For Audi Sport Abt Shaeffler driver Daniel Abt, celebrating his birthday with his first ever win in the FIA Formula E Championship seemed too good to be true.
But sadly, for the 25-year-old German driver, that was precisely the case.
The Audi driver clinched victory from Venturi Formula E’s Edoardo Mortara in the final moments of the race
Abt proceeded to celebrate his victory on the podium saying, “this kind of stuff never happens to me… but it happened today!”
But as the crowds dispersed and the celebrations came to a close, Audi Sport came under investigation from the FIA who disqualified Abt from Round Two after finding that his car’s components didn’t match up.
The decision is currently under appeal by Audi Sport. The provisional standings mean a bittersweet victory for Mahindra’s Felix Rosenqvist who started on pole. Following up in second place is Venturi Formula E’s Edoardo Mortara, who led the race for 23 laps before blowing his chances of victory with moments to spare.
Feeling overconfident, Mortara blasted into Turn 2 in a bid to clinch the Visa Fastest Lap only to lock up the back wheels and spin, allowing Daniel Abt and Rosenqvist to pass
“It’s difficult to find the words after a race like that,” said an emotional Mortara. “I wanted too much and I made a stupid mistake… I should have just gone for the win,” he said in a candid post-race interview.
But it wasn’t all bad, especially not for Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s Mitch Evans. Following Abt’s disqualification, he crept onto the podium. That brought Jaguar Racing it’s first silverware since September 2002. “I’m proud to secure Panasonic Jaguar Racing’s first podium in Formula E. It’s bittersweet as Daniel is a good guy and a mate of mine. After a tough year in our first season, this is a great reward for the hard work of everyone in the team. Tonight we will celebrate this achievement together and then work hard to repeat it.”
.@FRosenqvist has secured his first win in Season 4. Maximum points for the #passioneer as he clinched pole position earlier and got the fastest lap point too. #HKEPrix pic.twitter.com/N7w7qu7Mz3
— MahindraRacing (@MahindraRacing) December 3, 2017
.@Daniel_Abt has been excluded after race 2. Team Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler has notified its intent to appeal against the exclusion from the classification. #FormulaE #HKEPrix #etron #ProgressFeelsElectric #LeagueofPerformance pic.twitter.com/HmLNLTU9sJ
— Audi Formula E (@audiformulae) December 3, 2017
