nissan Alliance has reportedly been planning a restructure of its respective motorsport involvements. On the one hand, Renault Sport has redoubled its involvement in Formula One, and as it targets its first Grand Prix win as a marque since 2008 is said to be eyeing any resources that could freed up from its other commitments.

Nissan, meanwhile, currently competes in numerous touring car championships including Super GT and VASC, but has been without a global “top tier” programme since the collapse of its LMP1 outfit in 2015. As the company expands its range into electric vehicles with models such as the Leaf and the e-NV200, and especially as the Asian market grows increasingly lucrative for EV manufacturers, it is believed Nissan views Formula E as the ideal way to return its NISMO division to the world stage.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Saturday 13 May 2017.
Nicolas Prost (FRA), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16.
Photo: Malcolm Griffiths/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image MALC0321

If Renault e.Dams were to become a factory Nissan team for next season, it is unclear how far-reaching those changes may be. It’s likely that, given the timing of the change, Nissan would simply rebadge Renault’s developed season four powertrain and concentrate through the year on producing its own bespoke unit for 2018–19; likewise, the e.Dams race operation team will also probably remain largely in place, albeit with new NISMO branding.

As for the team’s drivers, if Renault brand ambassador Alain Prost departs along with the French marque, that could put his son Nico Prost into a difficult position. The Frenchman has driven well for e.Dams, taking three ePrix victories and supporting the team’s title success, but Nissan may prefer to instal a driver of its own choosing in his place.

It also remains to be see how Renault’s exit as a works team would affect the supply of customer team Techeetah, although its possible the Nissan rebranding may involve that deal too.

James Matthews, Deputy Editor

Buemi brings Renault home glory in Paris

Sébastien Buemi has extended his championship lead yet further with pole position and a commanding victory on his Renault team’s home soil in Paris.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Qatar Airways Paris ePrix, France.
Saturday 20 May 2017.
Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16, sprays the chanpagne on the podium after winning the race.
Photo: Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _X0W5897

The Swiss driver became this season’s first repeat polesitter earlier on Saturday, narrowly seeing off the challenge of Jean-Éric Vergne by just six-thousandths of a second. Behind them a resurgent José María López qualified third for DS Virgin ahead of Super Pole first-timer Esteban Gutiérrez, who started from the second row thanks to a motor change penalty that demoted Oliver Turvey from fourth to fourteenth on the grid.

At the race start Buemi used his pole advantage to hold the inside line against Vergne, as the Frenchman tried to seize the lead around the outside of Turn 1 but was forced to back off and settle into second.

With the momentum lost so early, Vergne then seemed to stall—as Buemi streaked off into a three second lead, Vergne was unable to keep check and appeared to even be holding up López and Nick Heidfeld, who had taken fourth from Gutiérrez off the line.

Further back, Daniel Abt made heady progress from sixteenth on the grid to twelfth despite picking up some slight contact damage in the first corner, whilst Felix Rosenqvist looked to follow in the tracks of his teammate as he put pressure on Gutiérrez for fifth.

Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Saturday 20 May 2017.
Daniel Abt (GER), ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, Spark-Abt Sportsline, ABT Schaeffler FE02.
World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _R3I3631

In the early stages the race settled into something of a procession, as the four more laps than last year’s Paris ePrix put energy saving on the teams’ minds.

But on lap 20 there was heavy contact between Lucas di Grassi and António Félix da Costa at Turn 7. Di Grassi—fighting in the lower points after a poor qualifying performance—was closing an out-braking move on da Costa for thirteenth, but when he moved across to claim the apex of the corner, da Costa’s nose was still alongside and the two entangled cars dragged each other into the barriers.

Although di Grassi was able to keep going, da Costa’s race was over and his beached Andretti triggered a full-course yellow.

