Di Grassi Wins, Takes Lead In Formula E Title Fight
MONTREAL – For the first time this season there is a different name at the top of the FIA Formula E Championship standings after Lucas di Grassi delivered a near-perfect performance to win the inaugural Hydro-Quebec Montreal ePrix on Saturday.
Di Grassi came into the weekend 10-points in arrears, but that was reduced to seven as he beat title rival Sebastien Buemi in a head-to-head fight for Julius Baer pole position, claiming three bonus points in the process.
However Buemi would not line-up on the front row. In the second practice session, he made a slight mis-judgement at the high-speed chicane that leads onto the start/finish straight. He clipped the inside wall with his left front wheel, which pitched him into the exit wall at high speed.
Fortunately he was unharmed, but the force of the impact damaged the battery. With his Renault e.dams team having already used its spare unit, the switch meant he would incur a 10-place grid penalty, dropping him to 12th.
Di Grassi made perfect use of his pole to sprint off into a comfortable lead, meanwhile Buemi was caught up in the midfield melee. Contact with Andretti’s Robin Frijns on the opening lap bent his steering and he dropped back to 16th place.
As di Grassi serenely opened his lead, so Buemi fought tooth and nail to climb his way into the points. He had just overtaken the Faraday Future Dragon Racing car of Loic Duval for 10th place, when Nick Heidfeld also attempted a similar move.
Duval refused to yield and there was contact. Duval was left broadside across the track, while Heidfeld’s Mahindra suffered broken front suspension, which forced him to stop on track, causing a full course caution.
With the drivers now in the energy window required to make the mandatory car change, the majority of the field chose this moment to pit. Di Grassi emerged with his lead enhanced, while Buemi indulged in some horseplay with the sister ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport car as they came into the pits.
A slow pitstop had cost Felix Rosenqvist third place to the charging TECHEETAH of Jean-Eric Vergne, who picked up second when his team-mate Stephane Sarrazin dutifully moved aside. But di Grassi was six seconds up the road and surely out of reach.
Last time out in New York, the DS Virgin Racing cars had been dominant, with Sam Bird winning both races. However, a strange issue in qualifying meant both Bird and Jose Maria Lopez were unable to access full 200kW power, which left them well down the starting order in Montreal.
It was clear the cars had pace, and in tandem they were working their way up the order. That was until Lopez pushed just a bit too hard and spun into the wall.
Source : speedsport.com
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