Pascal Wehrlein moved to Formula E points lead after win in Race 1 of London EPrix weekend ahead of Mitch Evans and Sebastien Buemi.
Mitch Evans got off to a strong start with Buemi close behind, but it was Norman Nato who pushed his way into third after a cautious Pascal Wehrlein took things easy. However, there was drama further back as Jake Dennis squeezed out Robin Frijns which sent him into the wall and out of the race. The incident also picked up Sam Bird, and resulted in a Safety Car.
Things got back underway by Lap 5, and saw the pack start to take their ATTACK MODES. One notable activation belonged to Nick Cassidy who missed one of the sensors and had to try again, losing crucial time as he went off the racing line. Oliver Rowland was getting his elbow out, fighting and trying to pass Jean-Eric Vergne but delivered a move up the inside. That wasn’t the only on-track battle for two-time champ JEV, as he also found himself getting tangled with Jake Dennis and the two cars resting on top of eachother for a brief moment.
Fighting for position, Rowland ended up clashing with Antonio Felix da Costa at the final corner and causing the two to come to a stop. For Rowland, he was able to get going again but it was game over for Da Costa as he limped back to the pits. His front suspension was damaged in the incident, and has caused a serious dent in his championship hopes as he was forced to retire.
Buemi passed Evans for the lead on Lap 10 in a lovely tidy move up the start-finish straight. Meanwhile, Dennis was out causing more trouble as he banged wheels with championship leader Cassidy. Up ahead, Evans and Buemi took their ATTACK MODES with Evans emerging out ahead, but Wehrlein was on the hunt and saving some seriously good energy and soon he was up into second. By Lap 22, Wehrlein was into the lead of the race!
Cassidy was also smacked into the wall as he fought Stoffel Vandoorne, but was able to continue. He also complained of his beacons not working and missed ATTACK MODE again when he tried to take the mandatory power boost. Wehrlein and Evans fought up ahead as they took their ATTACK MODES, in thrilling scenes as they fought for track position. It was close on many occasions, but it was Wehrlein who held his line and went defensive when he rejoined the track.
Evans complained of energy issues, and was eventually passed by Maximilian Guenther (Maserati MSG Racing) for second place, yet disaster struck when his car suffered a problem and saw him drop down the order and eventually stop on track in the final stages of the race. The German made up nine places before his issues which made for heartbreaking scenes in their garage. It wasn’t the only problem for Maserati MSG Racing on that lap as Jehan Daruvala clashed with Vergne and had to pit for a new front wing.
Norman Nato and Sacha Fenestraz added to the accident damage as they came together in the last moments of the race. But Pascal Wehrlein kept his cool up in front to take his third victory of the season, with Evans behind in second and Sebastien Buemi in third.
Result: https://x.com/MsportXtra/status/1814707070928658476
UPDATE: Frijns had a coming-together with Jake Dennis (Andretti) at the Customs House chicane on the opening lap of the Hankook London E-Prix Round 15. The Dutchman’s Envision hit the wall on the inside of the second apex at the chicane, squeezed by Dennis’ Andretti, before eventually coming to a stop in the Tecpro barrier on the exit of the corner.
The stewards adjudged the reigning champion to have overstepped the mark in the move on Frijns and awarded the Brit a 10-second penalty as a result. Frijns complained of hand pain over the radio to his engineer, and the team has confirmed he will head to hospital for medical checks.
[Note: The story is as per press release]