Review of the New York ePrix: And Bird Soared Above the Competition

Just like in Berlin, the New York ePrix was doubled. After the concrete of Tempelhof Airport, the stage was set for a majestic backdrop, with Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty in the background, no less! On the track side, the teams were entering uncharted territory. Around a relatively short circuit (1.947 kilometers exactly, spread over ten turns), the twenty drivers in contention set off on Saturday, after a rainy Friday and shakedown.

The trust of DS Virgin Racing

From then on, the values were leveled. In this little game, it was indeed a rookie who made a strong impression during the qualifying session! With smooth driving, Alex Lynn, previously just a third driver, clocked a time of 1:03.296 in super-pole, beating Daniel Abt, the other surprise of the session, by 0.238 seconds!

Jean-Eric Vergne lined up in third place, just ahead of Sam Bird in the other DS Virgin Racing. The last contender of the session, Jérôme d’Ambrosio (Faraday Future Dragon Racing), ruined his chances.

Lucas di Grassi secured a modest tenth place, one spot behind Nico Prost, but nine ahead of Pierre Gasly, a luxury substitute struggling at that point in the weekend.

With a length of 43 laps, the first race in New York history was eventful from the start. Daniel Abt had the best start and took the lead on the inside of the narrow hairpin of the first corner. Behind him, carbon pieces were flying on the track: di Grassi narrowly avoided the collision between d’Ambrosio and Mitch Evans’s Jaguar, who left their hopes in the adventure.

Frustrated by his teammate’s all-out defense, Bird was waiting for his moment in third position. From the ninth lap, he got his way and passed Lynn, who showed little resistance.

His victory was then built over eight laps. On the sixteenth lap, he took advantage of the first chicane to dive inside with a bold maneuver. The risk paid off, and Abt was forced to retreat without being able to counter! The race for the two DS Virgin drivers then radically changed its complexion. While Bird consolidated his first place, Lynn lacked endurance and was overtaken by Vergne, Heidfeld (who was himself overtaken by the Frenchman on the 18th lap), Sarrazin, and di Grassi.

Just before the wave of car changes, Vergne had this time overtaken Abt for second place. The two Mahindras were still in the points: Heidfeld dropped to eighth place, behind Rosenqvist, who had climbed from seventeenth to sixth position. The two Indian cars gained another spot with Lynn’s retirement, as he was let down by his transmission. The joy was short-lived: the Swede succumbed to pressure from di Grassi. Spinning out on his own in the second corner, Rosenqvist broke his rear wing, and his pit stop cost him his promising position. The team wasn’t out of trouble yet, as Heidfeld’s right rear suspension broke after he harshly mounted a curb. The German, however, couldn’t return to his pit. With his car stopped on the track, the Safety Car was deployed. The leader was under pressure to lead a compact field for the last two laps.

However, Sam Bird held his ground without flinching, to pocket his first victory of the season! Jean-Eric Vergne fell just short, while leading a great collective performance for Techeetah, which earned its first double podium in history. The little stroke of destiny indeed came from Daniel Abt’s failure, as he was stripped from the podium in the first corner of the last lap due to an electrical management problem.

Buemi’s rival, on his part, secured twelve points for fourth place after avoiding the worst when his own teammate stopped! Before falling back, Faraday Future Dragon Racing was also celebrating with Loic Duval’s unexpected fifth place. In this classification, the commendable effort was from Pierre Gasly, who beat Nico Prost for the first time. Another driver affected by an issue in the last lap, Tom Dillmann nevertheless gifted a point on a platter to Adam Carroll’s Jaguar.

This is how the Round 9 of the 2017 FIA #FormulaE Championship finished #NYCePrix pic.twitter.com/zts4TYWSGA

— FIA Formula E (@FIAformulaE) 15 juillet 2017

On Sunday, here we go again!

Uninhibited, Sam Bird once again seized the top spot during the super-Pole. The margin was much smaller this time against Felix Rosenqvist, always formidable in the time trial exercise. Bird set the mark at 1:02.285, but the Swede was only 37 thousandths behind! Jean-Eric Vergne was also once again in the game with his third position.

The identity of the last two in the top 5 was different. Especially for Pierre Gasly, who stood out despite a major wheel lock-up. After only one day of private testing in the Renault e.dams, the 2016 GP2 champion secured the fourth position, after Nick Heidfeld got tangled in his flying lap. The comparison between the Norman and Nico Prost was clearly in his favor, as the Professor’s son only finished fifteenth. The two Abt Schaeffler cars briefly fell back, with eighth and ninth places, Abt ahead of di Grassi.

The second race of the weekend was marked by the comeback of the Mahindra team. But the same trick was pulled out of the hat! Just like on Saturday, the poleman was stripped of his lead at the start. Rosenqvist overtook Bird. The Englishman did not, however, give up his hopes of victory. Positioned right behind, he took advantage of a brief full-course yellow to go on the offensive in the tenth lap.

The hairpin at the sixth corner was the scene of the crime: the method was the same, with late braking and perfect protection of the exit line.

