INDIA in F1

Category: Formula E

  • Mahindra Racing’s Alex Lynn tops times: Formula E test Day 2

    Mahindra Racing’s Alex Lynn tops times: Formula E test Day 2

    Valencia, 29 Nov 20: Mahindra Racing’s Alex Lynn shot to the top of the timing screens on day two of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship test in Valencia today (29 November), as teams took part in a race simulation as part of their season seven preparations.

    For much of the second day’s running around the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in the Mediterranean port city, defending champion António Félix da Costa’s morning benchmark for DS Techeetah looked unlikely to be troubled, but Lynn – who contested the six end-of-season Berlin races for Mahindra back in the summer – had other ideas.

    As the chequered flag was unfurled at the end of the afternoon session, the Briton flashed across the line in a time of 1:11.941, a scant seven thousandths-of-a-second quicker than da Costa’s earlier effort. Indeed, on the combined timesheet, scarcely seven tenths-of-a-second covered the entire 24-car field – promising a sensational season of racing ahead in the all-electric single-seater series.

    As he was yesterday, da Costa was a factor throughout and ended up second overall on a 1:11.948, with the following three drivers all similarly posting their fastest laps in the morning. Maximilian Günther placed third for BMW i Andretti Autosport (1:12.049), ahead of Nissan e.dams’ Oliver Rowland in fourth (1:12.161), with two-time title-winner Jean-Éric Vergne putting both DS Techeetah cars inside the top five in fifth (1:12.184).

    Impressive rookie Jake Dennis improved three places on his Saturday form to claim sixth position with a best lap of 1:12.306 for BMW i Andretti Autosport, not far behind team-mate Günther.

    Underlining the close and competitive nature of the championship heading into the forthcoming campaign, the next four drivers all finished within barely three hundredths-of-a-second of Dennis’ time. Sam Bird wound up seventh for Panasonic Jaguar Racing (1:12.315), with Saturday morning pace-setter Edoardo Mortara eighth for ROKiT Venturi Racing (1:12.323). Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin Racing) and Lucas Di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler) completed the top ten, both stopping the clocks with an identical time of 1:12.338.

    Former champion Sébastien Buemi placed 12th for Nissan e.dams (1:12.350), just ahead of last season’s championship runner-up Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes-Benz EQ) in 13th on a 1:12.376. After leading the way yesterday, Porsche’s André Lotterer concluded day two in 16th position (1:12.422).

    During the afternoon session, all of the drivers participated in a full-length ‘test race’ simulation, which included full-course yellows and a safety car intervention.

    Following a day of off-track activities tomorrow, testing will conclude on Tuesday (1 December) with one final six-hour session beginning at 09:00 local time.

  • Oliver Rowland takes maiden Formula E win

    Oliver Rowland takes maiden Formula E win

    Oliver Rowland produced a peerless performance to convert pole position into victory in the penultimate Berlin E-Prix (12 August), leading home Robin Frijns and René Rast in what turned out to be a race to forget for some of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship’s biggest names.

    Berlin, 13 August 2020: From his third career pole position, Rowland led the 24-strong field away when the lights went out, and by lap ten, he had established a two-second margin over nearest pursuer Frijns.

    Not putting so much as a wheel out-of-place, the Nissan e.DAMS star maintained that margin throughout, never once surrendering his lead – although Frijns got close when Rowland employed ‘ATTACK MODE’ for the first time. Taking the chequered flag just over 1.9 seconds ahead, his maiden win vaulted the Briton from ninth up to second in the title table with one race remaining.

    Frijns extended his run of good results at Tempelhof Airport, adding another runner-up finish to the second and fourth places he achieved for Envision Virgin Racing last week, with the result helping to make up for a failure to start Sunday’s race due to a powertrain issue.

    Behind the top two, all eyes were on the tussle for third. Following an excellent qualifying effort, Neel Jani held the position for much of the race but subsequently conceded ground to TAG Heuer Porsche team-mate André Lotterer and Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler’s Rast, who proceeded to engage in an enthralling battle for the final spot on the podium.

    Lotterer – one of the race’s main movers early on as he scythed his way past Rast and Alex Lynn – looked to have the situation under control in his defence against his countryman, but with less energy remaining, he found himself under increasing attack in the closing stages. In an incredible duel, the pair went side-by-side through several corners on the last lap, as Rast boldly prised the door open and eventually made a pass stick.

    Lynn took fifth for Mahindra Racing, the Briton sagely conserving his energy in order to pull off a late overtake on Jani, who nonetheless scored his first Formula E points in sixth after what was by far his most competitive performance to-date.

    From 14th on the grid, Mitch Evans (Panasonic Jaguar Racing) climbed through the field well. Despite losing ground when he was baulked on lap two, thereafter he picked his rivals off and made full use of ‘FANBOOST’ to cross the finish line in seventh and remain in the mix for the championship runner-up laurels.

    Edoardo Mortara claimed his second points finish of the week in Berlin with eighth place for ROKiT Venturi Racing, ahead of Mercedes-Benz EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne, who raced up the order from 18th at the start.

    The points-paying positions were completed by Rowland’s Nissan e.DAMS stablemate Sébastien Buemi, who enjoyed an entertaining duel with recently-crowned champion António Félix da Costa (DS Techeetah). The pair had started at the rear of the field following a disastrous qualifying session for all four Formula E title-winners, but fought their way through to the fringes of the top ten. Da Costa was on-course to finish 11th until he dropped out of contention on the last lap.

