London ePrix, Sunday (2): Back to back for Prost, Buemi crowned champion after an improbable scenario!

After securing pole position effortlessly, Sébastien Buemi was facing his destiny at the start of this final ePrix. Having caught up to di Grassi (both with 153 points before the race), the situation was clear: the Swiss driver “simply” needed to finish ahead of the Brazilian (3rd on the grid) to claim the drivers’ championship.

In luxury support, Nico Prost also had a heavy responsibility starting in second position. It was about defending his position as long as possible against the leader of the ABT Schaeffler team.

The London weather remained mild at the time of departure, and the drizzle did not threaten the kickoff of this final!

At tea time, 4 PM (English time), the start of this final race was given!

The pinnacle of dramaturgy from the start: di Grassi hooks Buemi!

In a sudden turn of events, SHOCK: Lucas di Grassi barely overtook Nico Prost on the outside towards the second turn, missed his braking, and collided with Sébastien Buemi!!!

Dramatic twist in this duel in the sun: di Grassi and Buemi ended up in the escape road. But both drivers were able to continue, with multiple damages: front left damage for di Grassi, rear wing torn off for Buemi. The Safety Car was deployed to clear the debris. Buemi dropped to thirteenth place, and di Grassi pitted to change his car.

Onboard with @lucasdigrassi as he hits @lucasdigrassi on the opening lap. Brought to you by @hpe https://t.co/uoga8gHn9W— FIA Formula E (@FIAformulaE) 3 juillet 2016

In the case, the big winner at that moment was di Grassi, who was ahead of Buemi in the championship standings.

In the third round, the pack was revived, with Nico Prost in the lead ahead of Heidfeld (Mahindra Racing) and Abt. Vergne (DS Virgin Racing) was in fifth place. Buemi also came into the pits to change his car. The Swiss driver took all his time to rejoin and ensure a clear space on the track.

From then on, the plan was clear: achieve the fastest lap in the race. Make the difference and score two decisive points. No matter what, both drivers would not cross the finish line.

Outside of the focus on di Grassi and Buemi, another incident occurred on the eighth lap with Sam Bird’s car coming to a stop in the middle of the track. No luck this time for the Englishman, who won here just a year ago during race 2. The safety car made another appearance for two laps. On the 10th lap, Prost restarted the race for the second time.

A drivers’ championship decided by the fastest lap!

On the 12th lap, Buemi finally returned to the track! Meanwhile, Lucas di Grassi was coming into the pits after having set the provisional best time in the race. Both drivers completely disregarded the standings in their quest for this precious opportunity.

This is why Buemi dived into the pits on the thirteenth lap after another interruption, caused by a collision between Robin Frijns (Andretti) and Loic Duval (Dragon Racing), creating a bit of confusion in the middle of the pack.

On the 15th lap, Prost was still leading the dance ahead of Nick Heidfeld and Daniel Abt. Meanwhile, Sébastien Buemi was back on track. However, Lucas di Grassi got ahead and seemed to block the Swiss, to prevent him from securing the fastest lap. The race reached the halfway point, and the unfolding of this race was simply unthinkable.

I’ve never seen a finale like this! 😱 #LondonePrix @FIAformulaE

— Dennis Schmidt (@desch296) 3 juillet 2016

The highly animated bluffing poker game between Di Grassi and Buemi grabs the attention.

On the 19th lap, it was time for the leaders to head to the pits for the regulatory car change. Heavy traffic in the pit lane during the return to the track.

And in the meantime, Buemi was still trying to set the fastest lap. Despite the traffic, Buemi regained the benchmark time on the 20th then the 23rd lap! Now, it was di Grassi’s turn to respond, Buemi was virtually taking the two points and the driver’s crown.

In the lead, Nico Prost continued on his way, ahead of Daniel Abt and Jean-Eric Vergne. Nick Heidfeld had dropped to fourth place after the mandatory pit stop.

The end of the race was in sight and by the 29th lap, Buemi was still holding his position. However, the race management, which had been very discreet until then, announced (finally) that they would investigate the start incident after the race. The visit from Jean-Paul Driot, director of the Renault e.Dams team, was certainly not unrelated.

Lucas di Grassi surrenders, glory for Renault e.Dams!

On the track, the Brazilian was still in the running to get closer to the Swiss driver’s best time. On the 30th lap, di Grassi sent a shiver down the spine of the Renault e.Dams team, with a time of 1:24.633, less than two-tenths off Buemi’s reference! On the 32nd lap, di Grassi finally got out of the car and admitted defeat.

Buemi set the fastest lap and picked up two points that makes him the new FIA Formula E Champion! #LondonePrix

— FIA Formula E (@FIAformulaE) 3 juillet 2016

Total triumph for the Renault e.Dams team. Race victory for Nico Prost, the drivers’ title for Sébastien Buemi!! The team also retains its crown with the constructors’ championship.

After narrowly losing to Nelson Piquet in 2015 on this same track, after being part of the Toyota crew that lost the victory in the final lap of the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, Buemi this time wrote his legend in a positive way and could let his emotions show, in tears in the garage of the French team.

Winning team!!!!! https://t.co/AU9DRLCjFK

— FIA Formula E (@FIAformulaE) 3 juillet 2016

On his side, his teammate Nico Prost wins his third personal ePrix in two seasons, and achieves a remarkable double victory after his success this Saturday. Joining him on the podium are Daniel Abt and Jérôme d’Ambrosio, who took advantage of Vergne’s misfortunes, as he finished the race in agony with an empty battery.

Here is the complete ranking of the latest ePrix: