![]() | ||
---|---|---|
![]() The ExCeL E-Prix Circuit in 2021. | ||
Race Information | ||
Date | 25 July 2021 | |
E-Prix No. | 82 (13 of 2020/21) | |
Official Name | 2021 Heineken London E-Prix II | |
Location | ![]() Newham, London, UK | |
Format | 45 min + 1 Lap | |
Lap length | 2.252 km (1.399 mi) | |
Distance | 30 laps / 67.560 km (41.979 mi) | |
Qualifying Result | ||
Pole Sitter | ![]() | |
Team | ![]() | |
Time | 1:20.181 | |
Fastest Lap | ||
Driver | ![]() | |
Team | ![]() | |
Fastest Lap | 1:21.635 on lap 17 | |
ePrix Result | ||
First | Second | Third |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Winner Team | ![]() | |
Time | 46:29.532 | |
ePrix Guide | ||
Previous | Next | |
![]() |
![]() |
The 2021 London E-Prix II, formally known as the 2021 Heineken London E-Prix II, was the thirteenth race of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, staged at the ExCeL E-Prix Circuit in Newham, London, UK, on 25 July 2021.[1] The race would be the second of the weekend to be staged on the ExCeL Circuit, and would prove to be one of the more controversial in FE history.[2]
Qualifying had been staged in fully dry conditions, resulting in Stoffel Vandoorne sweeping to pole position ahead of Oliver Rowland.[3] Alex Lynn was next up for Mahindra Racing having topped the group stage, edging out Nyck de Vries who made it to Super Pole from group one, while Mitch Evans and Maximilian Günther also managed to reach the shootout.[3]
At the start Vandoorne would storm away from pole to secure the lead, moving to the inside to block a lunge from Rowland into the first corner.[2] Behind, de Vries would find himself tucking in behind Lynn for third, the Brit having been unable to force a move on Rowland, while at the back Edoardo Mortara had an issue and would lose a lot of time before he got clear of the grid.[2]
The race would quickly settle, with de Vries elbowing his way past Lynn for third, before Rowland became the first of the leaders to arm Attack Mode.[2] Vandoorne and de Vries followed on the following tour, restoring the top three to its original state, before the race was put behind the Safety Car for the first time.[2]
The cause would be a clumsy collision between Sébastien Buemi and René Rast, which saw the Swiss racer slam into the side of Rast at turn ten, before Rast smacked into the #23 Nissan at turn eleven.[2] Rast was out with heavy damage while Buemi continued, and would late receive a hefty stop-go penalty for causing the collision.[2]
At the restart Vandoorne would bolt into the lead, while Rowland fell to de Vries as the Dutchman had the last dregs of his AM boost to use.[2] However, it was not long before the SC reappeared, after André Lotterer drove António Félix da Costa into the pit wall which would result in the #13 DS Techeetah nosing into the barriers at turn one.[2]
It was during this SC period that the real controversy happened, with Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler instructing Lucas di Grassi to come down the pitlane from eighth.[2] The Brazilian racer duly came into the pits, almost came to a stop in his pit box, and then headed out of the pitlane, and due to the speed of the field behind the SC, would emerge at the head of the field.[2]
The race resumed a lap later with di Grassi now in a very suspicious lead, with the Brazilian's advantage only enhanced when Rowland misjudged a lunge at Vandoorne into turn ten and made contact.[2] They would both plummet down the field, with Rowland also receiving a penalty, as de Vries and Lynn moved up behind the #11 Audi, which was immediately placed under investigation for its pitlane antics.[2]
The second AM period would shuffle the order up front, with Lynn scrambling ahead of de Vries in the exchange while di Grassi remained just out of reach.[2] Then, with ten minutes to go di Grassi was slapped with a drive-through penalty for his pitlane antics, although the Audi team did not tell their lead pilot of the penalty and instead tried to protest their innocence.[2]
Ultimately, on the final lap of the race, di Grassi would be disqualified for failing to serve his penalty, with Audi also fined for breaching the regulations.[2] Victory hence went to Lynn as the Brit fended off de Vries to the chequered flag, while a battered Mitch Evans completed the podium ahead of an equally battle weary Robin Frijns.[2] Pascal Wehrlein was next up ahead of Mitch Evans, Nick Cassidy, Sérgio Sette Câmara, Jake Dennis and Joel Eriksson, once a barrage of post-race penalties had been applied to the final results.[2]
Background[]
There would be no changes made to the ExCeL E-Prix Circuit ahead of the second London E-Prix of the weekend, with the indoor/outdoor circuit unmodified despite remaining concerns about overtaking and energy use after the first race.[1] Likewise, the field would be unchanged for the second race of the weekend, while the weather would remain inconsistent with a significant threat of heavy rain for the race.[1]
Dennis Dart[]
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.
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 2021 London E-Prix II is displayed below:
Practice[]
FP1[]
FP2[]
Qualifying[]
Qualifying for the 2021 London E-Prix II would be conducted in FE's standard format, with the field split into four groups of six cars, based on Championship position.[3] 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.[3] 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.[3]
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.[3]
Group 1[]
The opening sextet of the session would feature the top six in the Championship with three rounds to go, with Sam Bird heading the charge for Jaguar Racing.[5] He would be joined on track by Race 1 winner Jake Dennis of BMW-Andretti, as well as Nyck de Vries and Edoardo Mortara in their factory and customer Mercedes.[5] Completing the group would be António Félix da Costa of DS Techeetah and Robin Frijns of Envision Virgin Racing.[5]
Rain was in the air around the ExCeL Centre as the opening group of the session were cleared to leave the pitlane, although it was limited to a few spots in the second sector on the outside section of the circuit.[6] Yet, all six drivers would opt to leave the pitlane in the opening moments of the session, with Dennis leading the charge out of the pitlane ahead of Frijns, da Costa, de Vries, Bird and Mortara.[6] The out and warm-up laps would then see Bird pass de Vries before throwing several lunges at da Costa, although the #10 Jaguar pilot calmed down before the end of his warm-up lap and would trail da Costa on their flying laps.[6]
Ahead of all of that, and the first driver to set a time, would be Dennis, who produced reasonable times in all three sectors to set the initial benchmark at a 1:21.042, with no real sign of the spots of rain affecting the pace.[6] Frijns was next across the line and duly beat the British pilot, surviving a lock-up at turn ten to do so, while da Costa was punished for a poor opening sector and slotted in behind Dennis.[6] Bird was next up and settled into third, moments before de Vries stormed to the front of the pack with a 1:20.511 and Mortara slotted into fourth to complete the group.[6]
Group 2[]
Group two featured those positioned seventh through twelfth in the Championship head out onto the circuit, headlined by René Rast and Lucas di Grassi in the two factory Audi Sport ABT Schaefflers.[5] Those two would be joined on track by a third Audi run by Virgin, piloted by Nick Cassidy, as well as the second DS Techeetah of Jean-Éric Vergne.[5] Pascal Wehrlein of Porsche, and the second factory Mercedes of Stoffel Vandoorne would then complete the group.[5]
The rain seemed to be ramping up into a slight drizzle as the second group were cleared to join the circuit, with Nick Cassidy instantly darting out of the pits to lead the group out.[6] The New Zealander was out by Vergne, di Grassi and Rast, while Wehrlein and Vandoorne would hang back a few moments before they also left the pits.[6] Cassidy then caused a stir by instantly launching into his flying lap, believing the rain would only intensify, although the rest of the group stuck to completing warm-up laps instead.[6]
Ultimately Cassidy's gamble was neither good nor bad, for the increased intensity of the rain ensured that there was less grip in the second sector, costing all six drivers half a second or more in that part of the circuit.[6] As a result Cassidy, who set a new fastest third sector, would slot into fourth at the end of his run, before a wait for the rest of the drivers to complete their runs, headed by Vergne.[6] The Frenchman duly claimed eighth, di Grassi claimed third with Rast sliding to fourth just behind, before Wehrlein and Vandoorne jumped into first and second after setting excellent first and third sector times to compensate for poor second sectors.[6]
Group 3[]
For group three those drivers positioned thirteenth through eighteenth join the fray, headlined by Mitch Evans in the second of the Jaguars.[5] The New Zealander would be joined on track by pole sitter for Race 1 Alex Lynn, as well as the sister Mahindra of Alexander Sims.[5] Also in action would be the second Porsche of André Lotterer, Maximilian Günther in the second BMW-Andretti, and Oliver Rowland in the first of the Nissan e.Dams.[5]
The third group would find that the rain had stopped when they began to appear out of the ExCeL Centre's shadow in the opening moments of the session, with Günther the first driver to leave the pits.[6] The German racer was followed out instantly by Lotterer and Sims, while Evans, Rowland and Lynn came out in a group of their own.[6] All six drivers would then proceed to complete warm-up laps before their flying runs, with Günther the first to go in the #28 BMW-Andretti.[6]
Günther put together a strong run, claiming second with only a minimal loss of time in the second sector to suggest that the impact of the rain had already faded.[6] Lotterer then slotted into eighth after a miserable first sector, with Sims too making a huge mistake in the first sector to leave him in eleventh.[6] Evans went next and duly matched the best time in the second sector to go fastest, with Rowland trailing him and crossing the line in third, before Lynn shot to the top of the times by 0.002s, surviving a glance against the inside wall at the apex of turn nine.[6]
Group 4[]
The final sextet of the session would feature those drivers positioned in the bottom six of the Championship, excluding Nico Müller who was not attending the round in London.[5] The Swiss racer's replacement at Dragon/Penske Joel Eriksson would instead take to the circuit, joining the sister car of Sérgio Sette Câmara, as well as Sébastien Buemi in the second Nissan.[5] Norman Nato would also venture out on track for ROKiT Venturi, while NIO 333 FE Team would round out the group with Oliver Turvey and Tom Blomqvist.[5]
Just as group four were cleared to join the circuit small spots of rain would again begin to fall, although there were questions as to whether there would be an impact to the times for the fourth group, given how quickly the circuit had recovered between groups two and three.[6] Furthermore, as Nato led the drivers out and around the outside of the ExCeL the rain was limited to a few minor spots, with the #71 Venturi pilot not noting the rain at all.[6] The Frenchman was followed around the circuit by Sette Câmara, Blomqvist, Eriksson and Turvey, the latter duo swapping positions on their warm-up laps, with Buemi the last to run.[6]
Nato's run saw the Frenchman make a mistake in the second sector, costing him six tenths to leave him in eleventh come the end of his run.[6] Sette Câmara went next and duly claimed ninth, having had a seemingly faultless run in sector two, while Blomqvist secured thirteenth for NIO, flattening teammate Turvey who had struck the wall at turn seven/eight but kept going en-route to 22nd.[6] Buemi was next across the line but could only muster eleventh, having passed Eriksson on his warm-up lap, while the Swede claimed fifteenth after a mistake in the opening sector to round out the group stage.[6]
Super Pole[]
Having survived the cull due to a mix of conditions and a strong run of his own, de Vries would be the first driver to run in Super Pole, the first time since the 2021 Monaco E-Prix that a driver from Group One had made it to the shootout.[6] The rain had evolved into spits across the second sector as the Dutchman opened his run, with a strong first sector followed by a small glance with the wall at turn thirteen, although de Vries survived to record a 1:20.353.[6] Next out onto the circuit would be Günther, with the German racer initially up on his former Formula 2 rival in the first to sectors, although was unable to better de Vries' third sector effort and hence slotted into second.[6]
Rowland was the next driver out onto the circuit, with the Brit opening his lap with a lock-up into the first corner, although the #22 Nissan still made the apex and did not lose too much time as a result.[6] A second sector would ultimately carry Rowland to provisional pole, setting a new benchmark of 1:20.222 to beat de Vries by a tenth, with Vandoorne the next to run.[6] The Belgian ace duly delivered a strong lap, acing the first sector to go a quarter of a second faster than Rowland, although a cautious run through the third sector saw Vandoorne only beat Rowland by 0.041s come the end of his run.[6]
Evans was the next driver to hit the track, although the New Zealander threw away his bid for pole instantly by locking up at the first corner and running so wide he ruined his entry for turn two, losing six tenths instantly.[6] Regardless, Evans would rally back beautifully with strong second and third sectors to slot into fourth ahead of Günther, with Lynn left as the only driver who could beat Vandoorne.[6] Yet, despite setting a new benchmark in the second sector the #94 Mahindra would just fall shy of the #5 Mercedes, with a huge kerb strike at turn nineteen seeing Lynn slot into third 0.067s off of Vandoorne.[6]
Post Qualifying[]
The final qualifying result for the 2021 London E-Prix II are outlined below:
2021 London E-Prix II Qualifying Result | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Time | Gap | Grid | Group |
1st | 5 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.181 | — | 1 | G2 |
