The Belgian started Sunday’s race from thirteenth position and needed to make a comeback to minimize the consequences of that bad result as much as possible. Gradually, he made progress as best he could and finished the race in fourth place.

Vandoorne’s lead in the standings is 36 points with the Seoul meeting still to come, also in double format. A difference that has Mitch Evans as his closest pursuer. Behind are Mortara (Venturi) at 41 points and Vergne (DS) at 57. All three have a chance of snatching the title, although it seems that the mission of the contenders is very complicated.

A Historical Driver Revived

On Sunday, Lucas di Grassi took his first win for ROKiT Venturi Racing in the SABIC London E-Prix Round 14, beating Saturday’s Round 13 winner Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) in a tight strategic battle.

Di Grassi emerged from the last of three mandatory ATTACK MODE activations with enough in hand to ensure he would make it through. Home crowd favorite Jake Dennis dominated the Julius Bär Pole Position, but the Brazilian stretched his lead in the closing laps in TAG Heuer Add Time to take the checkered flag.

Nyck de Vries came in third. Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing), meanwhile, had moved up to fourth from 14th at the start of the race, but a late technical problem prematurely ended his run in London, dealing a severe blow to his title chances by retiring without points.

Maximum Authority on the Track

The race was graced by the presence of the President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who attended the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for the first time since taking over in December 2021.

He met with executives, team principals and drivers from across the ABB FIA Formula E ABB FIA World Championship before being introduced on the podium to present the winner’s trophy to di Grassi.

Dennis Excelled on Saturday

On Saturday, Dennis delivered a dominant performance from the lights to the flag to win the first race in the double header at the SABIC London E-Prix 2022, repeating his exploits from last season on the exclusive street circuit.

The ABB FIA Formula E ABB World Championship returned to ExCeL London following last season’s debut, but was open to full capacity after last year’s COVID-19 restrictions limited access.

Thousands of fans at the east London venue gave the victorious Dennis a standing ovation after he repelled the early advances of World Drivers’ Championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne to win the race and delight the cheering home crowd.

Mercedes-EQ’s Vandoorne was content with a conservative strategy to come second and claim his 17th Formula E podium, with his closest championship rivals dropped in the pack.

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For the second consecutive year, the electric single-seater series will race in the British capital. During the 2021 battle, there were still many restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, so attendance was limited. For this year, the ExCeL, the venue where the event will take place, is expected to be a full house for the SABIC London 2022 E-Prix.

Last year’s event was held on an indoor/outdoor circuit layout that offered a completely unique challenge for drivers and teams to familiarize themselves with. Both races were won by British drivers with Jake Dennis and former Mahindra Racing racer, Alex Lynn, asserting their home status.

How do Things Stand?

Mercedes-EQ driver Stofel Vandoorne comes to the UK after storming into the lead at the New York E-Prix. The Belgian took an 11-point lead over ROKiT Venturi Racing driver Edoardo Mortara.

The difficulties of the Swiss, winner in Marrakech, opened the door for the rest of the top four, including also Mitch Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing) and Jean-Éric Vergne of DS TECHEETAH, to close the gap, but not all were able to capitalize, as the Frenchman did not score points.

These top four are still separated by a few units, so the last four races will define who will win the tournament, the last one before the change to the third generation era (Gen3).

Related content: Sam Bird is Thrilled with the New Gen3 Formula E Car

Regarding the teams’ table, the situation is similar due to the tightness of the dispute. Mercedes-EQ leads by 10 points over second-placed ROKiT Venturi Racing after New York. DS TECHEETAH managed to tie for second place on points after Antonio Felix da Costa took the team to the maximum in round 12.

Fans in London are set for a dramatic home race weekend where any one of the top four drivers could take the lead or see their title chances take a hit before season 9 concludes in Seoul on August 13-14.

The post All Set in London for Second-to-Last Stop of Formula E Season appeared first on Green Racing News.

Bird regretted not being able to score at the London E-Prix, as he was leading before the start: “We had the pace. It just didn’t happen for us”.

The Briton, however, remains with high hopes, because a good run in this weekend’s double-header in Berlin, closing E-Prix season seven, would allow him to get his first Formula E title, a symbolic fact because Sam has been with the electric single-seater series since its debut in 2014.

“Winning the title would be super. It’s something I’ve been working on for seven years. I’d be really excited if I do it,” said the 34-year-old driver.

Read also: Envision Virgin Racing confirms Robin Frijns for Next Season

Setting his Sights on Berlin

Sam has promised himself to do all his best in Berlin, freeing from any pressure, as he added that, regardless the result, he will keep his head up for doing a good job.

“I had some positive results there in the past. I have never won in Berlin, but I had one or two podiums. So, there’s no reason why I couldn’t add one more to that count,” he said.

He continued, “If I I can leave Berlin knowing that I’ve done everything in my power to try to win the Championship and it’s not happening for some reason, I will be at ease.”

“We can leave Berlin with something really special,” the driver noted, while referring at the same time to the current campaign as his “best season” so far.

Written by | Osward Rubio

The post Bird on the Berlin final: “I’ ve been Working for 7 Years to Win the Title” appeared first on Green Racing News.

At 22 minutes to the end -and after a mishap between António Félix Da Costa and André Lotterer- the safety car appeared, while di Grassi went to pits, presumably to solve some inconvenience.

However, the Portuguese driver did not stop and exited the pit lane in first position, ahead of then-leader Stoffel Vandoorne.

Read also: Surprises and controversy in London: Alex Lynn gets his first Formula E victory

“Everything we did today (Sunday) was clearly allowed by the Championship rules. We could only do it if the safety car was at a speed below the pit lane limit, otherwise I would lose positions,” explained di Grassi on Twitter after the race.

The driver said that he stood with the team when the decision was made. He also admitted that his penalty was properly applied.

After the illegal overtaking, Lucas was penalized with a drive through, a decision not recognized by Audi, who preferred not to inform about the decision to the driver before the end of the race.

“It was a smart strategy by the team, who saw an opportunity in the rules and took advantage of it. The title fight is very close and we didn’t want to leave any opportunity”

Lucas di Grassi, Audi ABT driver

Although di Grassi received the checkered flag, it was Alexander Lynn who eventually won the race.

Written by | Osward Rubio

The post Di Grassi on Controversial Action: “Everything We Did Was Clearly Allowed by Championship Rules” appeared first on Green Racing News.