    Fellow champions Lucas Di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler) and Jean-Éric Vergne (DS Techeetah) were similarly in the wars; the Brazilian picked up a puncture and a five-second penalty for a collision with da Costa, while the Frenchman was handed a drive-through penalty for battery over-cooling.

    BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s Maximilian Günther – third in the standings heading into the race – had to pit for repairs after contact early on left him with a punctured tyre, but he remains one of nine drivers still in the hunt for the championship runner-up spoils, a battle that will be decided tomorrow (Thursday, 13 August) in the season finale.

    NISSAN E.DAMS – OLIVER ROWLAND

    “I didn’t expect that today. The team has done a fantastic job, qualifying went well and in the race the car was amazing. I can’t believe it, it is an amazing feeling so let’s work for more of these moments.”

    ENVISION VIRGIN RACING – ROBIN FRIJNS

    “I was struggling to hang on to Oliver at the beginning since he was very fast – he just pulled the gap since he was one lap longer in ATTACK MODE. I was trying to get back, but Oliver did a great job and he was much quicker than me. I’m quite happy with second place but we are here to win so we need to keep working towards that goal.”

    AUDI SPORT ABT SCHAEFFLER – RENE RAST

    “The team told me I had more energy left than Andre on the last lap and I saw he was struggling in sector two. He was lifting quite early so I tried to overtake him and we had some contact and then went side-by-side in T12 and T13 and there was a bit of rubbing. If I have learned something over the past few races, it is that rubbing equals racing in Formula E, so I tried it today and had a much better result!”

  • Antonio Felix da Costa wins Formula E championship

    Antonio Felix da Costa wins Formula E championship

    Berlin, 9 August 2020: António Félix da Costa has been crowned the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Champion after finishing second behind DS Techeetah team-mate Jean-Éric Vergne in round nine at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport today (9 August). The Portuguese driver claimed his maiden all-electric title with two races to spare, while Vergne converted pole position into his first victory of the campaign. The one-two also wrapped up the Teams’ Championship for DS Techeetah, while Sébastian Buemi completed the podium, taking third for Nissan e.dams.

    Racing on the regular configuration of the Tempelhof circuit, reigning champion Vergne started the race from pole position after pipping da Costa by just over one tenth-of-a-second in the Super Pole shoot-out. And the two DS Techeetahs enjoyed excellent starts when the lights went green, holding station through Turn One ahead of Oliver Rowland and Buemi.

    However, the race was immediately neutralised when the safety car was deployed after Maximilian Günther and Oliver Turvey came together at Turn Four. Vergne controlled the re-start perfectly and once again led away from Da Costa, although a light sprinkling of rain began to create difficult conditions.

    Nissan ace Rowland was the earliest of the leaders to take ‘ATTACK MODE’ and was rewarded by jumping up to second ahead of Da Costa when the champion-elect similarly activated his additional power boost. But the DS Techeetah duo were not separated for long with da Costa getting back past Rowland into Turn One, using his ‘ATTACK MODE’ after the Brit’s had expired.

    And it was then all change at the front, as Vergne ceded the lead to Da Costa in order to conserve energy. The pair swapped back again in the closing stages and ran line-astern to the finish, although Da Costa was forced to defend against a late charge from a fired-up Buemi. The Swiss driver had been bottled up behind team-mate Rowland for much of the race and was also caught out by the Mercedes-Benz EQ of Nyck de Vries after taking his second ‘ATTACK MODE’.

    However, Buemi swiftly re-passed the Dutchman before swapping places with Rowland and attempting to hunt down the DS Techeetah pair. De Vries vaulted himself back up to fourth spot by overtaking Rowland on the final lap, while the Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler car of Lucas Di Grassi came home sixth. The Brazilian had started down in 12th but made a number of eye-catching passes, taking full advantage of ‘FAN BOOST’ along the way.

    Despite losing out to Di Grassi, Mitch Evans enjoyed a strong race as the New Zealander piloted his Panasonic Jaguar through from 11th on the grid to seventh at the chequered flag. André Lotterer completed a trio of regular Formula E front-runners fighting their way up from lowly grid positions, bagging eighth for TAG Heuer Porsche after starting only 18th.

    Alex Lynn finished ninth for Mahindra Racing, fading in the closing stages after mixing it in the top six during the early running. Felipe Massa rounded out the top ten for ROKiT Venturi Racing, although the Brazilian was left ruing what might have been after producing an excellent lap to reach the Super Pole session.

    The teams and drivers will be back in action next week for the final two rounds of the 2019/20 season. Taking place on Wednesday (12 August) and Thursday (13 August), the finale of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship will be held on a reconfiguration of the Tempelhof track. From Turn Four, the new circuit features a more technical middle sector with a series of tight-and-twisty turns leading to the usual hairpin and long left-hander that runs to the flag.

    Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah)

    “As a team we couldn’t dream of a better day. We won the teams’ championship, Antonio won the drivers’ title and I jumped to second in the standings. With two more races to go, I’ll keep my head down and race for the runner-up spot. It’s a fantastic day and I’m extremely proud to be a part of this team. I know the feeling that hits you on the last lap just before crossing the chequered flag and you’re about to win your first championship. It’s probably the best moment in the life of a racing driver and Antonio should enjoy every second of it.”

    Antonio Felix Da Costa (DS Techeetah)

    “I’m speechless. Sometimes I’ve been so close to giving up during the tough times, and thanks to the people around me I never did. I’m very grateful to these guys who believed in me and my capabilities, even when I was finishing nowhere near the podium. Massive thanks to JEV, I know this is hard for him, but he pushed me all the way and helped me out a lot and it’s mainly thanks to him I settled so quickly in the team. Today we had a plan and we executed it perfectly. JEV and myself helped each other out, but it was very intense at the end since both Seb and Oli were always there. Everyone was very fair today and raced as the champions they are!”

    Sebastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams)

    “I tried to save as much energy as I could, and I felt the call to overtake Oli was a bit late to be honest. By the time I managed to do so, it was the end of the race. I’m a bit disappointed because I feel like I could’ve had the opportunity to finish second, if I had used the energy properly. I’m sad for Oli as he deserved better today. We scored some good points for the team and congratulations to Antonio, he has done an amazing job and I’m happy for him. But there’s still work to do. It’s my second podium here in Berlin and I’m looking forward to the final double-header.”

  • Gunther holds off Frijns to take thrilling win: Formula E

    Gunther holds off Frijns to take thrilling win: Formula E

    Berlin, 8 August 2020: Maximilian Günther pipped Robin Frijns to victory after a stellar drive in round eight of the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship here on Saturday.
    The BMW I Andretti star secured his second win of the season by just over a tenth-of-a-second, having chased down pole-sitter Jean-Éric Vergne to pass the DS Techeetah ace with just three laps remaining.

    Günther came under intense late pressure from a hard-charging Frijns but was able to hold off the Envision Virgin Racing driver in a drag race to the line.

    Vergne finished third ahead of team-mate and championship leader António Félix da Costa, who took another step closer to the title after fighting his way through from eighth on the grid.

    Running on the regular circuit configuration at the iconic Tempelhof Airport, having raced the track in reverse last week, Vergne was the class of the field in qualifying and took pole position by nearly half-a-second. 

    And the reigning champion got off to a flying start when the lights went green, pulling out a two-second gap at the front of the field after a single lap.

    Mahindra Racing ace Jérôme D’Ambrosio also enjoyed a lightning getaway, jumping Günther off the line to move into second.

    However, the Belgian struggled to live with Vergne’s early pace. Despite an average launch, Günther wasted no time fighting back and found a way past D’Ambrosio on the second lap with a well-judged move.

    The German soon set about hunting down Vergne and quickly closed the gap at the front before the race was neutralised by the safety car following a collision involving James Callado, Sérgio Sette Câmara and Neel Jani.

    Günther kept the pressure on at the re-start and came close to passing Vergne, only to lose three places after taking ‘ATTACK MODE’.


    This didn’t deter the 23-year-old, who swiftly dispatched the Mercedes-Benz EQ of Stoffel Vandoorne then found his way past Frijns to latch back onto the leader’s tail with some breathtaking driving.


    Günther even briefly found himself at the head of the race after Vergne enabled ‘ATTACK MODE’, but the Frenchman pulled off a cut-back pass to regain the advantage once more.


    The BMW i Andretti star did finally make a move stick with three laps remaining and just about had enough energy in reserve to stave off a late challenge from the rapid Frijns.

    Vergne faded in the final laps but managed to remain ahead of da Costa, who had carefully picked his way through the field with some clinical overtakes – including a brilliant dummy pass on Mahindra’s Alex Lynn.

    Da Costa is now 68 points ahead of his nearest rival Günther – who jumped from ninth to second in the standings after his win – and the Portuguese driver can wrap up the title tomorrow if results go his way.

    André Lotterer brought his TAG Heuer Porsche home in fifth, climbing his way up from seventh on the grid, while Oliver Rowland benefitted from Vandoorne suffering a left-rear puncture to secure sixth for Nissan e.DAMS.

    D’Ambrosio finished seventh ahead of Lucas Di Grassi, with the Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler team leader recovering well from a half-spin following contact, while Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Mitch Evans was in superb form to secure ninth after starting 19th on the grid and Alexander Sims rounded out the top ten.

    The breathless end to the 2019/20 season continues tomorrow (Sunday, August 9) with round nine of the championship, but can da Costa clinch the crown?

    Maximilian Günther (BMW I Andretti Motorsport)

    “It was important to qualify on the front row, or at least close to the top drivers. The race was very close until the end and we managed it very well. We dropped one place at the beginning, but we kept cool and recovered the position. Robin came from behind and I knew he had more energy. So, I had to be quick to make the move on JEV and it paid off. I’m incredibly happy for the team, myself and everyone to win this home race here in Berlin!”

    Robin Frijns (Envision Virgin Racing)

    “It feels really good to be back on the podium. It’s my first time this season, which has been quite a strange one so far, but we had a good race today. We were really good on energy halfway and also at the end. Guenther and JEV were fighting a lot and when that happens you sit back and see what comes next. I knew I could overtake at the end, so I tried to save as much energy to make it to the finish line. I’m pleased with the result today. The team did a good job and I’m really happy to be back.”

    Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah)

    “We did good to get a podium finish today. I don’t know what happened, but we need to investigate on the energy management after taking ATTACK MODE, since that made me struggle quite a lot at the end of the race. I was fighting with Max for the lead but when I saw Robin coming, I thought it was useless fighting, as that would have meant losing the podium for me. We still have some work to do ahead of tomorrow to win the race. But it’s good to be back on the podium.”

  • António Félix da Costa wins at Berlin as Formula E returns

    António Félix da Costa wins at Berlin as Formula E returns

    Berlin, 5 August 2020: Sometimes, when it’s your day, its simply your day, and Wednesday (5 August) unquestionably belonged to António Félix da Costa in Berlin, as the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship delivered a high dose of drama and an action-packed finish on its eagerly-anticipated return to racing.

