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![]() The ExCeL E-Prix Circuit in 2021. | ||
Race Information | ||
Date | 24 July 2021 | |
E-Prix No. | 81 (12 of 2020/21) | |
Official Name | 2021 Heineken London E-Prix I | |
Location | ![]() Newham, London, UK | |
Format | 45 min + 1 Lap | |
Lap length | 2.252 km (1.399 mi) | |
Distance | 33 laps / 74.316 km (46.178 mi) | |
Qualifying Result | ||
Pole Sitter | ![]() | |
Team | ![]() | |
Time | 1:23.245 | |
Fastest Lap | ||
Driver | ![]() | |
Team | ![]() | |
Fastest Lap | 1:22.539 on lap 15 | |
ePrix Result | ||
First | Second | Third |
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Winner Team | ![]() | |
Time | 46:50.048 | |
ePrix Guide | ||
Previous | Next | |
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The 2021 London E-Prix I, formally known as the 2021 Heineken London E-Prix I, was the twelfth round of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, staged at the ExCeL E-Prix Circuit in Newham, London, UK, on 24 July 2021.[1][2] The race would be the first London E-Prix to be staged since 2016, and would be the first FIA World Championship race to be staged on a mixed indoor-outdoor circuit.[1][3]
Qualifying for the first London E-Prix in five years would see Alex Lynn claim pole position, the British pilot edging out compatriot Jake Dennis by 0.299s in a wet-dry session.[4] Sébastien Buemi and Sérgio Sette Câmara would share the second row ahead of André Lotterer and Norman Nato, the last of the drivers to get into Super Pole, while Championship leader Sam Bird would only claim eighteenth on the grid.[4]
The start of the race would see Lynn convert pole into an early lead, instantly darting across from his grid slot to block Dennis into the first corner.[5] Dennis was instead left to fend off the attentions of Buemi into the first corner, and duly held second, with the rest of the field making it through the first corner without issue.[5]
Instead, it would be into turn five where the drama unfolded, as René Rast bumped Mitch Evans in the back, which duly punted the New Zealander into the back of Alexander Sims.[5] Sims ended up in the wall and out, pulling to a stop at turn six, while in the crunch to avoid the stricken Mahindra Bird was pushed into the wall and also suffered terminal damage.[5]
A Full Course Yellow was thrown to allow Sims' car to be removed, lasting one minute to cause a 1kWh energy reduction once the race resumed.[5] When the race did resume Evans darted into the pits to have a new front wing put onto his car, while Rast carried on carrying the damage from the first lap incident.[5]
Lynn and Dennis would soon break clear at the head of the field, with Buemi simply unable to match their pace in third.[5] The #23 Nissan e.Dams instead had Lotterer glued to its tail, while Sette Câmara and Nato also remained in the fight for third.[5]
Sette Câmara would subsequently begin sliding back down the order, with Nyck de Vries completing a double move on the #7 Dragon/Penske and Lucas di Grassi to climb up the order for fifth, Nato having slipped behind courtesy of arming Attack Mode.[5] Indeed, the extended AM phase, which consisted of two eight minute boosts, would see de Vries claw his way up to the back of Lotterer and Buemi for third, with di Grassi and Rast also rising up to challenge for the podium.[5]
The fight for the lead, meanwhile, would initially seem to be in Lynn's hands, for the Brit would arm his second AM boost and drop in right behind Dennis.[5] However, Dennis would hold fire on arming his second AM boost, managing to keep Lynn at bay, before a mistake from Lynn at turn ten opened a gap between them that allowed Dennis to arm his second AM boost without losing the lead.[5]
With that Dennis was away, easing half a second a lap clear of Lynn as the #94 Mahindra slipped back towards Buemi's train.[5] That, however, would change as de Vries elbowed his way into third before breaking away, with the #17 Mercedes duly hunting down and passing Lynn for second in the closing stages.[5]
With that the race was run, with Dennis cruising to a dominant victory for the second time in his rookie season, with de Vries a distant second.[5] Lynn completed the podium ahead of Buemi, who was subsequently disqualified for using more energy than permitted, meaning Lotterer finished in fourth ahead of Rast and di Grassi, who fought to the chequered flag.[5] Vandoorne was next up ahead of da Costa and Rowland, although the #22 Nissan's disqualification for the same issue as the sister car meant Edoardo Mortara and Pascal Wehrlein were elevated into the points.[5]
Background[]
Two weeks after the double header in New York City the Formula E circus arrived in London for the first London E-Prix in five years.[1] Indeed, the much anticipated return to the British capital had already been delayed by a year after the host venue, the ExCeL Centre in the Royal Victoria Dock, had been converted into a Nightingale hospital in 2020 to cope with the Covid-19 Pandemic.[1][6] However, with the vaccination programme running well and hospitalisations from Covid-19 not reaching the heights of before, the ExCeL Centre could finally be converted into a racing venue.[3]
In and Out[]
The ExCeL E-Prix Circuit would be one of the more novel circuits created for the FE Championship, with the circuit running both through the arena and around several access roads around the ExCeL Centre.[3] Indeed, a 23 turn course had been initially penned for the planned return to London in 2020 before the late cancellation, although modifications were made to the middle and final sectors ahead of the 2021 races.[3] The changes would see the double hairpin reversed, a chicane added just after them, and the loop through the car park behind the Prince Regent station revised to better use available space.[3]
Cautious Changes[]
The modifications made to the ExCeL E-Prix Circuit would have a somewhat unexpected impact, with the pre-race simulations from the teams suggesting that there would be a massive reduction in the amount of extra energy that drivers would have to re-generate during the race outside of braking zones.[7] Indeed, while an average FE race in the Generation 2 era required drivers to recover around 30% of their energy, the ExCeL Circuit's new nature saw that requirement reduce to around 5%.[7] That caused some concern for both the teams and the Series' bosses, with the reduction in the amount of energy harvesting meaning that less overtaking was expected, and hence there would likely be an increase in lunges and moves that would likely end in contact.[7]
To counter this issue the FIA and FE revealed that there would be a reduction in the energy available to each driver for the two London rounds, as the circuit could not be further modified with only a week and a half before the race.[7] For the London E-Prix there would be a limit of 48 kWh available to each driver, 4 kWh less than the usual allocation of 52 kWh that had been available for every other round.[7]
Capping Costs[]
Elsewhere the FIA unveiled its latest proposals for a budget cap to be introduced to the FE Championship, which was planned to come into force in 2023/24 season.[8] The main aim of the cap was to curtail 'ineffective spending', as well as counter the relatively high budgets, thought to top £40 million in the Generation 2 era for the largest manufacturers.[8] Frederic Bertrand, the FIA director of both FE and Innovative Sport, outlined the proposed budget caps for teams and manufacturers, with a limit of €13m to €15m for teams and €20m to €25m over a two year basis.[8]
Jaguar Commitment[]
Ahead of the their home race Jaguar Land Rover announced that they would formally enter the Generation 3 era in 2022/23, becoming the sixth established manufacturer to commit to the new ruleset.[9] Having already declared an interest to enter the Gen 3 era as a manufacturer, Jaguar's formal announcement and signed contract with FE would keep them in the Series until the end of the 2025/26 season as a full manufacturer.[9] Furthermore, the programme would align with Jaguar Land Rover's plan to become carbon neutral by 2039 and a general shift to full electrification of their road cars, and would hence remain as the manufacturer's main motorsport programme.[9]
Bird's Bounty[]
Victory for the second time in 2020/21 had propelled Sam Bird from thirteenth in the Championship to first after the 2021 New York City E-Prix II, the Brit having moved onto 81 points for the campaign. That left him five clear of António Félix da Costa in second, with the defending Champion level on 76 points with Robin Frijns. Edoardo Mortara, meanwhile, would slip nine off the lead having also lost top spot in the Championship, with Nick Cassidy completing the top five.
Envision Virgin Racing had moved back to the top of the Championship after a podium for Cassidy, with the British squad having moved onto 146 points for the campaign. Yet, that would only put them two ahead of former leaders DS Techeetah, while Jaguar Racing were only five off the lead in third after Bird's second win. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler were next up in fourth on 115 ahead of Mercedes in fifth, while Porsche Formula E Team had moved towards the 100 point mark in seventh.
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 2021 London E-Prix I is displayed below:
Practice[]
FP1[]
FP2[]
Qualifying[]
Qualifying for the 2021 London E-Prix I would be conducted in FE's standard format, with the field split into four groups of six cars, based on Championship position.[4] The first group would feature those in the top six in the Championship and so on, with each group getting six minutes on track to set a full 250 kW lap.[4] The top six overall would then progress to the Super Pole shootout, getting one final lap at full power to try and claim pole position.[4]
After the session a point would be handed to the fastest driver in the Group Stage, while three were to be awarded to the winner of Super Pole.[4]
Group 1[]
As ever the first six drivers to set times in group qualifying would be those in the top six in the Championship, headlined by home hero and Championship leader Sam Bird.[11] The #10 Jaguar would be joined on track by the two DS Techeetahs of defending Champion António Félix da Costa and Jean-Éric Vergne, as well as Edoardo Mortara in the #48 Venturi-Mercedes.[11] Completing the opening group would then be the two Envision Virgin run Audis of Robin Frijns and Nick Cassidy.[11]
Pre-qualifying rain ensured that the entire outdoor section of the circuit was damp ahead of the first group's run, creating an interesting contrast between the dry indoor section and wet outdoors.[12] Regardless, all six drivers from the first group would leave the pits in the opening minute of their period on the circuit, with Vergne leading the sextet out to complete warm-up laps.[12] The Frenchman would be followed out by teammate Cassidy, Frijns and Bird, while Mortara left a fair gap between himself and the #10 Jaguar at the back of the queue, and would just manage to start his flying lap in time.[12]
Vergne was the first driver to sample the went conditions in sector two, and was duly punished as his lap proved to be the weakest of the sextet with a 1:26.168.[12] He was hence instantly beaten by da Costa, who crushed his teammate's run by eight tenths, while Cassidy snatched second after a snap on the rear breaking for turn ten.[12] Frijns went next and was a quiet fourth, Bird made a mistake in the final sector and settled into second having set the fastest first sector, while Mortara aced the second to go fastest with a 1:25.198.[12]
Group 2[]
The second sextet would see those positioned seventh through twelfth in the Championship, with all six still considered title pretenders with four races to go.[11] Headlining the group would be the two factory Audi entries of Lucas di Grassi and René Rast, as well as the second Jaguar of Mitch Evans.[11] Also in action would be the first of the factory Mercedes piloted by Nyck de Vries, Oliver Rowland in the #22 Nissan e.Dams and Porsche's Pascal Wehrlein.[11]
The circuit was still damp in the second sector, and with no real dry line, as the second group were cleared to join the circuit, although there was still an expectation that they would go faster than the first sextet.[12] First out of the pits would be Rast in the #33 Audi with de Vries in tow, while Wehrlein trailed them with Evans.[12] di Grassi and Rowland would then leave the pits at the back of the queue, with all six drivers again completing warm-up laps before committing to full power runs on the partially damp circuit.[12]
Rast's lap proved that the circuit was improving, with the German racer able to survive a slide out of turn five to set a new benchmark time, having aced the final sector.[12] de Vries trailed him but would go faster in all three sectors to take top spot for himself, with Wehrlein shadowing him to the chequered flag to go second.[12] Evans was next across the line but, like teammate Bird, was made to pay for a poor third sector and hence slotted into second, instantly dropping to third as di Grassi set a new sector three benchmark to go fastest, while Rowland suffered a huge slide in the final corner that consigned him to tenth.[12]
Group 3[]
Group three featured those positioned thirteenth through eighteenth in the Championship, with the nature of the 2020/21 season meaning that half of the group were still within a maximum points score of the Championship leaders.[11] Stoffel Vandoorne would be the standout name from the sextet for Mercedes, although he would face competition from the two BMW i Andretti Motorsport entries of Maximilian Günther and Jake Dennis.[11] British duo Alexander Sims and Alex Lynn would also be in action in their pair of Mahindras, while André Lotterer would complete the group in the #36 Porsche.[11]
Group three ventured out onto the circuit knowing that the second sector was improving, although there was still an overall lack of a clear dry line, and there was still a fair threat of rain lurking around Newham.[12] Günther was the first of the sextet to venture out of the pits with Dennis in tow, with Sims, Lotterer, Vandoorne and Lynn following the two BMW-Andrettis out.[12] Into their flying laps, having all completed a warm-up lap and Günther was lighting up the timing screens with the fastest first sector, although the #28 BMW pilot would show that the circuit was still treacherous by slamming into the wall exiting turn fifteen after a huge twitch as he hit the brakes.[12]
A red flag was thrown to cover the removal of Günther's car, with the German also having to suffer the ignominy of having his time for his warm-up lap deleted for causing the session to be stopped.[12] Fortunately for the other five drivers they would get to complete a second full power lap due to the red flag, with Vandoorne particularly pleased as he had made a mistake in the first sector during his aborted run.[12] Sims would move to the head of the queue as they were released back onto the circuit after the delay, with Lotterer, Dennis, Vandoorne and Lynn trailing with two minutes to start their laps.[12]
Sims would set the initial pace of the group, setting very strong first and second sectors before a mistake in the final sector dumped him into second overall.[12] Lotterer trailed and set a new fastest second sector to go fastest, breaking into the 1:23.900s, with Dennis enduring a glancing blow with the wall exiting the final corner to claim second.[12] Vandoorne trailed and could only muster ninth after a mistake in the final sector in his hastily rebuilt Mercedes, before Lynn popped up into second having set the fastest first and second sectors of the session.[12]
Group 4[]
The final group of the session would see those positioned in the final six positions in the Championship take to the circuit, with Joel Eriksson again taking the place of the absent Nico Müller.[11] The Swede would be joined in the final sextet by Dragon/Penske teammate Sérgio Sette Câmara, as well as the NIO duo of Oliver Turvey and Tom Blomqvist.[11] Norman Nato would also get a run out in the #71 Venturi, as would 2015/16 Champion Sébastien Buemi in the #23 Nissan.[11]
Group four had arguably the best conditions of the session after the delay due to Günther's accident, although the circuit still didn't have a clear dry line through the damp section.[12] Eriksson would hence lead the final six out to complete warm-up laps at the start of the session, with the Swede followed out on track by Buemi and teammate Sette Câmara.[12] A brief pause would follow before Turvey appeared out of the pitlane, with Nato separating the Brit from the sister #88 NIO of Blomqvist as they started their flying laps.[12]
Eriksson would put together an intriguing opening effort for the final group, claiming seventh at the end of his run after a poor first run, matching the best of the second sector times, before setting a new best third sector.[12] Buemi followed and jumped into fourth, besting Eriksson in all three sectors, while Sette Câmara settled into fifth behind the Swiss racer.[12] Turvey was next up but was a lowly seventeenth, Nato claimed sixth with his run, while Blomqvist rounded out the group phase with a run to fifteenth after a clean lap.[12]
Super Pole[]
Nato would be the first to run in Super Pole having just scrambled into the shootout from group would, and would open his run with a tight run through the first corners, before sliding through the exit of turn five.[12] A good opening sector was followed by a strong second sector, with Nato then surviving a wide run through turn sixteen to set the benchmark for Super Pole at a 1:23.912.[12] Sette Câmara was next out onto the circuit and would best Nato in the first two sectors by a tenth in each, before matching Nato in the third to go fastest with a 1:23.758.[12]
The next driver out onto the circuit was Buemi, who would open his lap with a seemingly neat first sector, although he was two tenths slower than Sette Câmara come the end of it.[12] The Swiss ace then bested Sette Câmara in the second sector, before putting together a huge final sector to find four tenths on Sette Câmara's run and go fastest with a 1:23.627.[12] He was trailed onto the track by Dennis, with the Brit duly going four tenths clear of Buemi after the first two sectors, before surviving another slide out of the final corner to go fastest by just a tenth.[12]
Lynn was the next driver to head onto the circuit, and would open his lap with a very neat first sector, nearly brushing the inside barriers of turns six/seven en-route to matching Dennis' first sector.[12] The #94 Mahindra then aced the second sector, setting the fastest second sector of the session, before almost matching Buemi's third sector effort to set a new benchmark of 1:23.245.[12] Lotterer then made his bid for pole with the final run of the session, although slides on the brakes for turn one, nine, ten and sixteen undermined his run to leave him in fifth, six tenths behind pole sitter Lynn.[12]
Post Qualifying[]
The final qualifying result for the 2021 London E-Prix I are outlined below:
2021 London E-Prix I Qualifying Result | |||||||
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Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Time | Gap | Grid | Group |
1st | 94 | ![]() |
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1:23.245 | — | 1 | G3 |
2nd | 27 | ![]() |
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1:23.544 | +0.299s | 2 | G3 |
3rd | 23 | ![]() |
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1:23.637 | +0.382s | 3 | G4 |
4th | 7 | ![]() |
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1:23.758 | +0.513s | 4 | G4 |
5th | 36 | ![]() |
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1:23.863 | +0.618s | 5 | G3 |
6th | 71 | ![]() |
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1:23.912 | +0.667s | 6 | G4 |
Super Pole | |||||||
1st | 36 | ![]() |
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1:23.900 | — | SP | G3 |
2nd | 94 | ![]() |
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1:23.921 | +0.021s | SP | G3 |
3rd | 27 | ![]() |
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1:24.032 | +0.132s | SP | G3 |
4th | 23 | ![]() |
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1:24.124 | +0.224s | SP | G4 |
5th | 7 | ![]() |
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1:24.199 | +0.299s | SP | G4 |
6th | 71 | ![]() |
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1:24.329 | +0.429s | SP | G4 |
7th | 11 | ![]() |
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1:24.564 | +0.664s | 7 | G2 |
8th | 29 | ![]() |
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1:24.584 | +0.684s | 8 | G3 |
9th | 17 | ![]() |
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1:24.820 | +0.744s | 9 | G2 |
10th | 6 | ![]() |
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1:24.695 | +0.795s | 10 | G4 |
11th | 20 | ![]() |
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1:24.820 | +0.920s | 11 | G2 |
12th | 99 | ![]() |
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1:24.847 | +0.947s | 12 | G2 |
13th | 33 | ![]() |
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1:24.913 | +1.013s | 13 | G2 |
14th | 5 | ![]() |
