Formula E: DS Penske driver Jean-Eric Vergne wins maiden Hyderabad e-Prix
The first-ever Formula Hyderabad e-Prix saw DS Penske driver Jean-Eric take an impressive win amidst lots of action and drama throughout the race. The fourth round of Formula E Season 9 saw the drivers compete on a completely new circuit joining the calendar this year but Vergne managed to hold the top spot in the closing stages, fending off Nick Cassidy of Envision Racing.
The race started with Jaguar TCS Racing driver Mitch Evans taking off from the pole position followed by Vergne in second, while Sebastian Buemi of Envision Racing was a close third. Evans led the race in the initial stages but an ill-timed attack mode on Lap 7 saw the driver drop to third behind Vergne and Buemi.
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Just when Evans seemed to be recovering, the driver received a major blow with teammate Sam Bird crashing into the driver a few laps later. This marked the end for Jaguar TCS Racing, which was also a home race for the team, part of the Indian conglomerate Tata Group. The crash also blocked Nissan’s Sacha Fenestraz and Maximilian Gunther of Maserati, although the drivers continued without any damage.
However, the incident helped Nick Cassidy to move back up behind Buemi and Vergne forming the top three spots at the time. Vergne was now fighting Buemi for the lead and found the perfect line to pass the latter a couple of laps later. Buemi tried to use his attack mode on the same lap, which promoted Cassidy to second place, setting the order for the rest of the race.
Coming in fourth was championship leader Pascal Wehrlein of Porsche, who extended his lead in the drivers’ standings. The driver finished behind teammate Felix da Costa, who was promoted to third after Buemi received a 17-second penalty for an overpower infringement, which demoted him to 15th place.
Coming in fifth was Sergio Sette Camara of NIO 333 Racing followed by Mahindra Racing’s Oliver Rowland who could muster sixth place bringing crucial points for the team. Nissan’s Norman Nato took seventh place ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne in the second DS Penske car. The ninth and tenth spots were taken by Andre Lotterer of Avalanche Andretti and Edoardo Mortara of Maserati respectively.
Finishing outside of points was Nico Muller of Cupra Formula E team followed by Fenestraz and Gunther. Mahindra’s Lucas di Grassi had a disappointing run and finished in 14th place ahead of Buemi.