So close to the halfway mark, most drivers opted to pit during the neutralised period to change cars. Initially the timing appeared to be a boon for di Grassi, with the stop negating any damage suffered in the crash with da Costa, but instead it only added to his troubles—after leaving the pits almost ten seconds below the minimum stop time, race control shortly handed di Grassi a drive-through penalty.

Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Saturday 20 May 2017.
Antonio Felix da Costa (PRT), Amlin Andretti, Spark-Andretti, ATEC-02.
World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _R3I2891

When racing resumed on lap 23, Buemi found his gap to Vergne had been slashed to under two seconds in the pits and, with a series of fast laps, the Frenchman rapidly set about reeling in the race leader.

But on lap 34 an apparent steering issue left Vergne’s Techeetah unable to make the exit of Turn 13, and for the second race in succession he found himself exiting the car early as the safety car was deployed.

Vergne’s retirement left second place to be inherited by López, improving what was already his best-ever Formula E result, and brought Heidfeld into position to repeat his podium finish from Monaco last week.

But as far as the race lead was concerned, neither driver was close enough to assume Vergne’s pursuit of Buemi, and so when the chequered flag fell on lap 49 the podium positions remained unchanged.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Qatar Airways Paris ePrix, France.
Saturday 20 May 2017.
Jose Maria Lopez (ARG), DS Virgin Racing, Spark-Citroen, Virgin DSV-02.
Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _W6I8285

 

There was more drama late in the race when di Grassi crashed out, bringing his unusually below-par weekend to a premature end. With his drive-through penalty already putting pay to any major points haul, the ABT team elected to call di Grassi back into the pits and retune his car for a fastest lap attempt—only for the Brazilian to put it in the barrier at Turn 8 just two laps from the end.

The resulting safety car meant the race result was sealed, and by taking pole and the win whilst his rival failed to finish Buemi extended his title lead to 43 points over di Grassi, the largest it’s been all season.

Renault e.Dams also extended its lead over ABT Schaeffler Audi to 75 points: with Nico Prost’s fifth place contributing to Renault’s biggest total points haul of the season, the gulf was widened even more when seventh-placed Daniel Abt broke down on the final lap and dropped out of the points altogether.

Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
Saturday 20 May 2017.
Daniel Abt (GER), ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, Spark-Abt Sportsline, ABT Schaeffler FE02.
World Copyright: Steven Tee/LAT Images
ref: Digital Image _R3I3631

Mahindra also took a solid team finish with Felix Rosenqvist following Heidfeld home in fourth, which now puts them within 27 points of ABT in the teams’ standings. Robin Frijns took Andretti’s first points since Hong Kong in sixth, and Nelson Piquet claimed more valuable points for NextEV in seventh.

Gutiérrez had been on course to claim at least a few consolatory points for Techeetah despite losing several places early in the race, but a five-second time penalty for speeding under full-course yellow meant the Mexican was classified in twelfth place instead.

But Techeetah’s pain meant pleasure for the teams at the bottom of the championship. After a strong home race in Monaco, Venturi logged a double points finish with Stéphane Sarrazin in tenth and Tom Dillmann, making his series debut standing in for Maro Engel, taking his first Formula E points in eighth. Mitch Evans finished in ninth place between them—his and Jaguar’s third points finish in a row, which elevates the British marque to eighth in the teams’ standings above Dragon Racing.

James Matthews, Deputy Editor

Buemi reigns in Monaco

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Saturday 13 May 2017.
Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16.
Photo: Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image 585A1174

 

Sébastien Buemi has extended his championship lead by taking a commanding victory from pole in the 2017 Monaco ePrix.

The Swiss driver came into the event with much to prove, following a difficult last round in Mexico City, and immediately reestablished himself by topping both practice sessions before becoming the season’s fifth different polesitter in as many races.

From there, he rarely had cause to look back—a good start off the line saw off any challenge into Sainte Devote from front row rival Lucas di Grassi, and over the course of the opening stint he set about building up a five-second gap back to the rest of the pack.