    Da Costa picked up from where he had left off in Marrakesh with a commanding performance on the Tempelhof Airport, where the Formula E field ran on a reverse layout of the demanding 2.3km track.

    From pole position, the Portuguese star was untroubled as he led the first Berlin E-Prix from lights-to-flag, posting the fastest lap along the way and ultimately crossing the finish line more than five seconds clear of his closest rival to extend his championship lead.

    Da Costa was chased for most of the way by his DS Techeetah team-mate Jean-Éric Vergne, but the Frenchman faded in the closing stages and ended completely out of contention by the final lap.

    André Lotterer was the chief beneficiary of Vergne’s misfortune, and the German stole second position from Sam Bird on the very last lap, although the TAG Heuer Porsche man was left ruing a missed ‘ATTACK MODE’ midway through the race that he reckoned cost him a potential shot at victory.

    Bird took the chequered flag third for Envision Virgin Racing – a four-place improvement on his grid slot – following a determined drive that saw him pull off a number of bold overtaking moves. Mercedes-Benz EQ’s De Vries flashed across the finish line right on his British rival’s tail in fourth, proving to be the DS Techeetah duo’s main challenger midway through the race before running wide and conceding ground to both Lotterer and Bird.

    Jérôme D’Ambrosio narrowly got the better of countryman Stoffel Vandoorne in the fight for fifth, the Mahindra Racing ace passing his fellow Belgian on the penultimate lap after the Mercedes-Benz EQ man had showcased excellent racecraft to charge up the order from a lowly 16th place on the grid, taking full advantage of FANBOOST along the way.

    Former Formula E Champion Sébastien Buemi had to settle for seventh for Nissan e.Dams after running towards the front of the field throughout but losing time when he – like Lotterer – missed out on ‘ATTACK MODE.

    Reigning Berlin winner Di Grassi ended up eighth – a 12-place gain on his starting spot, while BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver Alexander Sims placed ninth with Rene Rast rounding out the top ten for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler.

    Second in the title chase arriving in Germany, Mitch Evans (Panasonic Jaguar Racing), spun around leaving him to finish in 13th place.

    Teams and drivers will barely have time to catch their breath before the action resumes tomorrow (Thursday; August 6) for round seven, as Da Costa aims to further tighten his grip on the championship standings.

    Antonio Felix da Costa (DS Techeetah)

    ‘With six races to go, the fight for the title is on and the pressure is rising. I do want to win it and if we keep doing things as we did today, we have a good shot at it. Hats off to the team not only for what they did today, but for the hard work they put into the build-up to this moment. I moved here because I wanted a quicker car, since I want to put myself in a position to win races. We’re going to have bad days just like everyone else, but it’s how we come back from those that defines us.’

    Andre Lotterer (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team)

    ‘P2 is good starting point, but I have some mixed feelings about missing the first ATTACK MODE as it put me in a difficult position. I had a good car and maybe without that slip I could’ve challenged Antonio. We’ll keep working hard and hopefully the car will be as good as it was today.’

    Sam Bird (Envision Virgin Racing)

    ‘I am very pleased with the team and the result. It’s been a bit of a rocky year for us, hopefully today will mark a restart of the season. I am a bit disappointed for not finishing in P2, but I was low on energy in the last couple of laps. There is still some work to do on the car, but we have a good base ready for tomorrow.’

  • Sims clinches maiden victory in Formula E seonc race

    Diriyah, 23 Nov 2019: Sims climbs onto the top step of the podium for the first time in his second season with BMW i Andretti Motorsport. His teammate Günther crosses the finish line in second, but is later penalised for overtaking under safety car and drops down to position eleven. Audi Sport Abt Schaefflers’s Lucas di Grassi is promoted to second place, while Mercedes-Benz EQ driver Stoffel Vandoorne claims 15 points for third.

    With the lights out, it was pole setter Alexander Sims who pulled away in the lead after securing his second pole in a row on day two of the 2019 Diriyah E-Prix.

    Leading the way with Nissan e.dams’ Sebastian Buemi in second and Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler’s Lucas di Grassi in third, the British driver maintained his position up front while DS Techeetah’s Antonio Felix Da Costa – who moved into fourth after Mahindra Racing’s Jerome d’Ambrosio retired from the race due to technical difficulties – was on the attack.

    Making his way through the pack, Da Costa was eager to make the podium, attacking Buemi and nudging the back of his car while sending him spinning into oncoming traffic. The Nissan driver rejoined the field in 15th but came under investigation by the Stewards.

    With more than 30 minutes left on the clock, Bird was tapped by Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Mitch Evans going through turn 4, before being tapped again by Mahindra Racing’s Pascal Wehrlein going through turn 5. The British driver – who clinched the win in the first race only a day before – met with the wall. With significant damage to his car, the Brit was out of the race.

    After consideration by the Stewards, Da Costa was handed a 10-second drive through penalty for causing the incident with Buemi, while the Nissan driver was also handed the same punishment for his re-entry into the race that was deemed unsafe.

    While his teammate was already out of the race, fellow Envision Virgin Racing driver Robin Frijns lost control of his Audi-powered car between turn 5 and 6, hitting the wall sideways on turn 7. Damaged and stranded in his car, the Yellow Flag was raised while his car was recovered.

