US Team Wins First Race of Formula E NYC E-Prix

By:
On:
In: Racing News
BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s Maximilian Guenther secured his first win of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season with a magnificent last three-lap overtake at the 2021 ABB New York City E-Prix Round 10 to become the ninth winner from ten races this season.
 
The race win in Brooklyn kickstarts what had been a slow season for the German, who profited from Jean Eric Vergne’s overtake of pole sitter Nick Cassidy to pass both drivers and then make full use of his extra energy to claim victory for the US team on home soil.
 
DS TECHEETAH’s Vergne finished second, with Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler’s Lucas di Grassi completing the podium places and pick up where he left off following victory in Round 8 in Puebla.
 
Envision Virgin Racing driver Cassidy began the race at the front of the grid having claimed Julius Baer Pole Position by some 0.161 seconds ahead of Frenchman Vergne.
 
Formula E’s renowned unpredictability came to the fore again as previous Championship leader Edoardo Mortara of ROKiT Venturi Racing began the race in 23rd but made his way up to finish 14th in the final standings.
 
The Swiss driver remains jointly top of the ABB FIA Formula E Drivers’ World Championship – with Envision Virgin Racing’s Robin Frijns – heading into the second race of the double-header weekend in the Big Apple.
 
Mahindra Racing’s Alex Lynn failed to capitalise on his third-placed grid slot in qualifying, having lost ground at the start of the race after locking up at Turn 1.
 
The 27-year-old used both his ATTACK MODE boosts early in the race to try and put his predicament right but was left lagging behind the leading pack of Cassidy, Vergne & Sebastien Buemi of Nissan e.dams.
 
Shortly afterwards, TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein collided into the back of Lynn outside the ATTACK MODE activation zone to force the German to the pits and continue a spell of back luck for the 26-year-old this season.
 
Jaguar Racing’s Mitch Evans briefly forced a Full Course Yellow outside of turn two when a technical problem brought his race to an early end.
 
That allowed Cassidy to gather momentum at the front of the pack as race control confirmed there would be no energy reduction following on from the yellow flag, with Guenther using the extra energy he had stored to keep on the tail of Vergne in second place.
 
With 15 minutes plus one lap to run, Guenther’s teammate Jake Dennis suffered powertrain problems of his own just as he’d made the points – meaning he wouldn’t build on two fifth-placed finishes in the previous rounds in Puebla.
 
Stoffel Vandoorne followed suit when he was forced to pit under the New York heat, with Mercedes-Benz EQ’s recent struggles continuing despite a promising start to the season in which the team secured three wins in the first five races.
 
There was also movement at the back of the pack, with Jaguar Racing’s Sam Bird managing to make up eleven places to finish ninth and take an extra ABB FIA Formula E World Championship point for the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap. A feat that is all the more impressive given his car was heavily damaged in both Free Practice and qualifying.
 
Having bided his time for the first 40 minutes of the race, Vergne made his move to overtake Cassidy after scenting blood with the Kiwi struggling for energy.
 
But that move opened up enough of a gap for Guenther to pull off an opportunistic double overtake that saw the German sneak in front of Vergne and take the lead in the race with just a few laps remaining.
 
From that point, the 24-year-old was not to be caught as he cruised to the finish line to secure the chequered flag, watched on by team owner – and US motorsport entrepreneur – Michael Andretti.
 
The next round of the 2021 ABB New York City E-Prix takes place on Sunday 11 July at 13.30 local time.
Adam Sinclair
Latest posts by Adam Sinclair (see all)
Post Views: 78