Behind Buemi, Mexico City winner di Grassi settled into a rhythm in second place, whilst third became a hotly-contested duel between Nelson Piquet and Jean-Éric Vergne. Maro Engel, who qualified an impressive fifth in Venturi’s home ePrix, lost out to Nick Heidfeld at the start, as did Heidfeld’s teammate Felix Rosenqvist. Further back, Stéphane Sarrazin stalled on the grid and fell to the back of the field.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Saturday 13 May 2017.
Maro Engel (GER), Venturi, Spark-Venturi, Venturi VM200-FE-02.
Photo: Alastair Staley/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _X0W0950

Piquet and Vergne continued to fight for position right from the off, but as the race approached its halfway mark their battle was brought to an abrupt halt.

Vergne had been making several attempts to pass Piquet around the outside of the Nouvelle Hairpin and appeared to finally make the move stick on lap 21, only to make contact with the NextEV on the exit of the corner and be forced into the barriers.

Piquet was able to continue on back to the pits, albeit after losing third place to Heidfeld, but Vergne’s race was over—to make matters worse, the Frenchman also picked up an injury to his right hand, which could hurt his chances in next weekend’s Paris ePrix.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Monte-Carlo, Monaco
Saturday 13 May 2017.
Jean-Eric Vergne (FRA), Techeetah, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16, walks back the pits.
Photo: Malcolm Griffiths/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image MALC2047

Their accident triggered a safety car, which in turn caused a flurry of action in the pits as the entire field stopped within the first few neutralised laps.

On lap 26 the race resumed, and Buemi launched into a second’s advantage over di Grassi almost straight away. But this time, the Renault driver was unable to leave his main rival completely in his mirrors, and in the closing laps di Grassi managed to slash the gap down to mere tenths.

Formula E

However, despite forcing Buemi to defend through the Swimming Pool complex on the final lap, di Grassi was unable to find a way through and prevent Buemi taking his fourth victory in five races.

Nick Heidfeld finished some thirteen seconds behind in the third place he inherited from Nelson Piquet, taking his second podium of the season, whilst Piquet himself recovered from his contact with Vergne to take fourth.

Maro Engel fought off a resolute challenge from Felix Rosenqvist to cross the line in fifth, his best result in Formula E so far. Daniel Abt battled his way into the top ten after a disappointing qualifying to finish seventh, and Esteban Gutiérrez continued his profitable start in Formula E by taking four points in eighth, somewhat consoling Techeetah for Vergne’s retirement.

António Félix da Costa originally returned Andretti to the points for the first time since Hong Kong by finishing ninth, but was penalised for an unsafe release and dropped back to eleventh in the final classification. This promoted Nico Prost to ninth, and gifted the final point to Jaguar’s Mitch Evans.

Dragon and DS Virgin both endured torrid afternoons with both of their respective duos joining Vergne in retirement, although Sam Bird did manage to bring home a single point for his team by setting the fastest lap.

James Matthews, Deputy Editor

2017 Monaco ePrix Preview

Six weeks ago in Mexico City the Formula E Championship was treated to one of the most enthralling races in its brief history. NextEV’s Oliver Turvey led the field away after the stewards sent original polesitter Daniel Abt to the back of the grid, only to break down early on and surrender the lead to José María López; but when the pit stops came around it was Lucas di Grassi in front, having leapfrogged the field with a remarkably brave early strategy call, and the Brazilian eventually came home to take his first win of the season.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Aut—dromo Hermanos Rodr’guez, Mexico City, Mexico
Saturday 1 April 2017.
Lucas Di Grassi (BRA), ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, Spark-Abt Sportsline, ABT Schaeffler FE02.
Photo: Sam BloxhamLAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _J6I7741

Now the 2016–17 championship begins its European leg, a four-race stretch beginning this weekend on the streets of Monte Carlo.

