Coming into the first race of the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge, Maximilian Guenther set a hot lap to claim the Julius Baer Pole Position,
and as the lights went out the BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver got the holeshot into turn one and held the lead from Stoffel Vandoorne in Mercedes-Benz EQ. Charging into the first turn, Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah) dived up the inside of Andre Lotterer (TAG Heuer Porsche) to take third place, showing that the racing veterans are ready to run up sharp-end in the Race at Home Challenge. The first lap gave way to plenty of action with a huge pile-up and drivers spinning out of control, and Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler’s Lucas di Grassi was a big name to be claimed in all the madness.
After more carnage, the race settled slightly with Guenther controlling the lead from Vandoorne, Vergne and Lotterer, with Nick Cassidy rounding out the top five in his substitute drive for Sam Bird. As the drivers jostled for position, Lotterer pounced on Vergne with a hard pass into the Harbour Hairpin, forcing the Frenchman to lose two positions in the process with Cassidy also sneaking through into fourth.
Coming into the famous Rascasses corner, Vergne lost the rear end and a further position to Nico Mueller in the Geox Dragon, with Jann Mardenborough (Nissan e.dams) also attempted to push past the reigning Formula E champion. With the Race Royale adding an extra challenge for the drivers, Brendon Hartley (Geox Dragon) and Di Grassi demonstrated the tension this new race format adds to the action. On the bubble, Hartley gave Di Grassi a nudge but failed to gain the place, however the Kiwi driver was able to capitalise on the drama as Di Grassi came to blows with Sam Dejonghe (Mahindra Racing), with Dejonghe losing out and being eliminated.
Coming up on the final lap, Vandoorne attempted to close the gap to Guenther, but in a commanding performance Guenther never looked back from his pole position and won comfortably from Vandoorne by seven-tenths, with Lotterer rounding out the podium in third. Next week the action hots up, as testing is over and the real racing starts as the battle for points commences. Don’t forget to tune in next Saturday at 15:30 BST. Make sure to download the ABB Race at Home Challenge calendar so you never miss a moment.
Redazione MotoriNoLimits
