E-Prix de Londres II: Lynn ExCeL in its Kingdom

Mercedes EQ makes a strong impact in qualifications

Seeing the few raindrops on the lenses of the television cameras, one might have thought for a moment that the qualifying session would be disrupted by the weather. But that was not the case. While Alex Lynn (Mahindra) set the fastest time in the first phase of qualifying, it was Nyck de Vries (Mercedes) who impressed by securing the sixth-best time, earning a spot in the Super Pole session after starting in group 1, seemingly disadvantaged by the track conditions. Mercedes EQ actually qualified both its drivers for the Super Pole, as Stoffel Vandoorne also made it through. It was Vandoorne who eventually claimed pole position ahead of Oliver Rowland (Nissan), Alex Lynn, Nyck de Vries, Mitch Evans (Jaguar), and Maximilian Günther (BMW), who redeemed himself after going off track the day before in qualifying. With such a result, Mercedes EQ can hope to capitalize on the disastrous qualifying session of DS Techeetah, the leading team in the championship, as Da Costa and Vergne will start second to last and last, respectively. Meanwhile, the championship leader, Sam Bird (Jaguar), will have a tough time defending his overall position starting from 21st place, after a scoreless result the day before.

Decisive Safety Cars

The start is wiser than the day before, it’s the calm before the storm. At the lights out, the leading drivers keep their positions but quickly Nyck de Vries attacks Lynn to take third place. This is followed by the first activation of Attack Mode by the three leaders. The two silver arrows shift the move one lap later compared to Rowland who loses a position to De Vries. It is then wondered what could possibly stop the Mercedes duo who seem to be having a team race and heading at least towards a double podium.

It was without counting on a first intervention by the safety car caused by the contact between René Rast (Audi) and Sébastien Buemi (Nissan) at turn 10, seeing the Audi driver retire and his opponent penalized with a 10-second Stop & Go. The three leaders thus lose part of the advantage provided by their Attack Mode while Lynn, who was fourth, has still not activated his power boost. The English driver chooses to take it on the restart, just like his direct competitors Vandoorne and De Vries who thus use up their second Attack Mode.

At the same time, Antonio Felix Da Costa broke the front left train of his DS when he made contact with the wall on the pit straight, pushed by a Lotterer fiercely defending his position. The German driver will receive a Drive Through penalty for this maneuver.

Di Grassi and Audi blur the tracks

The Safety Car is out again and Di Grassi is trying a gamble by heading to the pit lane for a quick stop instead of staying on track at reduced speed. The result is a surprising situation as the Brazilian finds himself at the front of the pack thanks to the time gained in the operation. He will not leave it until the checkered flag, ignoring the assigned Drive Through penalty. He will ultimately be shown the black flag, meaning disqualification at the end of the race.

After the restart, Oliver Rowland tries to take the advantage at turn 10 on Stoffel Vandoorne, the actual leader probably disturbed by the presence of Di Grassi’s Audi in front of him. The Nissan of the British driver rear-ends the Mercedes and will receive a 5-second Stop & Go penalty, having ruined the promising race of the Belgian. This gives free rein to Nyck de Vries and Lynn who will be able to fight for the victory. Thanks to his remaining Attack Mode and the advantage provided by the Fan Boost, Lynn prevails over the Dutchman and wins after an almost perfect weekend. Nyck de Vries also does not disappoint as he also secures two podiums in London and takes the lead in the drivers’ championship. The podium is completed by Mitch Evans (Jaguar) who cannot hide his frustration, notably due to a missed passage in the Attack Mode zone 10 minutes before the end of the race.

Mercedes EQ therefore did not perform as well as hoped for in favor of Envision Virgin Racing, which, by placing its two drivers in the points, inherits the lead in the team standings.

Nothing is decided yet for the awarding of titles. The final round consisting of 2 races will take place at the old Berlin-Tempelhof airport on the weekend of August 15th and already promises to be thrilling.