2nd | 22 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.222 | +0.041s | 2 | G3 |
3rd | 94 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.248 | +0.067s | 3 | G3 |
4th | 17 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.353 | +0.172s | 4 | G1 |
5th | 20 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.376 | +0.195s | 5 | G3 |
6th | 28 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.398 | +0.217s | 6 | G3 |
Super Pole | |||||||
1st | 94 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.319 | — | SP | G3 |
2nd | 20 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.321 | +0.002s | SP | G3 |
3rd | 5 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.459 | +0.140s | SP | G2 |
4th | 22 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.483 | +0.164s | SP | G3 |
5th | 28 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.504 | +0.185s | SP | G3 |
6th | 17 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.511 | +0.192s | SP | G1 |
7th | 99 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.569 | +0.250s | 7 | G2 |
8th | 4 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.620 | +0.301s | 8 | G1 |
9th | 7 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.641 | +0.322s | 9 | G4 |
10th | 11 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.750 | +0.431s | 10 | G2 |
11th | 23 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.812 | +0.493s | 11 | G4 |
12th | 33 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.924 | +0.605s | 12 | G2 |
13th | 71 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.977 | +0.658s | 13 | G4 |
14th | 88 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:20.988 | +0.669s | 14 | G4 |
15th | 6 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:21.010 | +0.691s | 15 | G4 |
16th | 36 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:21.038 | +0.719s | 16 | G3 |
17th | 27 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:21.042 | +0.723s | 17 | G1 |
18th | 37 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:21.043 | +0.724s | 18 | G2 |
19th | 29 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:21.064 | +0.745s | 19 | G3 |
20th | 48 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:21.080 | +0.761s | 20 | G1 |
21st | 10 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:21.108 | +0.789s | 21 | G1 |
22nd | 13 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:21.195 | +0.876s | 22 | G1 |
23rd | 25 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:21.244 | +0.925s | 23 | G2 |
24th | 8 | ![]() |
![]() |
1:21.847 | +1.528s | 24 | G4 |
110% Time: 1:28.350[7] | |||||||
Source:[7] |
Race[]
The rain had disappeared from Newham in London as the field gathered on the dummy grid inside the ExCeL Centre, although it was expected to make a return at some point towards the end of the E-Prix.[8] Otherwise there were no concerns regarding either temperatures or conditions inside or outside the ExCeL, with no late issues or penalties to scramble the grid after qualifying.[8] Likewise, Attack Mode was left unmodified for the second race of the weekend, remaining set at two activations lasting eight minutes apiece to be activated on the outside of turn sixteen after lap two.[8]
Report[]
Stoffel Vandoorne lined up aggressively pointing the nose of his car towards the inside line for the first corner as the field pulled onto the grid proper for the start, and duly lunged across to that side of the circuit when the lights went out.[8] The move was not really required, however, as Oliver Rowland was unable to match the #5 Mercedes' getaway from second, although the Brit would have enough in hand to hold second ahead of Alex Lynn.[8] Behind, Nyck de Vries resisted a lunge from Mitch Evans for fourth in the first corner, with Maximilian Günther almost able to take advantage and pass the #20 Jaguar, while an issue for Edoardo Mortara left the #48 ROKiT Venturi briefly stranded on the grid, with António Félix da Costa just able to dodge around the Italian-Swiss racer.[8]
Further around the opening tour there would be more drama for Alexander Sims, the Brit having been pushed into the wall for the second race in a row meaning he had to pit for repairs.[8] Tom Blomqvist would also be found limping into the pitlane with damage to his car, while Mortara was up to speed, although the Swiss racer had dropped a few seconds off the back of the field after his issue.[8] Out front, meanwhile, Vandoorne would set about trying to break clear of Rowland, with the Brit instead under attack from compatriot Lynn as the field started the second lap.[8]
After a stalemate during the opening two laps at the head of the field there would finally be movement on lap three, as de Vries sent his #17 Mercedes scything down the inside Lynn into turn ten to claim third, although both ran wide.[8] Evans tried to advance past the #94 Mahindra too but Lynn held the inside line for turn eleven and held him off, although the exchange dropped him off the tail of de Vries.[8] Elsewhere, Sébastien Buemi became the first driver to arm Attack Mode on the third tour, followed by da Costa, Jean-Éric Vergne and Mortara, while Pascal Wehrlein was under attack from Robin Frijns.[8]
More AM antics would follow on the following tour, with da Costa lunging past Bird for eighteenth at turn ten with the added boost, although Bird would make a mistake and lightly tag the back of the #13 DS Techeetah entering turn eleven.[8] Rowland, meanwhile, would slip to third when he armed the boost on lap four, although he would rejoin right on de Vries' tail to setup a move into the first corner at the start of the following tour.[8] de Vries duly went very defensive into the first corner and just held off the advancing Nissan e.Dams, an exchange that opened out enough of a gap to Vandoorne ahead that the the Belgian ace was able to arm AM without losing the lead a few moments later.[8] de Vries would follow the sister car into the AM Zone and would slip back behind Rowland.[8]
Elsewhere, Buemi was on a charge with AM, and would duly attempt to breach the top ten with a lunge at René Rast into turn ten although he would get out of shape and tag the back of the #33 Audi.[8] Rast tried to hold on and slid back into the side of the Nissan, with that contact subsequently sending the German pilot into the outside wall at the exit of the hairpin.[8] Broken steering and momentum then sent Rast into the back of Buemi as the #23 Nissan turned into turn eleven destroying what was left of the front of the #33 Audi which duly parked at the side of the circuit exiting turn eleven.[8]
With Rast stranded and debris littering turns ten/eleven the Safety Car was scrambled, destroying Vandoorne's early advantage with 37 minutes gone.[8] After four minutes, resulting in a 4 kWh energy reduction, the race resumed with Vandoorne bolting at the entry to turn twenty-one at the end of lap seven, a charge which allowed him to regain some of the ground he had lost.[8] Behind, Rowland resisted the attentions of de Vries into turn one, Jake Dennis threw a lunge at Nick Cassidy but instead fell behind da Costa, while Buemi was handed a ten second stop-go penalty for the incident with Rast.[8]
da Costa would subsequently become the first driver to arm his second AM boost, resulting in the #13 Techeetah dropping back behind Dennis although the Portuguese ace instantly passed him again into turn one at the start of the following tour.[8] Up ahead, meanwhile, de Vries would pass Rowland without issue into turn ten, the Brit opting not to defend, as behind Lynn dropped away from them by arming his first AM boost of the day in fourth.[8] Vandoorne would then arm his second AM boost on the following tour, and hence slipped behind teammate de Vries, while behind da Costa was charging towards the top ten with a lunge on Cassidy for thirteenth.[8]
Yet, on lap eleven the da Costa charge would come to a spectacular end, albeit one that was not of the Portuguese ace's own making.[8] Indeed, the #13 Techeetah was lining up a move on the #36 Porsche of André Lotterer down the start finish straight to start the lap, and would initially look to the outside of the German racer before jinking left to the inside.[8] Lotterer moved across and took the middle line, although he would then move again and keep moving towards the left side of the circuit as da Costa drew alongside.[8] That movement would squeeze da Costa into the wall after contact between the #13 Techeetah and the #36 Porsche, with da Costa's car duly going skating into the barriers on the outside of turn one and out.[8]
With Lotterer instantly and unanimously labelled as the offender in that circumstance the Safety Car was scrambled for a second time, moments after Vandoorne had eased past de Vries unopposed to reclaim the lead.[8] de Vries would subsequently drop to third by arming his second AM boost moments before the SC was scrambled, with the field subsequently gathering behind the SC at the start of lap twelve.[8] At the end of lap twelve Lucas di Grassi made the curious decision to dive into the pits from eighth in the field, with the #11 Audi seemingly untouched after a busy opening third to the race.[8]
