Unpredictability is at home in Formula E and even the Hyderabad ePrix did not disappoint expectations, offering an uncertain race right down to the last metre. From the confusion in qualifying caused by numerous track limit episodes to the emotions of a race won by Jean-Vergne at the finish line with almost 0% battery.
Despite the second place on the grid conquered in the morning, probably few would have bet on the Frenchman as the winner of the Indian stage, especially for the efficiency qualities of the Jaguar and Porsche branded cars. On the contrary, Vergne put on the track like the Champion he is, keeping the group behind despite having 3/4% less battery than his rivals, especially in the final laps after the Safety Car entered.
An experienced and well organized defense, starting from the points chosen to recharge the battery, those where it was more difficult to attempt an overtaking manoeuvre, to then defend at the hairpin going to close off the interior at each passage. Vergne was thus able to give the first victory of the season to the DS Penske partnership, also enhanced by the eighth place obtained by Stoffel Vandoorne after a long comeback from the back.
The Belgian had not been the author of a good qualifying but, thanks to the various contacts, he then had the opportunity to move up the standings before a five-second penalty, precisely for exceeding the track limits, sent him back to the edge of the top ten. However, for DS it is an excellent booty on which to build the future, which in this start of the championship had reserved more shadows than lights, also given the difficulties in making the tires work on the flying lap.
Second place for Nick Cassidy, also author of a good comeback from the fifth row. Although the Envision standard bearer could at times count on a good amount of energy compared to the rivals around him, the cue for the decisive assault was lacking, the one that could have given the team success. The place of honor conquered by the New Zealander and what would have been a podium for Sebastien Buemi, at least before the latter was disqualified for having used more energy than allowed by the regulations, undoubtedly fuel the regrets, but confirm the competitiveness of the package Jaguars.
Antonio Felix da Costa benefited from the exclusion of the other Envision rider, incredibly on the podium in a weekend where in reality he hadn’t shone. For the Portuguese, today’s third place represents a real breath of fresh air after a subdued start to the world championship and the enthusiasm shown on the stage of the awards ceremony is confirmation of this.
Third place for Da Costa and first podium of the season. A breath of fresh air after a subdued start to the world championship.
Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images
Limited damage for the other Porsche, that of Pascal Wehrlein, who in an extremely atypical weekend was however able to extend his lead in the standings by taking advantage of other people’s problems and a bit of luck.
Valuable points also in the NIO house, thanks to a splendid fifth place by Sette Camara, although also in this case assisted by the accidents and penalties of others. Also noteworthy is the sixth place of Oliver Rowland in front of the Mahindra team’s home crowd, as well as the seventh position of Norman Nato in the regretted Nissan, who saw in Sacha Fenestraz the opportunity to increase the Indian booty.
In fact, the French driver was unwillingly involved in the disappointing day for Jaguar, which went from a potential victory to a double zero in the space of a bend. An unfortunate episode that saw Sam Bird rear-end his teammate at the hairpin during the thirteenth lap, destroying not only his team’s race, but also that of Fenestraz and Max Guenther, who were in turn damaged by the contact. For the British team this is a great missed opportunity, especially for Mitch Evans, who could have exploited Porsche’s difficulties to get closer to the championship lead.
Edoardo Mortara concluded a chaotic race in the points, in which in the first laps he had been the author of a contact that seemed to put him offside.
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
Closing the top ten is Edoardo Mortara, also author of a difficult race to interpret. Despite an accident in the very first laps of the race, which ruled out damaging his front wing after a rear-end collision at the hairpin bend, the Maserati driver did not give up, continuing the race to an unexpected and unexpected tenth place. A pinch of bitterness remains for the Trident brand as without the two episodes involving its drivers, evidently the loot could have been more substantial, but after a subdued start to the championship that clearly highlighted the points to work on, a weekend among the protagonists was what was needed.
Among the retirees there is also the name of one of the contenders for the title, Jake Dennis, who was unwillingly the victim of a rear-end collision by René Rast in the last stages of the ePrix, just after the safety car returned to the pits. Having closed the gap from the leaders, the hope of the Andretti Englishman was to be able to attempt an assault on the podium, but an overly optimistic attack by the McLaren driver extinguished both dreams. Rast’s withdrawal adds up to the zero of his team mate, Jake Hughes, on the wall after a mirror got stuck behind the wheel.
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