ePrix de Paris: Buemi and di Grassi dominate dress rehearsals

Buemi in the early morning

The future belongs to those who wake up early. The saying is particularly true in Formula E, which traditionally starts its ePrix days at the first rays of the sun.

From 8 a.m., the light turned green for the start of FP1. An initial session dominated by Sébastien Buemi, with a time of 1:01.998, seven-tenths faster than José Maria Lopez, a full second ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne. Remaining discreet at the start of the session, the Swiss driver put in a convincing lap at the last moment, exploiting the maximum allowed 200kW output, which explains such a gap.

On a still green track, the drivers were adjusting their trajectories and braking points. For some, the learning was rougher than for others.

José Maria Lopez was the first driver to hit the wall, after missing the braking point at the first corner at the end of the starting straight, Boulevard des Invalides. An accident without unfortunate consequences for the Argentine, who engaged reverse gear before resuming his session.

Paradoxically, the DS Virgin alternated between light and shadow during these first laps. Immobilized on his out-lap in the first sector, Sam Bird abandoned his car before switching to the second model. An electric loading issue affected the start of the Englishman’s program, who nevertheless climbed to sixth place after having spent long minutes at the top of the leaderboard with his teammate.

Just behind him, it was fitting to acknowledge the impressive seventh place of Mike Conway, the returnee, driving his Dragon Racing.

.@Sebastien_buemi finishes FP1 fastest. Tune in at 10:30am for FP2 for the @qatarairways #ParisePrix https://t.co/IzFS4U8fNS pic.twitter.com/IQauDE8kB4

— FIA Formula E (@FIAformulaE) 20 mai 2017

di Grassi on the edge

The second practice session, lasting only thirty minutes, was mainly focused on preparations for the qualifiers. As soon as the green light was given, no driver missed the opportunity to improve upon the FP1 times. Felix Rosenqvist immediately went to the top with a nice time of 1:02.300. The pack of the top 13 was then tightly grouped: within exactly 0.9 seconds.

After a pit stop return, the rest of the session was dedicated to long runs. Once again, the first turn was the cause of many troubles. Lucas di Grassi himself took the escape route, followed moments later by Esteban Gutierrez. However, no red flag was raised, and the session ended without incident. It should be noted that some drivers lamented a lack of grip, despite the gradually increasing temperatures.

Like the first turn, the last one (turn T14) is targeted. This is evidenced by Mike Conway’s spin, who experienced a violent stall at the wheel of his Venturi.

Light ’em up @Mikeconway26! #ParisePrix pic.twitter.com/qvr6YJwPpX

— FIA Formula E (@FIAformulaE) 20 mai 2017

Mirroring the FP3 in Formula 1, the final session saw further improvements in times. José Maria Lopez confirmed his strong FP1 by improving the mark to 1:01.559. Once again, in the very last lap, the leader emerged. This time, Lucas di Grassi secured the benchmark with a time of 1:01.359, exactly two-tenths faster than the Swede’s time.

.@LucasdiGrassi tops the final practice session of the morning at the @qatarairways #ParisePrix pic.twitter.com/gDPiUasZQO

— FIA Formula E (@FIAformulaE) 20 mai 2017

The race is thus underway a few minutes before the qualifiers, scheduled for 12:00. Lucas di Grassi responded to Sébastien Buemi’s best morning time, but as in 2016, the DS Virgin Racing team is also in the running for pole position.

So, who will take the lead on Boulevard des Invalides? To find out, join us for a live-tweet of this qualifying session!