The reason for di Grassi's trip down the pitlane was revealed just a few moments later, for the #11 Audi came to a near sliding stop in its pitbox, before instantly heading back into the fast lane.[8] At pitout di Grassi would miraculously rejoin ahead of race leader Vandoorne and hence in the lead of the race, having effectively run faster down the pitlane than the field had been travelling down the start/finish straight and turn one due to the marshals attempting to remove da Costa's car from the first corner.[8] However, the Brazilian was instantly placed under investigation for his trip down the pitlane, with the rules regarding what a driver could or could not do regarding the pitlane somewhat blurred after Audi's ingenious gamble.[8]
Regardless of the investigation di Grassi would lead the field away when the race resumed, bolting at turn twenty after an eight minute pause to the action to establish a small lead.[8] Vandoorne trailed and would come under attack from Rowland into turn ten a few moments later, although the #22 Nissan got out of shape and slid into the side of the #5 Mercedes after getting inside on the brakes for the hairpin.[8] The two locked together resulting in Vandoorne hitting the outside wall as de Vries and Lynn scrambled through, with Rowland able to escape and limp to a stop at turn twelve with damage.[8]
Vandoorne eventually got going again after reversing out of the wall, although he was now at the back of the field and a long way from the points.[8] Out front, meanwhile, di Grassi surrendered the lead at the end of lap fourteen by arming AM for the second time, leaving de Vries in charge, while Lynn completed a top three break away having also armed his second AM boost in the same moment.[8] Elsewhere, Sam Bird inched closer to the top ten with a successful dart inside Joel Eriksson for twelfth, while Sérgio Sette Câmara lost eighth to Dennis.[8]
The fight between the lead trio would resume on lap seventeen, with di Grassi able to force his way down the inside of de Vries on the turn to turn one, appearing on the left hand side of the Mercedes before de Vries could react.[8] That move allowed Lynn to draw right onto de Vries' tail and, just moments after receiving his first ever FanBoost award, the Brit would make an identical move on the Mercedes, using the boost and AM to draw past de Vries before the left-hander.[8] With that Lynn was off to chase di Grassi for the race victory, the #11 Audi still under investigation, as behind Vandorrne made a move on Vergne to fourteenth.[8]
With fifteen minutes to go di Grassi had a small one second lead over Lynn, although the Brazilian racer had used 2% more energy that the Mahindra behind, while de Vries was still a significant threat in third.[8] Elsewhere, Bird was up to eleventh having fired past Sette Câmara into turn one, moments after Robin Frijns had completed an over-under on Maximilian Günther for fifth in turns one/two.[8] Evans, meanwhile, made a mistake and missed the AM activation zone while running in fourth and dropped right into Frijns' sights, before slipping behind the #4 Virgin when he did get AM on the following tour.[8]
Evans' response would be instant, with the New Zealander immediately throwing a half look at Frijns into the first corner at the start of the following lap, forcing Frijns to take a defensive line.[8] That allowed the New Zealander to get right underneath Frijns' diffuser through the rest of the first sector, before selling Frijns a dummy on the run to turn ten, feinting to the outside of the #4 Virgin before diving back across to the inside.[8] With that Evans was into fourth, which was set to become third amid news of an impending penalty for one of the race leaders.[8]
The man in trouble with the stewards was di Grassi, who was slapped with a drive-through penalty for a pitlane infringement for failing to come to a complete stop in his pitbox.[8] Irate at that news, Audi boss Allan McNish would immediately sprint from the back of the Audi ABT garage to race control, with the Audi squad opting not to inform di Grassi of the penalty.[8] As a result di Grassi continued to pound around the ExCeL Circuit still in the lead of the race, with Lynn and de Vries settled in behind but unwilling to make a challenge having been informed that di Grassi was set to come into the pits.[8]
Four laps and almost six minutes would pass and still di Grassi had not stopped, prompting some belief that Audi were making a successful appeal to the stewards, with McNish sprinting back to the Audi garage a few moments after the penalty had been handed.[8] Yet, as the di Grassi penalty remained up in the air the on-track action continued, with Wehrlein going very defensive to deny Dennis sixth place, while Bird shaped up a move on Norman Nato for tenth.[8] Yet, while Wehrlein was successful in his defence Bird would falter, the Brit's lunge ending in contact as Nato turned into the #10 Jaguar as they turned into the right-hand hairpin, before both ended up in the wall on the exit.[8]
