Valencia ePrix I: De Vries overcomes a baffling finish
Dutch driver Nyck de Vries won Race 1 of the Valencia ePrix, while the end of the race was marked by the numerous single-seaters at a standstill due to energy depletion after the Safety Car's numerous passes.
While he was supposed to start from pole position, Stoffel Vandoorne was disqualified due to an issue with the numbering of parts on his Mercedes and was therefore forced to start from the back.
Start on a wet track under the Safety car… which will play a key role during this ePrix!
Starting from pole position, defending champion Antonio Felix da Costa took off in front of his colleagues behind the Safety Car, as the race was held on a wet track with showers.
At the end of the first lap, the first clash between André Lotterer’s Porsche and Sébastien Buemi’s Nissan e.Dams. While defending and performing a superb maneuver by Frenchman Norman Nato, the German misses his braking point and ends up hitting Buemi, causing the latter to retire and the entry of the Safety Car. Lotterer will be penalized with a Drive Through for his maneuver.
Fourth on the restart, de Vries starts his show by overtaking Alex Lynn and Maximilian Günther in quick succession to find himself in second place behind Da Costa. On the French side, a bad move for Nato and Jean-Eric Vergne who each lose two positions.
The clash between Buemi and Lotterer:
Our first Full Course Yellow is brought out by @Sebastien_buemi after @Andre_Lotterer tagged the @Nissanedams driver…
Find out how to watch the race where you live> https://t.co/jTUmjULL2V#DHLValenciaEPrix @DHL_Motorsports pic.twitter.com/2pkXJCm2mC
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) April 24, 2021
Multiple incidents on the track
Facing significant difficulties at the wheel of his BMW Andretti as he started from second position, Günther made a mistake at the third corner and planted his single-seater in the gravel trap, causing another safety car intervention.
With 20 minutes remaining in the race, the peloton will have little respite as a few minutes later, Mitch Evans collides with Sergio Sette Camara, the Brazilian also finding himself stuck in the gravel trap. The Jaguar driver, who brilliantly climbed up to 8th position despite starting far back on the grid, is also forced to retire.
New entry of the safety car that regroups the pack 10 minutes before the end of the countdown. Once again, the regrouping will last barely 5 minutes as in a tight pack, the drivers jostle each other, especially between Pascal Wehrlein and Norman Nato, but it’s the collision between Lotterer and Muller that once again brings the Safety car in to clear the German’s car.
Maximilian Günther’s abandonment:
Here is the moment @maxg_official‘s race came to a premature end in Valencia…
Follow live timings here and find out how to watch the race where you live> https://t.co/jTUmjULL2V#DHLValenciaEPrix @DHL_Motorsports pic.twitter.com/l4x4HD125e
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) April 24, 2021
The drivers stopped one lap away from the finish line!
An important rule to know is that for the past two years, drivers have had a percentage of energy deducted during the Safety Car period and must take this into account in their energy management. Only on a fast track like Ricardo Tormo in the rain with multiple interventions, the matter becomes more complicated than it seems.
Indeed, after being Restarted for two laps, most drivers find themselves running out of energy at the start of the final lap! This is how Antonio Felix da Costa, the solid race leader, sees his rivals with a few more percentage points of energy slip away one by one.
In this little game, it is Nyck de Vries who emerges as the winner. The young Dutch driver has shown absolutely exemplary race management and deserves his victory.
Crossing the line behind him, Oliver Rowland and Alex Sims are both disqualified for energy overconsumptionas was the case for Norman Nato last week.
The last absurd twist of the Valence ePrix:
The finish… but not the finish. This is why energy management is perhaps THE most important aspect of Formula E#DHLValenciaEPrix @DHL_Motorsports pic.twitter.com/nDeYQvK08H
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) April 24, 2021
Müller and Vandoorne the miraculously saved
So… it’s Nico Müller who clinches second place after the Swiss driver had collided with Lotterer just before the last Safety Car!
Even more incredible, Stoffel Vandoorne finishes his race on the third step of the podium after starting last and being beyond the 15th position 3 minutes from the end of the race, a miracle for the Belgian. Small consolation for Da Costa: the Portuguese still finishes in the points in 7th place.
In the drivers’ standings, Nyck de Vries (58pts) takes the lead of the championship with his second victory of the season. He is ahead of his teammate Vandoorne (48pts) and Sam Bird (47pts).
While the category provides a great show as a whole, let’s hope that the image conveyed during tomorrow’s second ePrix in Valencia does more justice to the 100% electric category!
