Formula E – Punta del Este ePrix – Race: Buemi wins for e.dams-Renault

The weather is beautiful in Punta del Este for the planned Formula E ePrix, with blue skies and few clouds, ideal conditions for racing and perhaps even taking a dip in the Atlantic after the race!

At the start, there was no problem for the drivers, and Nelson Piquet Jr got off to an excellent start by taking the lead ahead of Jean-Eric Vergne and the two e.dams-Renault drivers, Buemi ahead of Prost. It was not as simple in the midfield, with several drivers nearly hitting the wall, but everyone made it through without incident. In the second lap, Daniel Abt seems to have a problem, he is slow on the track. Heidfeld uses his Fan Boost to gain an advantage over Alguersuari (Virgin) and take 5th place. In the 4th lap, Sam Bird has to retire following a contact with the wall in the first chicane of the track – he braked late and went over the curb inevitably ending up in the wall, the safety car is deployed by race control.

After 5 laps out of 31, the race is under the safety car period to clear the crashed Virgin Racing car of Sam Bird. Nelson Piquet Jr is still leading ahead of Vergne, Buemi, Prost, and Heidfeld in the top 5. At the end of the 6th lap, the safety car – a BMW i8, for the record – returns to the pits, releasing the drivers for the rest of the race. This intervention will have allowed the drivers to save some energy. Antonio Felix da Costa seems to have a problem at the start, while on the next lap, Lucas di Grassi attacks Alguersuari but has to cut the chicane and doesn’t pass as Vergne closes in significantly on Piquet Jr.

After 10 laps, the safety car is back on track to clear Antonio Felix da Costa’s Amlin Aguri. After just one lap, the safety car is already back in the pits as Jean-Eric Vergne complains on the radio about not being able to use his Fan Boost. In the 13th lap, Vergne finally manages to pass Piquet Jr to take the lead – he seemed faster than the Brazilian for several laps. Behind, Buemi is attacking Piquet Jr as well. Daniel Abt encounters a new problem, he is stopped on track but manages to get going again.

After 15 laps and therefore at mid-race, Buemi attempts a maneuver on Piquet Jr at the first turn, but it doesn’t work for both men who cut the chicane. In the following turns, the two e.dams drivers pass Piquet Jr while Vergne stops in the pits to change his car. Stéphane Sarrazin spins and ends up in the wall while battling with Matthew Brabham, but the Frenchman went out alone, hitting the curb of one of the chicanes hard – the safety car is deployed again, and almost all drivers take the opportunity to change their cars.

After the round of pit stops, Heidfeld is leading ahead of Buemi, Vergne, Piquet Jr, and Prost while Sarrazin’s Venturi is still across the track. Once it is cleared, the safety car allows the drivers to compete. Daniel Abt, already two laps down, moves aside to let the rest of the pack pass. Nick Heidfeld will not retain the lead for long as he incurs a drive-through penalty for excessive energy usage. Buemi takes the lead ahead of Vergne, Piquet Jr, Prost, and di Grassi, who closes out the top 5.

After 20 laps, Buemi is in the lead and has a small advantage over Vergne while Salvador Duran is stuck in the pits, but the Mexican manages to get back on track, albeit far behind. Nicolas Prost is penalized for excessive energy use, resulting in a drive-through penalty for the Frenchman from the e.dams-Renault team while he was in 4th place. Michela Cerruti is also penalized for speeding in the pit lane. Heidfeld climbs up the ranks, but it will not be easy for the German after his penalty.

After 25 laps, Buemi leads ahead of Vergne, Piquet Jr, di Grassi, d’Ambrosio, Trulli, Brabham, Alguersuari, Senna, and Prost who closes the top 10 after serving his penalty. Nick Heidfeld, on the other hand, is gradually climbing back; he was 15th after his penalty and is now 12th, attacking Oriol Servia. Heidfeld and d’Ambrosio are penalized for a pit stop that was too quick. Vergne is on the attack, but it shows in his energy usage; he is much less economical than his rivals, which is almost normal for his debut in this new category.

Yellow flag and intervention of the safety car as Matthew Brabham is upside down, in the same place as Stéphane Sarrazin. He lost control of his car while braking and drifted onto the curb, hitting the wall without being able to change anything, but he is fine. The safety car releases the drivers with only two laps to go, and Buemi leads ahead of Vergne and Piquet Jr. Vergne uses his Fan Boost, but it doesn’t work as Buemi is having braking issues, almost missing both chicanes. The Frenchman slows down and stops his car on track, causing a yellow flag.

At the finish, Sébastien Buemi wins just ahead of Nelson Piquet Jr, Lucas di Grassi, Jarno Trulli, Jaime Alguersuari, Bruno Senna, Nicolas Prost, Jérôme d’Ambrosio, Oriol Servia, and Nick Heidfeld. The Swiss driver secures his first victory in Formula E and the first victory for the French team e.dams-Renault.

In the drivers’ championship, Lucas di Grassi therefore maintains the lead with 58 points, ahead of Sébastien Buemi and Sam Bird, each with 40 points. On the teams’ side, e.dams-Renault takes the lead with a 2-point advantage over Audi Sport Abt.

Punta del Este Formula E ePrix Standings