A look back at the Monaco ePrix: Buemi back on track

Buemi secures his first pole position

Before his success, the Swiss had done the job at midday by setting the reference time of 53:313.

Third in the overall group stage standings, behind the surprising Mario Engel (Venturi) and the Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne (Techeetah), the Renault e.dams driver showed his teeth during the Super-Pole, improving his previous time by a tenth.

A sufficient performance while Vergne and Engel lost precious tenths on the demanding track (wheel lock-up at the first corner for one, mistake at the exit of the Piscine corner for the other).

The Swiss then converted his hopes from the practice sessions, finishing at the top of the timesheet.

Behind him on the grid, two old Brazilian acquaintances peeked their noses.

Winner in Mexico, Lucas di Grassi lost a minimum of places. Ahead of Nelson Piquet (NextEV), who was reconnecting with his glory days in Formula E. It’s a paradox since the trio from the previous Monaco ePrix (in 2015) was already composed of these three drivers, in this order!

Skilled during a flying lap, Felix Rosenqvist (Mahindra) finished best of the rest with a sixth place for Mahindra. Less inspired than usual, Sam Bird (DS Virgin) secured a modest eleventh place, ahead of two French drivers: Stéphane Sarrazin (Venturi) and Loïc Duval (Dragon Racing).

In the crash section, Adam Carroll (Jaguar) got a bit too close to the Monaco rail, jeopardizing all his chances in the mishap. No better inspired, Nico Prost (Renault e.dams) hit the barriers twice and plummeted to the bottom of the standings. Only Jérôme d’Ambrosio (Dragon Racing) did worse: the Belgian aborted his attempt as soon as he completed his installation lap.

A cleverly secured victory!

Like in Formula 1, the electric race had filled the stands (and yachts!) of the Principality this Saturday afternoon. Under a beautiful azure sun, the twenty drivers battled it out for 51 laps. And just like in 2015, the same driver emerged victorious, namely Sébastien Buemi! After scoring zero points in Mexico at the beginning of April, the former Toro Rosso driver treated us to one of his uncompromising races, which is his specialty.

Part of his success was built from the start, with an excellent drive towards the first corner. The poleman forced di Grassi to watch the rear of the Renault Z.E 16.

But the race was not smooth sailing for the 2016 champion. The Safety Car that came out on lap 21 could have dashed his hopes. Especially since Lucas di Grassi had an excellent end to the race. The Abt driver closed the gap to under a second in the last eight laps, giving some cold sweats to Alain Prost and Jean-Paul Driot!

Fortunately, the Vaudois has a thick skin. Thanks to (as often) an excellent management of his energy, Sébastien Buemi was able to bring his mount safely to port. It was a close call as Lucas di Grassi finished three-tenths of a second behind!

Frustrating for the Paulista who didn’t even use his Fan-Boost, believing that he simply didn’t have the opportunity!

What a finish! Sensational racing by @Sebastien_buemi and @LucasdiGrassi in the #MonacoePrix pic.twitter.com/R0SsndCO87

— FIA Formula E (@FIAformulaE) 13 mai 2017

Far from this battle at the top, Nick Heidfeld reaped the rewards of the fierce fight between Piquet and Vergne, which ended disastrously in the wall. After a calm start and the first laps in single file, the fight escalated on the 21st lap. Everything happened at the hairpin at the bottom of the tunnel, bringing it back to the classic circuit, the one used by Formula 1 drivers.

Threatening from the previous lap, the Francilien was even better positioned on the inside to overtake the NextEV. Unfortunately for him, Piquet had little intention of yielding, ready to defend his position to the very end. The collision was therefore inevitable, and the wall awaited Jean-Eric Vergne. The Parisian left his Techeetah reduced to a wreck while the former Renault F1 driver remained in the race but had just lost his podium to Nick Heidfeld.

Maro Engel honors Venturi, a setback for DS Virgin and Dragon Racing

Starting a few seconds after everyone else, Stéphane Sarrazin left his teammate to defend the colors of the local team. Maro Engel did the job by securing a fine fifth place, his best position in the discipline. The German made an impression in Monaco, as he will be absent during the next meeting in Paris, being also committed to DTM.

In terms of satisfaction, we cannot say the same for DS Virgin and Dragon Racing. The two mentioned teams experienced a catastrophic race.

On the Franco-British team’s side, José Maria Lopez and Sam Bird went back to the pits before the tenth lap to repair damage to their two cars. The Argentine was hit in the first lap, while Sam Bird, drifting at the exit of the Swimming Pool corner, broke his brake rod on the eighth lap.

The two drivers are framed in this final ranking by the two members of Dragon Racing, struggling with major electrical problems.

Race standings:

1. S. Buemi (Renault e.dams)

2. L. di Grassi (Audi Sport Team Abt): +0.320

3. N. Heidfeld (Mahindra Racing): +13.678

4. N. Piquet Jr. (NextEV): +19.074

5. Mr. Engel (Venturi): +19.518

6. F. Rosenqvist (Mahindra Racing): +19.599

7. D. Abt (Audi Sport Team Abt): +20.430

8. E. Gutiérrez (Techeetah): +32.295

9. A. da Costa (Andretti): +35.330

10. N. Prost (Renault e.dams): +35.667

11. Mr. Evans (Jaguar): +38.410

12. R. Frijns (Andretti): +39.626

13. O. Turvey (NextEV ): +34.085

14. A. Carroll (Jaguar Racing): + 1 lap

15. S. Sarrazin (Venturi): + 1 lap

16. J. Lopez (DS Virgin Racing): + 7 laps

17. J. d’Ambrosio (Dragon Racing): +7 laps

18. L. Duval (Dragon Racing): + 11 laps

19. S. Bird (DS Virgin Racing): + 14 laps

20. J. Vergne (Techeetah): Retirement

With this tenth victory in twenty-six races, the fourth in five races this season, Sébastien Buemi further strengthens his status as a master of Formula E. The same applies to the overall drivers’ standings.

Among the constructors, upheaval in third position. With this zero score, DS Virgin Racing is being chased by Techeetah and Mahindra. For both teams, the start of the season is simply historic!

But for the ten teams, no rest! Formula E awaits you next week for the second edition of the Paris ePrix! For the most passionate fans, meet once again on the track at Invalides. And for everyone, visit our site for the most in-depth coverage of the event.