It was the moment of truth on the closing weekend of ABB FIA Formula E Season Seven, and Lucas di Grassi from Audi team, did his best to win the first Berlin E-Prix, on a race where at least four drivers led the battle, but the Brazilian finally got all the points.
Di Grassi, who clinched his second win of the season after Puebla, Mexico, started third, behind DS Techeetah drivers, defending champion António Félix da Costa and Jean-Érick Vergne respectively, who finished seventh and sixth.
“We always believed in it (winning), we lost many points in Rome and London, so this means a lot to me, I am very happy. I had to use the attack mode strategically to get the lead,” said di Grassi.
The podium was completed by Venturi Racing’s Swiss Edoardo Mortara (2nd), who climbed two positions after his start and represented a serious threat to Lucas until the very last second.
“It was a great result for the team and for me, because it gets us back into the fight for the title. We must not be too happy because we have to prepare for tomorrow”, were Mortara’s words before climbing up to the second spot.
About his battle for the lead, he pointed out: “I knew it was going to be difficult in the last rounds. I put a lot of pressure on di Grassi, but in the end, it turned out to be the opposite of what I expected”.
Third place was for Jaguar Racing’s New Zealander, Mitch Evans, whose good performance not only kept him in the fight for the title, but also strengthened his crew’s lead at the top of the Teams’ Championship, which experienced Sam Bird’s absence.
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A Team Victory
Di Grassi and Rast managed to overtake the DS Techeetah drivers, second and third respectively, while Mortara had to be beaten.
With Lucas di Grassi at the front, the team joined forces and Rast blocked Mortara’s chances, so that his teammate could finally improve his options and move up to 1st place. With 10 minutes to go, the Brazilian-born driver held his position until the very end.
More Details
The first 20 minutes did not offer up much overtaking within the first 10 positions, except for Rowland, who, with less than 10 minutes from the start, gained 3 spots in the standings.
After a slight contact on the left rear tire, Pascal Wehrlein was forced to leave the track. Bird also had some problems and eventually, the safety car had to come out for the first and only time.
Thus, with a very close race, only 4 out of the 18 drivers with title options left with no chances for the final battle in Berlin, to be held tomorrow on the same circuit of the former Tempelhof airport, which will be laid out in reverse for the occasion.
Below, you can see the standings, with the first 14 drivers having a chance to win the “Season Seven”, the first Formula E World Championship awarded by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile).
Written by | Osward Rubio