Those two cars were seemingly stuck at the side of the circuit, although after just one lap both had managed to clear the scene of the incident without the need for a SC or Full Course Yellow.[8] However, the stewards would still be busy as the race started its final tour, with di Grassi shown a black flag for failing to serve his drive-through penalty within three laps of it having been awarded.[8] The Brazilian would still complete the final tour believing he had won the race, Audi only informing him of his disqualification as he rounded the final corner, before the disqualification was initially rescinded and instead converted to a time penalty.[8]
Regardless, di Grassi was not declared the winner of the E-Prix, with Lynn instead claiming his maiden FE victory at the 40th attempt ahead of de Vries, who had tried but failed to force a move in the closing moments of the race.[8] Evans completed the podium after escaping from Frijns, while Wehrlein and Günther scrapped to the line for fifth after Dennis served a drive-through towards the end of the race.[8] Cassidy was next up ahead of di Grassi, who had seemingly escaped disqualification with a time penalty instead, while Sette Câmara and Dennis rounded out the scorers.[8]
Post-Race[]
After the race a further investigation was made into di Grassi's failure to serve the drive-through penalty, with the officials probing into why the Brazilian racer had not stopped.[9] That investigation revealed Audi had failed to inform their driver of the penalty, which was part of their responsibilities to inform their drivers, and also showed that di Grassi had indeed failed to come to a complete stop in his pitbox, after the initial replays were obscured behind barriers.[9] di Grassi was hence disqualified from the final qualification, while Audi were fined €50,000 (€45,000 of which was suspended) for failing to inform di Grassi of the penalty.[9]
Result[]
The final classification of the 2021 London E-Prix II is displayed below, with the fastest lap setter indicated in italics, and the pole sitter shown in bold:
2021 London E-Prix II Race Result | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Laps | Race Time | Fastest lap | Pts. |
1st | 94 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
30 | 46:29.532 | 1:22.202 | 26G |
2nd | 17 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +0.599s | 1:22.268 | 18 |
3rd | 20 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +6.257s | 1:21.635 | 15 |
4th | 4 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +6.682s | 1:21.635 | 13 |
5th | 99 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +9.212s | 1:22.558 | 10 |
6th | 28 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +10.637s | 1:22.470 | 8 |
7th | 37 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +12.685s | 1:22.101 | 6 |
8th | 7 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +19.237s | 1:22.789 | 4 |
9th | 27 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +24.914s | 1:22.031 | 2 |
10th | 6 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +27.920s | 1:23.126 | 1 |
11th | 48 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +29.083s | 1:22.830 | |
12th | 25 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +29.915s | 1:23.071 | |
13th | 23 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +30.291s | 1:22.459 | |
14th | 8 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +31.364s | 1:22.946 | |
15th* | 5 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +33.623s | 1:22.475 | 3 |
16th | 29 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +34.336s | 1:22.747 | |
17th | 36 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +35.204s | 1:22.430 | |
18th† | 22 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | +42.269s | 1:22.348 | |
19th | 88 | ![]() |
![]() |
29 | +1 Lap | 1:22.121 | |
DSQ‡ | 11 | ![]() |
![]() |
30 | Disqualified | 1:22.506 | |
Ret | 71 | ![]() |
![]() |
27 | Collision | 1:21.759 | |
Retƒ | 10 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
27 | Collision | 1:22.039 | |
Ret | 13 | ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
10 | Collision | 1:22.196 | |
Ret | 33 | ![]() |
![]() |
5 | Collision | 1:23.127 | |
Source:[7] |
Indicates a driver was awarded FanBoost during the race.[10]
- G Indicates a driver claimed a bonus point for setting the fastest lap in the group stage of qualifying.