This will be the second running of the Monaco ePrix—the event not featuring last season after forming part of the sport’s inaugural calendar in 2015. Of the twenty drivers who contested that first race around the principality, twelve are returning in 2017, including ten of the eleven previous points scorers.

One such driver who will be hoping to repeat his previous Monaco ePrix result is Sébastien Buemi. Up until the chequered flag fell in Mexico City, Buemi had been known as “runaway championship leader”, but an off-colour fourteenth-place finish for the Swiss driver saw his title lead slashed to just five points by di Grassi’s win.

It will be a boon, then, for Buemi to reset and return to an event he not only won last time around, but dominated from pole position. Another such win on Saturday would be the perfect way for the defending champion to put his difficult Mexico weekend behind him and reassert his authority over the title race.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Mexico City ePrix, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico.
Saturday 1 April 2017.
Sebastien Buemi (SUI), Renault e.Dams, Spark-Renault, Renault Z.E 16.
Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _56I5814

Also on the lookout for a strong finish in Monaco will be Nico Prost and Daniel Abt. With their respective teammates contesting the Formula E title, both drivers have been left somewhat in the shadow this season, but with consistent results in the four races so far neither should be discounted from the sharp end of the grid this weekend.

So too will Jaguar be hoping for another visit to top ten on Saturday after securing its first points in Formula E last time out. Admittedly the competition from NextEV, Andretti and Dragon will be tough to overcome a second time running, but the British marque can take some hope from the success its two drivers have had around the principality—one win and three podiums between them—throughout their respective junior formula careers.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City, Mexico
Friday 31 March 2017.
Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _J6I6362

At the other end of the spectrum are Mahindra and DS Virgin. Although both teams have taken two podiums each from the opening four races, their overall results have been variable at best; a double points haul on Saturday—and another podium if possible—will be crucial for either outfit if they are to close the gap to the front and avoid being overhauled for third by Techeetah.

However, DS Virgin may already be on the back foot this weekend—after sustaining vertebrae damage in a heavy crash during the 6 Hours of Silverstone, López may be forced to sit out the Monaco ePrix on medical grounds. The team does have reserve driver Alex Lynn on standby, but any late substitution is far from ideal at a circuit such as Monte Carlo.

Similarly, there could well be another fresh face in the Andretti garage as well, as a knee injury for Robin Frijns has brought the possibility that the Dutchman’s car could instead be piloted by BMW GT and Andretti development driver Alexander Sims. However, Frijns has insisted that his plan is still to race on Saturday, providing his injury does not hamper him changing into his second car.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City, Mexico
Friday 31 March 2017.
Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _J6I6116

And finally, if any team is hungrier than the rest for a solid performance in Monaco this weekend, it has to be Venturi. Coming into their home event, the team currently sits well adrift at the bottom of the standings on just three points, thirteen behind ninth-placed Jaguar.

Various mechanical and electrical problems have so far blighted Venturi’s running in season three—contributing to retirements for Maro Engel in each of the last three races in succession—but with a little luck on home soil both he and Stéphane Sarrazin are more than capable of bringing home a top ten finish for the Monegasque team.

James Matthews, Deputy Editor

All images courtesy of FIA Formula E

Paris ePrix: Venturi confirm Dillmann as Engel stand-in

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City, Mexico
Friday 31 March 2017.
Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _J6I5979

 

 

Venturi has confirmed that Tom Dillmann will make his Formula E race debut standing in for Maro Engel at the Paris ePrix, as their regular driver contests a clashing DTM round at the Lausitzring.

This follows Dillmann, the reigning Formula V8 3.5 champion, getting his first taste of Formula E machinery during the Mexico City ePrix weekend, when he deputised in shakedown for Stephane Sarrazin whilst the latter attended the WEC Prologue.

Furthermore, Venturi will continue Dillmann’s acclimatisation to Formula E ahead of his race debut by running him in one of the team’s in-season filming days.

Speaking about the announcement to Motorsport.com, Dillmann called his ePrix debut a “great opportunity…to race on the streets of my capital city.

“After I was in contact with Venturi the first step was getting some running at Mexico although it was very short. But really in Mexico I learnt more from seeing how things operate in the race and how a race is run, this was really useful to experience.”

Dillmann also acknowledged that it will be difficult making his debut against “drivers [with] two full seasons’ racing” in the series, but added “for me the aim is to do a good job for the team” and “look towards season four because I want to race full-time in the championship then”.

James Matthews, Formula E editor

Di Grassi defies odds to win Mexico City thriller

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Mexico City ePrix, Autodromo Hermanos Rodr’guez, Mexico City, Mexico.
Saturday 1 April 2017.
Lucas Di Grassi (BRA), ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, Spark-Abt Sportsline, ABT Schaeffler FE02.
Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _56I7110

Lucas di Grassi has put an end to Sébastien Buemi’s run of consecutive Formula E victories, by taking the chequered flag in a Mexico City ePrix that saw drama at every turn.

When the race began, it didn’t look as though di Grassi would have much of a part to play. After qualifying in a lowly eighteenth position, the Brazilian made contact with his teammate Daniel Abt and Venturi’s Maro Engel on the first lap and had to pit to replace his rear wing.

Meanwhile, all eyes were on the front of the field, where the lead of the race was being contested by polesitter Oliver Turvey and a chasing José María López. The two were able to make their battle a private affair as the likes of Vergne, Bird and Buemi bunched up behind Nick Heidfeld in third, but despite piling on consistent pressure López was unable to find a way past Turvey.

But at quarter-distance, the Mexico City ePrix took its first twist as Turvey broke down on the start-finish straight, allowing López to assume the race lead by two seconds from Heidfeld and Vergne.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Mexico City ePrix, Autodromo Hermanos Rodr’guez, Mexico City, Mexico.
Saturday 1 April 2017.
Jose Maria Lopez (ARG), DS Virgin Racing, Spark-Citroen, Virgin DSV-02.
Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _56I7014

However, just as with Turvey, López’s lead was not to last. Whilst the safety car was out for Turvey’s stricken NextEV, the Abt team gambled on an ambitious strategy for di Grassi, calling him in from the back of the field on just lap seventeen.

This gave di Grassi the tall order of driving another 28 laps in his second car, but it also gave him invaluable track position: when the rest of the field pitted at the conventional halfway mark, di Grassi assumed the lead from Jérôme d’Ambrosio—who had also stopped under the earlier safety car—with half a lap back to López, now in third.

And despite having considerably less energy than the former leading pack behind him, di Grassi was able to maintain his advantage until the end as d’Ambrosio’s defence of second place acted as a roadblock for López and Vergne.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, Mexico City, Mexico
Friday 31 March 2017.
Photo: Sam Bloxham/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _J6I6039

The battle for second was ultimately resolved in Vergne’s favour, after López spun off under pressure at turn one and d’Ambrosio ran out of energy on the final lap, and Vergne’s former Virgin teammate Sam Bird finished third for his second podium of the season.

Mahindra had looked set for a solid double points finish just off the podium, until Heidfeld was hit in the closing stages by Nico Prost and sent spinning into the path of his teammate Felix Rosenqvist. This allowed Mitch Evans through to take a remarkable fourth place for Jaguar, collecting his and the team’s first Formula E points.

Prost then came through in fifth despite his collision with Heidfeld, ahead of López in sixth and Daniel Abt in seventh. Adam Carroll compounded a strong finish for Jaguar with a further four points for eighth, and the final points positions were rounded out by NextEV’s Nelson Piquet, and series debutant Esteban Gutiérrez.