    With eight minutes left on the clock, Sims maintained his lead after the restart. Further down the pack, Jaguar’s Evans was handed a 10-second drive through penalty for the collision with Bird.

    Taking his Attack Mode, di Grassi in third temporarily lost a position before blasting back past Mercedes-Benz EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne with 35kW of extra power. Not taking the Attack Mode, Sims’ teammate Maximilian Günther slipped into second as the two BMW’s led the way with only minutes left on the clock.

    Stretching the lead to over three seconds with five minutes left on the clock, Günther defended hard against di Grassi, holding the Attack Mode-enabled Brazilian at bay.

    While both BMWs crossed the line in tandem, Günther was handed a drive through penalty after the race for overtaking under safety car. With the penalty converted into a time penalty he ended up in eleventh position on the final result sheet. Audi’s di Grassi moved up to second and Vandoorne of Mercedes-Benz EQ to third place.

    Edorado Mortara of Rokit Venturi Racing, Oliver Rowland of Nissan e.dams and Daniel Abt of Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler round out the top six.

    Quotes

    Alexander Sims, BMW i Andretti Motorsport

    “That was pretty much a dream race! We executed everything really well and we made the right decisions at the right time. Crossing that line was an amazing feeling. We keep learning so many lessons and there are many more to come in the near future. The team have put a lot of effort in and to deliver a win now… it’s really cool.”

    Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler Formula E Team

    “It was the 60th race in Formula E and my 31st podium finish. I’m extremely happy. After a troubled weekend we’re back on top with this podium today. The fight for the title starts now! The team works non-stop, although we don’t have the tools now, we’re going to have them as the season wraps up. Now we need to work to be able to tackle the next phase of the season.”

    Stoffel Vandoorne, Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team

    “I moved up from eleventh on the grid to finish third, so that was an action-packed race that ended with a good result for me. I was patient initially at the start and then showed good pace. I even managed to save some energy and deploy Attack Mode once I had pulled out a gap on those behind me, and so, did not lose too many positions. Still, in view of the fact that this was only the team’s first race weekend, we can be satisfied with our points haul.”

  • A new season of all-electric racing begin in Saudi Arabia: Formula E

    Biggest grid in Formula E’s history will line up for the season opener

    The 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship season will get underway with a double header this weekend (22 and 23 November). Following a successful debut in season five, Diriyah will again host the first race of a new season of electric street racing. Located on the north-western outskirts of the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, the E-Prix will take place in close proximity to the At-Turaif district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    The 2.494 km long track features 21 turns and winds its way through the historic area. The site also has huge grandstands that will accommodate tens of thousands of fans on race days, while the concert arena will provide entertainment for fans in the evenings.

    Familiar faces and new challengers

    Formula E welcomes two new teams to the paddock in season six, with TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team coming in as a new entity, while the Mercedes-Benz EQ Formula E Team graduated out of the HWA Racelab outfit and is now embarking on its first year as a full works team.

    In addition to new teams come new drivers. Double FIA WEC World Champion, and former Formula One driver, Brendon Hartley makes his all-electric racing debut with Geox Dragon. The New Zealander is joined by fellow rookie Nico Müller, who steps up to a full-time drive in the American squad. After winning the FIA Formula 2 Championship Nyck de Vries moves up the single-seater ladder and takes a seat with the Mercedes team. Another rookie, James Calado, will get behind the wheel of the Panasonic Jaguar Racing car, while Neel Jani extends his cooperation with Porsche and joins its Formula E team. Returning to Formula E racing is Ma Qinghua, who already competed in several rounds in previous years and takes NIO 333’s single-seater out on the city streets this season.

    With five of the teams retaining the same driver line-up as for the previous season – namely Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler (Daniel Abt and Lucas Di Grassi), Envision Virgin Racing (Sam Bird and Robin Frijns), Mahindra Racing (Jerome d’Ambrosio and Pascal Wehrlein), Nissan e.dams (Sebastien Buemi and Oliver Rowland) and Venturi (Felipe Massa and Edoardo Mortara) a lot of familiar faces will also be around.

    Click here to view the full entry list for the Diriyah E-Prix.

    Regulation changes for the upcoming season

    Drivers will have an additional 10kW of power available when using Attack Mode, rising from 225kW to 235kW. Also, drivers won’t be able to activate the system under Full Course Yellow (FCY), or when the safety car is deployed – meaning the drivers will have to go off the racing line to activate Attack Mode under normal race conditions and run the risk of losing positions.

    Furthermore, to enhance the effects of energy management, during safety car periods and under FCY, a fixed quantity of energy – equal to 1kWh per minute for the duration of the caution period – will be subtracted from the total energy remaining in each car.

    This measure means that drivers will no longer be able to save energy by driving at lower speeds under FCY or behind the safety car, leading to more varied strategies and close racing to the finish line that fans have grown accustomed to seeing in Formula E. A further recent change will be that the timekeeping system pauses if the race is temporarily suspended – remaining at the discretion of the FIA Race Director – with the aim being to maximise the amount of race time.

    More points will also be on offer in season six, with an additional point handed out to the fastest driver in the qualifying group stages. The driver who secures pole position still picks up three points – as well as one point being awarded to the driver who sets the fastest lap finishing in the top-10 of the final classification.

    Girls on track

    Following the successful Girls on Track – Dare To be Different campaign at the Mexico City and Berlin E-Prix’ earlier this year, FIA Girls on Track is heading to Saudi Arabia for a further event on 21 and 22 November. The campaign offers a unique opportunity to inspire and encourage girls between the ages of 8 and 18 years as well as to educate the general public on gender equality in motorsport.

    The event will see girls participate in a number of innovative activities that includes media tutorials, technical challenges, educational environmental challenges, a health workshop, simulator sessions and a karting slalom course.

    For more information and to register the participation of girls between the ages of 8-18 click here.

  • Verstappen takes pole, but suffers 3-place grid penalty; Leclerc to start on P1

    Verstappen takes pole, but suffers 3-place grid penalty; Leclerc to start on P1

    By Abhishek Aggarwal

    Mexico City, 26 Oct 2019: Valtteri Bottas came out safe after a heavy crash in the final run of the qualifying near Turn 17 on Saturday but that put paid to the hopes of the Finn getting a pole position, as he is the only man who can stop Lewis Hamilton from winning the World Championship for another record year here at the Mexican Grand Prix, the 18th of the 21-event FIA World Formula 1 Championship at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriquez. A quick lap during the first runs put Max Verstappen on pole followed by Charles Leclerc of Ferrari with multiple world champion take p3 ahead of defending champion Lewis Hamilton.

    Charles Leclerc in action on Saturday. Photos by Abhishek Aggarwal

    However, it will not be Max Verstappen, who will start on pole for the race on Sunday. The talented youngster, who failed to respect the yellow flags and slow down after the incident, was penalised with a grid penalty of three places by the stewards. He took the second pole position of his career outwitting Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc by 0.266s, but Leclerc will now start on pole and Sebastian Vettel will be promoted and his Ferrari will start from front row on P2. The AMG Petronas Mercedes team will not have even one of their Silver Arrows on the first row on Sunday but Lewis Hamilton will start on P3 with the grid penalty to the pole sitter.

    Bottas was ahead of Verstappen in the final run of the Q3, when he crashed heavily, seconds before the end of the session, hitting the side barriers but he jumped out of the car safe, and was unhurt after the accident.  Bottas will start on P6.

    The Red Bulls took the lead early on in the session with Verstappen and teammate Alex Albon in the run. Albon clocked a lap of 1:16.175 that left him almost tenths of a second ahead of Leclerc. But Verstappen then posted a quicker lap to beat Albon by 0.249 of a second.

    Defending champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes, Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari and Valtteri Bottas were all behind the third-placed Leclerc and in the final run as all elected to stay in their garages, leaving the track clear for the battle to stay in the session.

    Earlier in Q2, crowd favourite and home hero, Sergio Perez, had an unfortunate exit from the qualifying session as the Mexican was eliminated along with Nico Hulkenberg, Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinnazi

    Further ahead Daniil Kvyat and Carlos Sainz put in good final flying laps to jump to sixth and seventh respectively and that dropped Bottas to eighth place ahead of Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly and McLaren’s Lando Norris. Also through to the second session were Alfa’s Kimi Räikkönen in P11 followed by Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo, Racing Point’s Sergio Pérez, the second Renault of Nico Hulkenberg and the second Alfa Romeo of Antonio Giovinazzi, adds an FIA release.

    Q2 began with Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes opting to send their drivers out on medium compound Pirellis and after the first runs it was Vettel who led the way with a lap of 1:15.914, while Verstappen held second thanks to a lap of 1:16.136. Leclerc was third ahead Bottas and Hamilton.

    In the final runs the Mercedes pair again went out on medium tyres and the Red Bulls and the Ferraris circulated on soft tyres, though they later backed out of the runs to ensure qualification on medium compound tyres. Hamilton and Bottas kept going, however, and Hamilton jumped to P1 with a lap of 1:15.721, a tenth ahead of his team-mate. Vettel was third and Verstappen progressed to Q3 in P4 ahead of Leclerc, Sainz and Norris. Albon made it through in P8 ahead of the Toro Rossos of Kvyat and Gasly.

    Verstappen then proved unstoppable in the final Q3 top-10 shootout. After going quickest in the first runs with a lap of 1:14.910 that left him 0.124s clear of Leclerc the Dutchman ramped up the pace in final runs to set a pole position time of 1:14.758. There was confusion in the final moments, however, as Bottas crashed in the final corner on his final run bringing out the yellow flags. The impact was heavy but he was soon out of the car and safe.

    With Verstappen on pole and Leclerc on the front row, third place went to Vettel, with Hamilton fourth. Albon scored his best qualifying result to date with fifth and Bottas qualified sixth, though the heavy damage to his car calls into question where he might start. Sainz qualified seventh ahead of team-mate Norris and the final top 10 places were filled by Toro Rosso’s Kvyat and Gasly.

    2019 FIA Formula One Mexican Grand Prix – Qualifying 
    1 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 1:14.758 7 207.260
    2 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 1:15.024 0.266 7 206.525
    3 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 1:15.170 0.412 7 206.124
    4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:15.262 0.504 6 205.872
    5 Alexander Albon Red Bull Racing 1:15.336 0.578 6 205.670
    6 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 1:15.338 0.580 5 205.665
    7 Carlos Sainz Jr. McLaren 1:16.014 1.256 6 203.836
    8 Lando Norris McLaren 1:16.322 1.564 6 203.013
    9 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:16.469 1.711 6 202.623
    10 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 1:16.586 1.828 6 202.313
    11 Sergio Pérez Racing Point 1:16.687 0.966 6 202.047
    12 Nico Hülkenberg Renault 1:16.885 1.164 6 201.526
    13 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 1:16.933 1.212 6 201.401
    14 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo 1:16.967 1.246 6 201.312
    15 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 1:17.269 1.548 6 200.525
    16 Lance Stroll Racing Point 1:18.065 2.116 8 198.480
    17 Kevin Magnussen Haas 1:18.436 2.487 9 197.541
    18 Romain Grosjean Haas 1:18.599 2.650 9 197.132
    19 George Russell Williams 1:18.823 2.874 10 196.572
    20 Robert Kubica Williams 1:20.179 4.230 9 193.247

  • Charles Leclerc tops FP2 ahead of Vettel

    Charles Leclerc topped the timesheet in the second free practice session for the Belgian Grand Prix, eclipsing Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel by more than six tenths of a second and running more than eight tenths quicker than the third placed Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas.