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1:25.101 | +1.201s | 14 | G3 |
15th | 88 | ![]() |
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1:25.104 | +1.204s | 15 | G4 |
16th | 48 | ![]() |
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1:25.198 | +1.298s | 16 | G1 |
17th | 13 | ![]() |
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1:25.279 | +1.379s | 17 | G1 |
18th | 10 | ![]() |
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1:25.366 | +1.466s | 18 | G1 |
19th | 8 | ![]() |
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1:25.398 | +1.498s | 19 | G4 |
20th | 37 | ![]() |
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1:25.911 | +2.011s | 20 | G1 |
21st | 22 | ![]() |
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1:25.932 | +2.032s | 21 | G2 |
22nd | 4 | ![]() |
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1:26.009 | +2.109s | 22 | G1 |
23rd | 25 | ![]() |
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1:26.168 | +2.268s | 23 | G1 |
110% Time: 1:32.290[13] | |||||||
NC | 28 | ![]() |
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— | 24 | G3 | |
Source:[13] |
- * Günther had his fastest time deleted for causing a red flag during qualifying.[14]
Race[]
The water had largely drained off the second sector of the ExCeL E-Prix Circuit as the field gathered on the dummy grid ahead of the first London E-Prix since 2016, although rain remained a significant threat for the 45 minute race.[15] Temperatures were a relatively comfortable 20°C outside of the ExCeL Centre, while there had been a major change to the Attack Mode rules for the opening bout in London, with the 35kW boost extended to last eight minutes.[16] Drivers would still have to use the boost twice, meaning sixteen minutes of Attack Mode would be used, and would account for more than a third of the race.[16]
Report[]
The start of the race would see Alex Lynn convert pole into an early lead, instantly darting to the inside of the circuit to block any lunge from Jake Dennis into the first corner.[15] Dennis instead had to fend off the attentions of Sébastien Buemi around the outside of the left hander, while Sérgio Sette Câmara lost out to André Lotterer in the fight for fourth.[15] Behind, everyone made it through the first corners without issue or contact, although the clean running was not to last.[15]
Indeed, as the field turned into turn five René Rast got out of shape and hit the back of Mitch Evans, just as the New Zealander turned into the right hander on the outside of the pack.[15] The #20 Jaguar was duly shoved into the back of Alexander Sims ahead, resulting in the #29 Mahindra slamming into the outside wall on the exit of the corner and out of the race.[15] Evans and Rast were left with front end damage, with Evans forced to pit for a new front wing, while as the field squeezed around the terminally wounded Mahindra Sam Bird was fed into the wall by an unknown assailant and left with heavy damage.[15]
A Full Course Yellow was thrown to allow Sims' car to be plucked from the circuit at turn six, with Bird limping into the pits to retire his car, although within a minute the FCY period was called to an end.[15] Lynn, who was just entering turn sixteen, duly used the restart to make another bolt for the lead, although Dennis was able to stick with him, while Buemi was slightly slower to react and had to fend off Lotterer.[15] Indeed, as the early laps unfolded Buemi would become something of a bottleneck in third, with Lotterer, and the rest of the top ten remaining glued to his tail.[15]
António Félix da Costa would be the first driver to arm Attack Mode on lap three, although the Portuguese racer would remain rooted down in fourteenth as the lead driver among the title pretenders.[15] He would, however, begin moving towards the top ten with quick fire lunges on Edoardo Mortara and Pascal Wehrlein into turn one, as Lucas di Grassi became the first of the leaders to arm AM on lap four.[15] The Brazilian racer duly dropped to eighth in the exchange, although soon moved up a position after Norman Nato armed his first AM boost on the following tour.[15]
The gap between Dennis in second and Buemi in third would allow Lynn and Dennis to arm their first AM boosts without dropping behind the Swiss racer on lap six, effectively ensuring that they would be left in a duel for the lead.[15] Indeed, Buemi's lack of pace would lead to Lotterer attacking him into turn ten on lap seven, allowing Sette Câmara to entertain thoughts of revenge at the same moment, before the Brazilian racer dropped back by arming AM.[15] That move would promote Nyck de Vries into fifth, moments after the Dutchman made a late move to block di Grassi into turn sixteen, while Sette Câmara rejoined right behind di Grassi, only to tag the back of his compatriot in turn seventeen and sneak back ahead.[15]
di Grassi got his revenge a few moments later, making a late lunge down the inside of Sette Câmara into the first corner to claim sixth in-spite of running through some errant debris left at the left-hander.[15] That lunge would, however, allowing Buemi, Lotterer and de Vries to arm their first AM boosts without slipping behind the #11 Audi, meaning di Grassi would remain in sixth with his first AM boost almost over compared to those ahead.[15] Behind, Sette Câmara would soon fade from contention for the podium, entering a fight with Nato in turn sixteen that led to contact and the #7 Dragon/Penske sliding wide, dumping him back to tenth behind Stoffel Vandoorne.[15]
Back with the leaders and Lynn would opt to take his second AM boost on lap twelve, opening the door for Dennis who opted against taking the boost in that moment and instead claimed the race lead.[15] Lynn was expected to make a lunge on Dennis to reclaim the lead, although even with the additional power boost, Lynn was unable to get closer than half a second of Dennis' BMW-Andretti.[15] Elsewhere, Oliver Rowland and Nick Cassidy engaged in a ferocious duel for fifteenth, while di Grassi and teammate René Rast were steadily closing in on the Buemi baulked duo of Lotterer and de Vries.[15]
