Daniel Abt clinched his maiden victory in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship in Mexico City, ending the long drought without a German E-Prix winner in the electric street racing series.
After agonisingly being stripped of a win for a post-race technical infringement in Hong Kong, Abt can now claim to be a winner in Formula E and the first from Germany in 38 races. The result in front of the fervent Mexican fans also marks the first victory for Audi as a factory team.
Abt progressed through the field during the early phase of the race from fifth on the grid
He took the lead during the pit-stop window. The German inherited a place after Julius Baer pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist ground to a halt due to a technical glitch while heading the field on lap 15.
He stuck close behind the gearbox of Sebastien Buemi but eased his way into second spot after the Renault e.dams driver ran wide at Turn 1 shortly before the mandatory mid-race car swap.
As the cars peeled into their garages, Abt had closed the gap to Oliver Turvey and put himself in prime position to jump the NIO driver. Turvey – who looked set to win here this time last year, but retired due to a technical fault – had his eyes set on the top step again. However, Abt was strapped in quicker than his nearest rival in the pits and comfortably jumped Turvey to move into first position.
With a clear road ahead Abt looked comfortable as the chasing pack went hammer and tongs in the battle for the
final podium places.
. @Daniel_Abt wins the 2018 #MexicoCityEPrix pic.twitter.com/F2B15ksHuj
— ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) March 3, 2018
Buemi pressurised Turvey to the chequered flag but couldn’t find a way past
That consolidated Turvey’s highest finishing position in Formula E and his first podium finish in second place. The 2015/16 champion continued his consistent form with a third podium in as many races – stretching back to Marrakesh.
. @Sebastien_buemi uses his #FANBOOST to overtake @JeanEricVergne for P3 #MexicoCityEPrix pic.twitter.com/Tj8lrXTUIm
— ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) March 3, 2018
Another driver showing similar form is Nelson Piquet Jr, coming home in what seems to be a familiar fourth place – narrowly missing out on an elusive top-three finish for his new Panasonic Jaguar Racing team. It’s the third time Piquet has crossed the line in fourth place this season.
Championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne couldn’t replicate the speed shown in Santiago and could only manage fifth
However, with Rosenqvist and Bird failing to score, Vergne has edged further ahead in the standings. Now he is 12 points clear of the Mahindra Racing driver.
Mitch Evans added to Jaguar’s points-haul in sixth, moving the outfit to third in the team standings. That is their highest position to date. Antonio Felix da Costa was a place further back despite starting from fourth on the grid, with Edoardo Mortara impressively scything his way from 18th to eighth.
Reigning champion Lucas di Grassi managed to claim his first points of the season from last on the grid
He had a 10-place grid penalty for changing an inverter and a further five-second time penalty during the race. Despite that di Grassi managed a hard-fought ninth-place finish.
The Brazilian didn’t stop there though, also picking-up a much-needed extra point for Visa Fastest Lap. DS Virgin Racing’s Alex Lynn rounded-out the top-10 and the final points-paying position.
Fans don’t have to wait long for the next instalment of electric street racing. Formula E returns to the shores of Punta del Este in Uruguay for round six of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship on March 17.
The man of the hour, @Daniel_Abt! Tell us about your victory, Daniel. #ABBFormulaE #FormulaE #MexicoCityEPrix #etron #ProgressFeelsElectric #LeagueofPerformance pic.twitter.com/pt6imS1wtH
— Audi Formula E (@audiformulae) March 3, 2018