Following this action, the journey of the London commuter was flawless. His pit stop was perfectly executed after another full-course yellow sequence. The end was uneventful and Sam Bird was scooping up his second victory of the weekend, reminiscent of Nico Prost’s similar feat in London at the end of the first season. The winner’s words were, of course, full of praise for his team, DS Virgin Racing members:

What a weekend for me and my team! The car was like it was on rails, with sensational energy management! It was historic, not only for Formula E but also for motorsport in general. Being the first person to win an automobile race in New York, what an incredible feeling!

For Rosenqvist, who finished second by a hair, team strategy was essential. It’s worth noting that the former DTM driver had a long way to come back from. In his second car, he inadvertently reset his steering wheel. Receiving incorrect information about his fuel consumption, his progress was momentarily slowed. Forced to let Heidfeld pass, he regained his position at the end, finishing second.

I didn’t expect DS Virgin to be so strong: Sam drove wonderfully! On my side, I had some issues with my energy estimation during the second stint. So we decided to let Nick pass. Once that was sorted, I was able to focus on my driving again. Nick was wise to give me back the place!

Such a tactic thus allowed to stem the return of a young Frenchman in vogue. The two companions were directly threatened by the return of the amazing Pierre Gasly. The Red Bull protégé put on a show and finished his race in a rather unorthodox position, taking a gamble on Heidfeld as he pulled alongside him in the last chicane. Even if it meant hitting the outside wall and ending the race adrift!

Crazy finish as @PierreGASLY catches the Mahindra team-mates at the flag (and the wall) #NYCePrix pic.twitter.com/mIfIrKAhhg

— FIA Formula E (@FIAformulaE) July 16, 2017

The former BMW driver shares his perspective on this surprising arrival:

Gasly came back very strong in the final laps. He tried to overtake me before the last corner, luckily on the outside. I didn’t encourage him to go inside, while leaving him enough space. We still touched, unintentionally of course! It’s a shame to end on that note; at least we crossed the finish line.

Gasly’s (unrewarded) optimism will still remain one of the memorable images of this race. Frustrating also in view of his misadventure during the second FCY. Not very accustomed to the procedure, he positioned himself at 50 km/h well before the allowed limit. While drivers actually have fifteen seconds to get to the required speed, the Rouen native adopted the speed at the end of the official’s countdown, that is, after ten seconds!

That being said, the most important thing was elsewhere. His performance made a lasting impression. It is necessary to realize the journey that the young Frenchman is currently experiencing, divided between the Japanese Super Formula and his test driver program for Red Bull Racing. Once again, Gasly dominates this race over Nico Prost (who finishes sixth, thirty seconds behind), while hindering di Grassi’s progress.

For the Brazilian, it is worth noting a jump from ninth to fifth in the final standings, without contending for victory or a podium finish with the top four drivers. Another example of the numerous mechanical issues faced by drivers in New York (end of season obligations?), he experienced a problem with his steering wheel, which was not displaying the correct information on his energy management. Like Rosenqvist, time and focus were lost by the contender in the title race.

Tom Dillmann made up for Saturday’s setback with a fine sixth position. Jean-Eric Vergne also joined the celebration as the fourth French driver in the top 10 (eighth). Sunday’s race was more chaotic for the Parisian, with his car damaged in the first lap after getting involved in the general scrap at the start.

To be completely thorough, Robin Frijns (Amlin Andretti) and Jérôme d’Ambrosio pick up the minor points for ninth and tenth place. In contrast to the Jaguar team, which loses out on a good result due to the negligence of Adam Caroll, who slowed his effort one lap too early, disturbed by Sam Bird arriving just behind him.

This is how the 2017 FIA Formula E @Qualcomm #NYCePrix finished (Round 10) pic.twitter.com/uDi722mUr6

— FIA Formula E (@FIAformulaE) 16 juillet 2017

The winner of the general classification? Buemi!

The boss was therefore not present in New York, held back by his WEC commitments at the Nürburgring.

Sébastien Buemi nonetheless remains at the top of the drivers’ standings, with a ten-point lead over Lucas di Grassi. A missed opportunity for the Brazilian, who only managed to collect twenty-two points. The disappointing pace in qualifying proved costly on a track that offered few overtaking opportunities.

Another beneficiary of the American weekend, obviously Sam Bird! The double winner remains in the title race, climbing to fourth place. The Franco-British team has progressed, returning to a similar standing as the previous season (fourth in the overall standings, one victory). But at 57 points from the crown, with 58 still to be distributed; it will take more than a miracle for the New York star. The situation is similar for Rosenqvist, third with 104 points on the board.

Among the constructors, three teams are still vying for the title. Here too, Renault e.dams holds the lead. The gap has even widened over Abt Schaeffler, now strong with 65 points, and 77 over Mahindra. The championship could be secured as early as the first race in Montreal on Saturday for Jean-Paul Driot’s team. Despite their fantastic weekend (56 points scored), DS Virgin Racing is out of the race, with a deficit of 106 points.

And now, on to the season finale! After London in 2015 and 2016, **Montreal** will have the honor of closing the third season of Formula E on Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30. So, **see you in ten days** not far from the banks of the St. Lawrence River!