    After being edged out of P1 by Vettel in the morning session Leclerc quickly moved to the top of the order in the afternoon, going quickest in the early phases run on medium-tyres.

    Vettel was the first to move to soft tyres and attempt a performance run and while the German’s time of 1:44.753 briefly gave him P1, Leclerc soon bypassed that benchmark with an impressive lap of 1:44.123 that put him 0.630 clear of his team-mate.

    Vettel went for another attempt but a flawed first sector put paid to his chance of overhauling his younger team-mate.

    Bottas got closest to the pacesetting Ferraris and the Finn’s best time of 1:44.969 saw him finish a little over two tenths of a second behind Vettel, but 0.846s off Leclerc. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton ended up in fourth sport a little under five hundredths of a second behind his team-mate.

    Sergio Pérez looked like continuing Racing Point’s positive start to the weekend as he rose from P9 in the morning session to P5 in the second session, posting a good time of 1:45.117 to finish as the last man within a second of Leclerc. However, after 25 laps of the circuit in total Pérez’s session ended in smokey fashion as he suffered what looked like a power unit issue.

    Sixth place went to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. After finishing third in the morning, the Dutchman was strangely off the pace in the second session and ended up 1.271s behind Leclerc as he complained of power delivery issues.

    Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen took seventh place with a time of 1:45.708, though the Finn was just over two hundredths of a second quicker than Lance Stroll in the second Racing Point.

    Daniel Ricciardo finished ninth for Renault and 10thplace in the session went to new Red Bull Racing recruit Alex Albon who finished 1.648 off Leclerc’s pace and four tenths adrift of Red Bull team-mate Verstappen.

    2019 FIA Formula One Belgian Grand Prix – Free Practice 2 
    1 Charles Leclerc Ferrari 28 1:44.123
    2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 30 1:44.753 0.630
    3 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes 28 1:44.969 0.846
    4 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 26 1:45.015 0.892
    5 Sergio Perez Racing Point 25 1:45.117 0.994
    6 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 20 1:45.394 1.271
    7 Kimi Raikkonen Alfa Romeo 25 1:45.708 1.585
    8 Lance Stroll Racing Point 21 1:45.732 1.609
    9 Daniel Ricciardo Renault 26 1:45.735 1.612
    10 Alex Albon Red Bull Racing 21 1:45.771 1.648
    11 Carlos Sainz McLaren 28 1:45.999 1.876
    12 Romain Grosjean Haas 21 1:46.120 1.997
    13 Nico Hulkenberg Renault 26 1:46.209 2.086
    14 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 24 1:46.214 2.091
    15 Lando Norris McLaren 29 1:46.258 2.135
    16 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo 24 1:46.328 2.205
    17 Pierre Gasly Toro Rosso 28 1:46.374 2.251
    18 Kevin Magnussen Haas 21 1:46.399 2.276
    19 George Russell Williams 30 1:47.887 3.764
    20 Robert Kubica Williams 32 1:48.331 4.208

  • Sebastien Buemi wins eventful New York City E-Prix: Formula E

    One race to run in season five with both drivers’ and teams’ championships still up for grabs

    Sebastien Buemi has become the ninth different winner in the FIA Formula E Championship this season. He bags a maiden victory for Nissan e.dams with his first Formula E win in over two years. The points scored today keep his championship hopes alive, making him one of four drivers still in contention for the drivers’ championship title.

    Buemi led from pole position, but it was far from comfortable for him to reach the chequered flag. Alex Lynn built up the pressure on the leader in the early stages of the race, but was forced to retire the car at the side of the track due to a technical problem. Mitch Evens took over second place from Lynn and tried to get past Buemi, but without avail.

    The Nissan e.dams driver battled to the end and escaped any previous misfortune that prevented him from winning earlier in the season – crashing out of the lead in Santiago and suffering a puncture in Paris.

    Reigning champion and favourite for the title coming into the race, Jean-Eric Vergne still holds a sizeable lead in the standings and sits 22-points clear of nearest rival Lucas di Grassi.

    Starting down the order after struggling with a slippery track surface in the first qualifying group, Vergne was caught out in a mid-field melee causing him to pit early with a punctured tyre. Sam Bird sent Jose Maria Lopez into a spin at Turn 7 and left drivers behind taking avoiding action.

    Vergne slowed to steer clear of stationary cars but was subsequently hit from behind by team-mate Andre Lotterer. Both DS TECHEETAH drivers were forced to pit and dropped to the back of the pack.

    Despite the puncture, Vergne’s chances to wrap-up the title weren’t totally deflated, with a safety car to recovery Lynn’s stricken car helping to close the gap to the points-paying positions.-

    Vergne vaulted up the leaderboard and looked set to score points, but collided with Felipe Massa on the final lap of the race. Vergne went wide into Turn 1 going wheel-to-wheel with Massa and ran out of road on the apex of the right-hander at Turn 2 – hitting the wall hard and ending up facing the wrong way.