- * Vandoorne received a five second time penalty for overtaking Vergne under yellow flag conditions.[11]
- † Rowland served a five second time penalty for causing a collision with Vandoorne.[12]
- ‡ di Grassi was disqualified from the race for failing to serve a drive through penalty.[13] Audi were also fined €50,000 (€45,000 suspended) for failing to inform their driver of a penalty.[9]
- ƒ Bird was handed three place grid penalty for the 2021 Berlin E-Prix I for causing a collision with Nato.[14]
Milestones[]
- 50th entry for André Lotterer.
- Maiden victory for Alex Lynn.
- Mahindra Racing claimed their fifth victory as an entrant.
- Mahindra secured their fifth win as a powertrain manufacturer.
- Nyck de Vries claimed his fifth podium finish.
- Tenth podium for Mitch Evans
- Maiden points finish for Joel Eriksson.
- Lynn secured his first FanBoost victory.
Standings[]
With two races to go it was Nyck de Vries who led the Championship charge leaving London, the Dutchman having moved onto 95 points with two podium finishes in the British capital. His compatriot Robin Frijns occupied second, six off the lead, while Sam Bird, despite failing to score at all in London, was third on 81 points. Jake Dennis and António Félix da Costa then completed the top five, with everyone down to Nico Müller down in nineteenth still in mathematical contention for the title.
In the Teams' Championship Envision Virgin Racing had left their home round having reclaimed the lead, and would hold a seven point advantage heading to the finale in Berlin. Mercedes would head to their "home" round in second, two ahead of Jaguar Racing, while DS Techeetah had fallen from the lead to fourth and seventeen off the lead. BMW i Andretti Motorsport then completed the top five, with all teams bar Dragon/Penske Autosport and NIO 333 FE Team still in the hunt mathematically.
References[]
Videos and Images:
References:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 '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)
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 'Alex Lynn seals emotional maiden Formula E win in frenetic Round 13 on home soil in London ', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/07/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/july/london-e-prix-round-13-results, (Accessed 25/07/2021)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 'Stoffel Vandoorne seals Julius Baer Pole Position for Round 13 in London', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/07/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/july/london-e-prix-qualifying-round-13-results, (Accessed 25/07/2021)
- ↑ '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)
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 'Qualifying Groups - Round 13', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/13_R13%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/056_Doc%2056%20-%20Qualifying%20Groups.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 25/07/2021)
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 6.13 6.14 6.15 6.16 6.17 6.18 6.19 6.20 6.21 6.22 6.23 6.24 6.25 6.26 6.27 6.28 6.29 6.30 6.31 6.32 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedQH
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedResults
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 8.15 8.16 8.17 8.18 8.19 8.20 8.21 8.22 8.23 8.24 8.25 8.26 8.27 8.28 8.29 8.30 8.31 8.32 8.33 8.34 8.35 8.36 8.37 8.38 8.39 8.40 8.41 8.42 8.43 8.44 8.45 8.46 8.47 8.48 8.49 8.50 8.51 8.52 8.53 8.54 8.55 8.56 8.57 8.58 8.59 8.60 8.61 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>
tag; no text was provided for refs namedRH
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 'Decision No. 34', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/13_R13%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/086_Doc%2086%20-%20Decision%20No.%2034.pdf, (Accessed 25/07/2021)
- ↑ 'Fan Boost - Round 13', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/13_R13%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/074_Doc%2074%20-%20Bulletin%20No.%206.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 25/07/2021)
- ↑ 'Decision No. 35', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/13_R13%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/087_Doc%2087%20-%20Decision%20No.%2035.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 25/07/2021)
- ↑ 'Decision No. 36', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/13_R13%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/088_Doc%2088%20-%20Decision%20No.%2036.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 25/07/2021)
- ↑ 'Decision No. 33', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/13_R13%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/085_Doc%2085%20-%20Decision%20No.%2033.pdf, (Accessed 25/07/2021)
- ↑ 'Decision No. 29', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/07/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/13_R13%20London/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/078_Doc%2078%20-%20Decision%20No.%2029.pdf, (Accessed 25/07/2021)
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 |