London ePrix – Race 1: Buemi wins the first race and brings the Constructors’ title to e.Dams Renault

Sébastien Buemi capitalized on his impressive Pole Position secured earlier in the afternoon: the Swiss driver was hardly troubled throughout the 29 laps of the race. He was notably aided by a rolling start under the Safety Car, following the track surface issue raised earlier by the drivers in the first corner. In fact, that corner was under yellow flag conditions throughout the entire race.

After a calm start, the race leader was able to easily manage his lead over the competition, notably attacking very strongly before the mandated car change. The intervention of the safety car midway through the race did not hinder his progress. In the end, he won with nearly a 1-second lead over his closest pursuer, Jérôme d’Ambrosio in his Dragon Racing car.

Small disappointment nevertheless for the winner: the fastest lap slipped away from him, to the benefit of Lucas di Grassi. The e.Dams-Renault driver remains the standout performer of the day, now just 5 points behind Nelson Piquet and the top position in the Drivers’ Championship. Moreover, he elevates his team to the top, with the support of Nicolas Prost: the e.Dams-Renault team clinches the Constructors’ Championship title!

Beautiful emotion for the team put together by Jean-Paul Driot and Alain Prost: the Professor even put on a show during the podium ceremony by spontaneously breaking into a few dance steps, much to the delight of the spectators and journalists!

For Sébastien Buemi, the situation is clear: “We have nothing to lose tomorrow, we will push to the maximum,” he admitted as he got out of the car.

Behind him, the race was rather calm: few overtakes but plenty of suspense, notably with Lucas Di Grassi and Nelson Piquet Junior. An initial intense exchange on the fourth lap nearly saw Piquet end his race in the wall. After nearly overtaking his rival, the Audi Sport Abt driver firmly shut the door. As a result, the World Championship leader had to slow down to take the turn.

Piquet tried to return the favor to Di Grassi during the second stint, in vain. In the end, Di Grassi finished in 4th position after a strong end to the race. He also collected the two points for the fastest lap, which could prove valuable tomorrow at the final tally.

Nelson Piquet has therefore been more in difficulty: he remains the leader in the Drivers’ Championship standings this evening, but his margin for maneuver is more than reduced. He will especially need to have a good Qualifying session to position himself at the level of his two opponents.

Outside of this long-distance battle for the title, it was mainly Jean-Eric Vergne who put on a show this afternoon in the heart of Battersea Park. The Parisian had nothing to lose: after two overtakes on track, first on Piquet then on Di Grassi, he found himself back on the podium, after the one he earned earlier in the season at Long Beach. His good level of competitiveness displayed today in his car could allow him to aim even higher tomorrow.

After the car changes on Lap 15 and Lap 16 for most competitors, the positions at the front became fixed, despite the intervention of the Safety Car following Daniel Abt’s accident. Di Grassi’s teammate at Audi Sport ABT once again struggled by colliding with Salvador Duran. With a broken suspension, the German crashed into the wall of the final chicane.

The Top 10 of this race is ultimately very satisfying for the French drivers since, besides Vergne, Nicolas Prost, Loic Duval, and Stéphane Sarrazin earn points. Also noteworthy on the rookies’ side is Oliver Turvey’s performance for NEXTEV TCR (9th) and Simona de Silvestro’s strong comeback, just missing out on points.

Here is the complete ranking for Race 1:

1. S. Buemi (e.Dams-Renault): 29 Laps

2. J.D’Ambrosio (Dragon Racing): +0.939

3. J.Vergne (Andretti): +1.667

4. L. Di Grassi (Audi Sport Abt): +2.409

5. N.Piquet Junior (NEXTEV TCR): +7.370

6. S.Bird (Virgin): +7,762

7. N.Prost (e.Dams-Renault): +8.553

8. L. Duval (Dragon Racing): +9.507

9. O.Turvey (NEXTEV TCR): +10.032

10. S.Sarrazin (Venturi): +12.077

11. S.De Silvestro (Andretti): +15.946

12. K.Chandhok (Mahindra): +35.595

13. N.Heidfeld (Venturi): +41.034

14. F.Leimer (Virgin): +42.697

15. J.Trulli (Trulli): +43.273

16. B.Senna (Mahindra): +48.423

17. S.Duran (Amlin Aguri): +1:01.987

Abandons: A.Fontana (Trulli)

D.Abt (Audi Sport Abt)

S.Yamamoto (Amlin Aguri)

Here is the situation in the Drivers’ Title race after the conclusion of race 1:

Nelson Piquet Junior (NEXTEV TCR): 138 pts

2. Sébastien Buemi (e.Dams-Renault) 133 pts

3. Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport Abt) 125 pts

With just a 13-point difference between Nelson Piquet Junior and Lucas Di Grassi, the suspense will be palpable tomorrow for Race 2. With his Pole-Victory double, Sébastien Buemi is confident: he now knows that the outcome is in his hands: a victory would allow him to clinch the title!

Join us tomorrow on Motors Inside for the recap of the last day of the 2014-2015 Formula E season!