2016/2017 FIA Formula E Championship.
Mexico City ePrix, Autodromo Hermanos Rodr’guez, Mexico City, Mexico.
Saturday 1 April 2017.
Mitch Evans (NZL), Jaguar Racing, Spark-Jaguar, Jaguar I-Type 1.
Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _56I5722

Championship leader Sébastien Buemi suffered a dismal race by his own recent standards, qualifying down in ninth and losing places in the pitlane to come home just fourteenth, albeit with one point for setting the fastest lap.

The results from Mexico City now see Buemi’s title lead cut down to just five points from di Grassi, with a further 25 points back to Prost and Vergne’s tussle for third. In the teams’ standings, Renault e.Dams remains ahead of Abt Schaeffler Audi, whilst Jaguar gets on the board with sixteen points, and Mahindra slumps to fifth behind DS Virgin and Techeetah.

James Matthews, Formula E editor

2017 Mexico City ePrix Preview

2015/2016 FIA Formula E Championship.
Mexico City ePrix, Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City, Mexico.
Saturday 12 March 2016.
Oliver Turvey (GBR) NEXTEV TCR FormulaE 001, Simona De Silvestro (SUI), Andretti – Spark SRT_01E, Nelson Piquet (BRA), NEXTEV TCR FormulaE 001.
Photo: Zak Mauger/LAT/Formula E
ref: Digital Image _L0U8496

So far in the 2016–17 Formula E championship, events have been following a fairly simple pattern: first, the weekend will start with one team emerging as definite favourites in practice; then, said favourites will be trumped in qualifying by an unexpected maiden polesitter; and finally, the race itself will turn all that form on its head as Sébastien Buemi cruises to yet another victory.

But this Saturday, all that could be about to change, as Buemi heads to Mexico City somewhat on the back foot—well, at least as much on the back foot as a defending champion in a class-of-the-field car can be.

In case you’ve not been following the saga of 2017’s Formula E–WEC schedule clashes, Buemi will be starting his Mexico City ePrix weekend some six thousand miles away from the Hermanos Rodriguez circuit, as he attends the WEC Prologue in Monza as part of Toyota’s LMP1 lineup.

And although Buemi will not have to forego the Mexico race altogether, he will be a late arrival to the event after hotfooting across the Atlantic on an overnight flight.

Such serendipity—and not to mention the resulting jet lag—could provide Buemi’s rivals with an opportunity to finally get one over on the runaway championship leader. It goes without saying that foremost in that list of potential winners is Lucas di Grassi, who finished first on the road in last year’s Mexico City ePrix before being disqualified for a technical infringement, and desperately needs a win this season if he is to truly challenge Buemi for the title again.

Also in the mix will be Jean-Éric Vergne and Sam Bird, both of whom will be perhaps even hungrier for the win than di Grassi given the as-yet-untapped promise of their respective cars. Nor should Felix Rosenqvist be discounted—despite enduring a forgettable race in Buenos Aires—or indeed Buemi’s Renault teammate and three-time ePrix winner Nico Prost.

Beneath the podium, it will again be a close fight between the likes of Andretti, NextEV, Venturi and Dragon for the lesser points positions. So far, NextEV has been the only member of that particular group to score in every race, owing to some consistently gutsy qualifying performances from Piquet and Turvey.

Nevertheless, a solid double points haul for Duval and d’Ambrosio at the last event could prove the springboard Dragon needs for further success in Mexico—although a repeat of d’Ambrosio’s eventual 2016 victory here would be a shock even by Formula E’s standards.

But a new factor in that top ten scrap this Saturday could well be Esteban Gutiérrez. The Mexican will be making his series debut replacing Ma Qinghua at Techeetah, and although he was shown up by Romain Grosjean in his recent F1 tenure, Gutiérrez remains a driver with clear innate speed, which paired with Techeetah-Renault machinery ought to be enough to put on a good show for his home fans.

The 2017 Mexico City ePrix begins at 23:00 UK time, with full text coverage available via our Twitter account and updates on our Facebook and Instagram feeds.

James Matthews, Formula E editor

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