Tightly contested
Lucas di Grassi of Audi Sport ABT scooped winning place in this first ever FIA Formula E championship race. The excitement was, appropriately, electric. It was the weekend when many a childhood Scalextric dream suddenly grew up. For spectators, Formula E proved a thrilling new entrant to the racing world alongside its fossil fuel counterparts.
Winners’ podium
Apart from an appreciative planet, the official winners in Saturday’s ePrix were:
1. Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT) 25 laps
2. Franck Montagny (Andretti) +2.867
3. Sam Bird (Virgin Racing) +6.559
4. Charles Pic (Andretti) +19.301
5. Karun Chandhok (Mahindra Racing) +23.952
6. Jérôme d:Ambrosio (Dragon Racing) +31.664
7. Oriol Servia (Dragon Racing) +41.968
8. Nelson Piquet Jr. (China Racing) +43.896
9. Stéphane Sarrazin (Venturi) +43.975
10. Daniel Abt (Audi Sport ABT) +1:02.507
Fastest lap: Takuma Sato (Amlin Aguri) 1:45.101
Spark, the car built with Renault Sport expertise
Saturday’s event launches a ten-race championship that will culminate in the streets of London in June 2015. For the inaugural season, the entire field is competing in Spark-Renault STR01E single seaters.
Renault Sport has been part of the project since it was little more than a bold idea in 2012. Indeed Renault played a central role as architect of the electric powertrain and ensuring safety of these impressive racing machines. Our technical knowhow made sure every one of the 40 vehicles competing was quick, reliable and safe from the word go.
And for all of us hooked on action, there was no shortage of heart-stopping thrills. Even the closeness of safety barriers wasn’t a problem, as the Spark-Renault STR01E’s unique characteristics let drivers outbrake each other on corners.
The 3 E’s: Energy, Environment, Entertainment
Formula E is an exciting new challenge set by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), the governing body for world motor sport. It is intended to serve as a live framework for research as well as drive wide interest in electric cars and promote sustainability.
Championship calendar
13/09/2014 Beijing China
Next ePrix race: 22/11/2014 Putrajaya, Malaysia
13/12/2014 Punta del Este, Uruguay
10/01/2015 Buenos Aires, Argentina
14/02/2014 To be announced
14/03/2015 Miami, USA
04/04/2015 Los Angeles, USA
09/05/2015 Monaco, Principality of Monaco
30/05/2015 Berlin, Germany
27/06/2015 London, United Kingdom