    With both, the drivers’ and also the teams’ championships, still up for graps, the final race of the 2018/2019 ABB FIA Formula E Championship season promises plenty of excitement. With Vergne, Buemi, di Grassi and Evans, four drivers are mathematically still in contention for the title. On the teams’ side, 24 points separate DS TECHEETAH from Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler also making the last race the title decider for the teams’ championship.

    Quotes:

    Sebastien Buemi, Nissan e.dams:

    “It’s been difficult this year, because in many ways I feel like I was leading the races in Santiago and Paris, yet every time something seemed to happen. To finally be able to win is great and I’d like to dedicate the win to Jean-Paul [Driot], our team principal, who couldn’t be here today. Without him the team wouldn’t be the same. I’m really happy and looking better in the championship, and tomorrow everything is still open, so we’ll see what we can achieve. But it’s been a good day.”

    Mitch, Evans, Panasonic Jaguar Racing:

    “We really shuffled things around from Rome and since then the car has been very strong, so to capitalise on that pace is really nice. I’d like to mention that Alex [Lynn] deserves to be up here as well, he had a tough failure today. I’m not sure what happened, but it was good to see him fighting at the front. It’s nice to put at least one Jaguar on the podium. It’s going to be a good battle for second place as well between myself, Seb and Lucas, so hopefully a little bit less carnage tomorrow but hopefully a similar result.”

    Antonio Felix da Costa, BMW i Andretti Motorsport:

    “I’m not sure where to start! I started all the way down in eighth and then had the issue with being on the left-hand side of the track and losing places off the line. My car was pretty damaged and hard to drive but we still seemed to have some pace. JEV kept going forwards and I was able to save some energy in key moments of the race and use it afterwards on ATTACK MODE. We managed to have the speed to move up the order, do some moves and defend when we had to. I need to thank Alex [Sims] who let me pass in the end to keep chasing the championship. I’m really grateful to him and the team for allowing this.”

    2019 New York City E-Prix (Rd 12)

    1 Sebastien Buemi Nissan e.dams 46:16.399s (28)
    2 Mitch Evans Panasonic Jaguar Racing +0.932s (18)
    3 Antonio Felix da Costa BMW i Andretti Motorsport +1.216s (15)
    4 Alexander Sims BMW i Andretti Motorsport +2.971s (12)
    5 Lucas di Grassi Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler +3.537s (10)
    6 Daniel Abt Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler +4.380s (9)
    7 Pascal Wehrlein MAHINDRA RACING +6.543s (6)
    8 Sam Bird Envision Virgin Racing +13.829s (4)
    9 Jerome D’Ambrosio MAHINDRA RACING +23.719s (2)
    10 Oliver Turvey NIO Formula E Team +25.038s (1)
    11 Gary Paffett HWA RACELAB +27.831s  
    12 Jose Maria Lopez GEOX DRAGON +34.729s  
    13 Stoffel Vandoorne HWA RACELAB +50.564s  
    14 Oliver Rowland Nissan e.dams +1:23.962s  
    15 Jean-Eric Vergne DS TECHEETAH +1:34.508s  
    16 Felipe Massa VENTURI Formula E Team 1 Lap  
    17 Andre Lotterer DS TECHEETAH 1 Lap  
             
    DNF Maximilian Gunther GEOX DRAGON 28 Laps  
    DNF Edoardo Mortara VENTURI Formula E Team 27 Laps  
    DNF Alex Lynn Panasonic Jaguar Racing 18 Laps  
    DNF Robin Frijns Envision Virgin Racing 15 Laps  
    DNF Tom Dillmann NIO Formula E Team 1 Lap  

    Drivers standings

    Jean-Eric Vergne DS TECHEETAH 130
    Lucas di Grassi Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 108
    Mitch Evans Panasonic Jaguar Racing 105
    Sebastien Buemi Nissan e.dams 104
    Antonio Felix da Costa BMW i Andretti Motorsport 97
    Andre Lotterer DS TECHEETAH 86
    Daniel Abt Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 84
    Robin Frijns Envision Virgin Racing 81
    Sam Bird Envision Virgin Racing 73
    Jerome D’Ambrosio MAHINDRA RACING 67
    Oliver Rowland Nissan e.dams 63
    Pascal Wehrlein MAHINDRA RACING 58
    Edoardo Mortara VENTURI Formula E Team 52
    Felipe Massa VENTURI Formula E Team 36
    Alexander Sims BMW i Andretti Motorsport 36
    Stoffel Vandoorne HWA RACELAB 31
    Maximilian Gunther GEOX DRAGON 20
    Alex Lynn Panasonic Jaguar Racing 10
    Gary Paffett HWA RACELAB 8
    Oliver Turvey NIO Formula E Team 7
    Jose Maria Lopez GEOX DRAGON 3
    Nelson Piquet Jr. Panasonic Jaguar Racing 1
    Tom Dillmann NIO Formula E Team 0
    Felipe Nasr GEOX DRAGON 0
    Felix Rosenqvist MAHINDRA RACING 0

    Team standings

    DS TECHEETAH 216
    Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 192
    Nissan e.dams 167
    Envision Virgin Racing 154
    BMW i Andretti Motorsport 133
    MAHINDRA RACING 125
    Panasonic Jaguar Racing 116
    VENTURI Formula E Team 88
    HWA RACELAB 39
    GEOX DRAGON 23
    NIO Formula E Team 7