de Vries would ultimately manage to get ahead of Lotterer with the aid of AM, lunging down the inside of Lotterer into the first corner after the German veteran took AM for himself.[15] Rast and di Grassi, meanwhile, would continue to inch their way onto the back of the #36 Porsche, with Lotterer unable to get revenge on de Vries despite remaining close to the Mercedes' tail.[15] de Vries, meanwhile, would be unable to make a move on Buemi stick as, up front, a decisive moment in the fight for victory would settle the race with twenty minutes left to go.[15]
Indeed, with his AM boost running out Lynn was entering last chance territory to try and pass Dennis to reclaim the lead, and would set up for a lunge into turn ten with a strong run out of turn nine.[15] Yet, no lunge would come and the #94 Mahindra instead locked up and ran wide, costing him over a second in the turn ten/eleven combination that dropped him from the back of Dennis.[15] Dennis duly took full advantage and would arm his second AM boost a few moments later without losing the lead, leaving him in complete control of the race as he eased clear of the AM-less Lynn.[15]
As Dennis powered away Lynn would slowly tumble back into the sights of Buemi and de Vries, who still had Lotterer and two Audis closing onto their tails as the race entered its final third.[15] Indeed, the sight of the seemingly ailing Lynn would inspire de Vries, who finally made a lunge into turn ten stick on Buemi, darting to the inside of the #23 Nissan e.Dams before Buemi could react.[15] With that de Vries was off to hunt down Lynn for second, with the #94 Mahindra beginning to visibly struggle with rear grip as the race wore on.[15]
Into the closing stages and de Vries was finally within striking distance of Lynn, with Dennis now well clear at the head of the field and cruising towards a dominant victory.[15] The inevitable move from the #17 Mercedes would come three laps from the end, with de Vries pouncing on a wobble from the rear of Lynn's car out of turn nine to draw alongside on the run to turn ten, using FanBoost to further boost his bid for second.[15] A lunge on the brakes into turn ten duly completed the move with de Vries cleanly through into second, while Lynn was left with a couple of seconds in hand over Buemi behind.[15]
With that the race was run, with Dennis duly sweeping across the line to claim victory on home soil, five seconds clear of de Vries in second to propel himself into the top end of the Championship.[15] Lynn duly completed the podium ahead of Buemi and Lotterer, while a late duel between the Audis saw Rast lunge past di Grassi at the start of the final tour to claim sixth.[15] Vandoorne and da Costa were next up after battling from the back of the field, their work going largely unseen by the cameras, while Rowland rounded out the scorers ahead of Mortara and Wehrlein.[15]
Post-Race[]
After the race there was news that the two Nissan e.Dams had been disqualified from the race, after they were cited as having used more than the allotted 47 kWh of energy.[17][18] Indeed, the e.Dams squad appeared to have failed to factor into their calculations the 1 kWh reduction from the early FCY intervention, and had instead used the full 48 kWh allowance that had initially been listed for the race.[17] Their relegation would hence move Lotterer into fourth ahead of Rast, while Mortara Wehrlein moved into ninth and tenth to claim the final points.[19]
Result[]
The final classification of the 2021 London E-Prix I is displayed below, with the fastest lap setter indicated in italics, and the pole sitter shown in bold:
2021 London E-Prix I Race Result | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Laps | Race Time | Fastest lap | Pts. |
1st | 27 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | 46:50.048 | 1:22.778 | 25 |
2nd | 17 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +5.341s | 1:22.770 | 18 |
3rd | 94 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +6.946s | 1:23.209 | 18 |
4th | 36 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +10.699s | 1:22.927 | 13G |
5th | 33 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +11.427s | 1:22.539 | 11 |
6th | 11 | ![]() |
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33 | +12.233s | 1:22.769 | 8 |
7th | 5 | ![]() ![]() |
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33 | +17.381s | 1:22.862 | 6 |
8th | 13 | ![]() ![]() |
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33 | +18.457s | 1:22.786 | 4 |
9th | 48 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +30.724s | 1:23.074 | 2 |
10th | 99 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +38.240s | 1:23.579 | 1 |
11th | 37 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +43.475s | 1:23.270 | |
12th | 25 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +48.025s | 1:22.721 | |
13th* | 4 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +51.037s | 1:23.194 | |
14th† | 20 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +57.579s | 1:22.340† | |
15th | 8 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +58.624s | 1:23.848 | |
16th | 6 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +59.945s | 1:24.073 | |
17th | 7 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +1:00.436 | 1:23.999 | |
18th‡ | 28 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | +1:05.105 | 1:22.858 | |
DSQƒ | 23 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | Disqualified | 1:22.932 | |
DSQƒ | 22 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | Disqualified | 1:23.070 | |
NC§ | 71 | ![]() |
![]() |
33 | Out of Energy | 1:22.966 | |
NC♠ | 88 | ![]() |
![]() |
25 | +8 Laps | 1:22.718 | |
Ret | 10 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
1 | Damage | — | |
Ret | 29 | ![]() |
![]() |
0 | Collision | — | |
Source:[13] |
Indicates a driver was awarded FanBoost during the race.[20]
- G Indicates a driver claimed a bonus point for setting the fastest lap in the group stage of qualifying.
- * Frijns served a five second time penalty for pushing Eriksson into the wall at turn eleven.[21]
- † Evans set the fastest lap of the race (1:22.340) but was ineligible to claim the bonus point as he finished outside of the top ten.
- ‡ Günther served a ten second time penalty for causing a collision with Turvey at turn eleven.[22]
- ƒ Buemi and Rowland were disqualified from the race for using more than the permitted 47 kWh of energy.[17][18]
- § Nato was unable to be classified as he finished the race with 0% remaining energy.[23]
- ♠ Blomqvist was unable to be classified as he failed to complete 90% of the race distance.[13]
Milestones[]
- Fifth London E-Prix to be staged.
- Also the first London E-Prix to be held since the 2016 London ePrix II.
- First London E-Prix to be staged at the ExCeL E-Prix Circuit.
- Alex Lynn secured his second pole position.
- This was Lynn's first pole since the 2017 New York City ePrix I.
- Jake Dennis claimed his second victory.
- Seventh victory for Andretti Formula E as an entrant.
- BMW claimed their seventh win as a powertrain supplier.
Standings[]
Sam Bird still remained at the head of the charge despite retiring on the opening lap of the first London E-Prix of the weekend, although his advantage had all but disappeared. Indeed, António Félix da Costa had closed to within a point of the British ace, while race winner Jake Dennis was up to third, just two off the lead. Indeed, the Championship remained ridiculously tight with three rounds to go, with everyone down to Alex Lynn in sixteenth within a maximum race score of Bird's 81 point tally.
DS Techeetah had moved to the top of the Teams' Championship as the weekend in London hit its midpoint, the Chinese-French effort having moved onto 148 points for the campaign. That left them two ahead of former leaders Envision Virgin Racing, who had failed to score, while Jaguar Racing had moved to within seven of the lead in third. Furthermore, much like the Drivers' Championship, half of the field remained within serious contention of the Teams' title, with the top seven all within a single maximum team score of DS Techeetah.
References[]
Videos and Images:
References:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 'FIA publishes provisional 2020/21 Formula E calendar', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 19/06/2020), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2020/june/2021-race-calendar, (Accessed 19/06/2020)
- ↑ Georgina Yeomans, 'Heineken to title sponsor Formula E’s London ePrix', sportspromedia.com, (SportsPro Media, 05/07/2021), https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/heineken-title-sponsor-formula-e-london-eprix-2021, (Accessed 12/07/2021)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Sam Smith; Andrew van de Burgt, 'REVISED TRACK FOR FORMULA E’S PARTLY-INDOOR NEW LONDON RACE', the-race.com, (The Race, 05/07/2021), https://the-race.com/formula-e/revised-track-for-formula-es-partly-indoor-new-london-race/, (Accessed 12/07/2021)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 'Alex Lynn pips fellow Brit Jake Dennis to Julius Baer Pole Position for the Heineken® London E-Prix Round 12', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/july/london-e-prix-qualifying-results, (Accessed 24/07/2021)
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 5.16 'Brit Jake Dennis gets the job done on home soil with victory in the Heineken® London E-Prix Round 12', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/july/london-e-prix-round-12-race-report, (Accessed 24/07/2021)
- ↑ Rachel Schraer, 'Coronavirus: ExCeL Centre planned as NHS field hospital', bbc.co.uk, (British Broadcasting Company, 24/03/2020), https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52018477, (Accessed 21/06/2020)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Matt Kew, 'FIA slashes London FE energy levels following concerns from teams', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 14/07/2021), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/london-energy-level-slashed-team-concerns/6630222/, (Accessed 15/07/2021)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Matt Kew, 'Proposed Formula E budget caps outlined for 2023/24 season', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 20/07/2021), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/proposed-formula-e-budget-caps-outlined-for-second-gen3-season/6634174/, (Accessed 24/07/2021)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Paul Hansby, 'Jaguar Racing the Latest Team to Commit to Gen 3 Era of Formula E', thecheckeredflag.co.uk, (The Checkered Flag, 22/07/2021), https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2021/07/jaguar-racing-the-latest-team-to-commit-to-gen-3-era-of-formula-e/, (Accessed 24/07/2021)
- ↑ 'Entry list confirmed for 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 11/12/2020), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2020/december/2020-21-formula-e-confirmed-entry-list-fia, (Accessed 11/02/2021)
- ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 'Qualifying Groups - Round 12', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/12_R12%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/011_Doc%2011%20-%20Qualifying%20Groups.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 26/07/2021)
- ↑ 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 12.15 12.16 12.17 12.18 12.19 12.20 12.21 12.22 12.23 12.24 12.25 12.26 12.27 12.28 12.29 12.30 12.31 12.32 12.33 12.34 12.35 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedQH
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedResults
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedGuePQP
- ↑ 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 15.13 15.14 15.15 15.16 15.17 15.18 15.19 15.20 15.21 15.22 15.23 15.24 15.25 15.26 15.27 15.28 15.29 15.30 15.31 15.32 15.33 15.34 15.35 15.36 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedRH
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 'ATTACK MODE - ROUND 12', fiaformuale.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/12_R12%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/033_Doc%2033%20-%20Bulletin%20No.%203.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 27/07/2021)
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 'ROUND 12 & 13 - LONDON E-PRIX 23-25 JULY 2021: Decision No. 16', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/12_R12%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/050_Doc%2050%20-%20Decision%20No.%2016.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 24/07/2021)
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 'ROUND 12 & 13 - LONDON E-PRIX 23-25 JULY 2021: Decision No. 17', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/12_R12%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/051_Doc%2051%20-%20Decision%20No.%2017.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 24/07/2021)
- ↑ 'UPDATE: Nissan e.dams' drivers disqualified from the Heineken® London E-Prix Round 12', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/july/breaking-nissan-disqualified-round-12, (Accessed 27/07/2021)
- ↑ 'FanBoost - Round 12', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/12_R12%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/037_Doc%2037%20-%20Bulletin%20No.%204.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 24/07/2021)
- ↑ 'ROUND 12 & 13 - LONDON E-PRIX 23-25 JULY 2021: Decision No. 14', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/12_R12%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/043_Doc%2043%20-%20Decision%20No.%2014.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 24/07/2021)
- ↑ 'ROUND 12 & 13 - LONDON E-PRIX 23-25 JULY 2021: Decision No. 15', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/12_R12%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/044_Doc%2044%20-%20Decision%20No.%2015.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 24/07/2021)
- ↑ 'ROUND 12 & 13 - LONDON E-PRIX 23-25 JULY 2021: Decision No. 10', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/12_R12%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/039_Doc%2039%20-%20Decision%20No.%2010.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 24/07/2021)
2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship |
---|
Entrants |
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler • BMW i Andretti Motorsport • Dragon/Penske Autosport • DS Techeetah • Envision Virgin Racing • Jaguar Racing • Mahindra Racing • Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team • NIO 333 FE Team • Nissan e.Dams • ROKiT Venturi Racing • TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team |
Manufacturers |
Audi • BMW • DS • Jaguar • Mahindra & Mahindra • Mercedes-Benz • NIO • Nissan • Penske • Porsche |
Cars |
Spark SRT05e |
Audi e-tron FE07 • BMW iFE.21 • DS E-Tense FE20 • DS E-Tense FE 21 • Jaguar I-Type V • Mahindra M7Electro • Mercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02 • NIO 333 FE 001 • Nissan IM02 • Nissan IM03 • Penske EV-4 • Penske EV-5 • Porsche 99X Electric |
Drivers |
4 Robin Frijns • 5 Stoffel Vandoorne • 6 Nico Müller/Joel Eriksson • 7 Sérgio Sette Câmara • 8 Oliver Turvey • 10 Sam Bird • 11 Lucas di Grassi • 13 António Félix da Costa • 17 Nyck de Vries • 20 Mitch Evans • 22 Oliver Rowland • 23 Sébastien Buemi • 25 Jean-Éric Vergne • 27 Jake Dennis • 28 Maximilian Günther • 29 Alexander Sims • 33 René Rast • 36 André Lotterer • 48 Edoardo Mortara • 71 Norman Nato • 88 Tom Blomqvist • 94 Alex Lynn • 99 Pascal Wehrlein |
E-Prix |
Diriyah I • Diriyah II • Rome I • Rome II • Valencia I • Valencia II • Monaco • Puebla I • Puebla II • New York City I • New York City II • London I • London II • Berlin I • Berlin II |
Cancelled E-Prix |
Marrakesh E-Prix • Mexico City E-Prix • Paris E-Prix • Santiago E-Prix • Sanya E-Prix • Seoul E-Prix |
Tests |
Valencia |
Related Content |
2019/20 • 2021/22 |