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Flag of Mexico 2021 Puebla E-Prix I
Puebla EPrix Layout 2021
The International Short Course at Puebla.
Race Information
Date 19 June 2021
E-Prix No. 77
Official Name 2021 CBMM Niobium Puebla E-Prix I
Location Flag of Puebla Autódromo Miguel E. Abed
Amozoc, Puebla, Mexico
Format 45 min + 1 Lap
Lap length 2.930 km (1.821 mi)
Distance 28 laps / 82.040 km (50.977 mi)
Support Race
Qualifying Result
Pole Sitter Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein
Team Flag of Germany TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
Time 1:23.780
Fastest Lap
Driver Flag of Germany René Rast
Team Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Fastest Lap 1:25.531 on lap 25
ePrix Result
First Second Third
Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Germany René Rast Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara
Winner Team Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Time 47:40.772
ePrix Guide
Previous Next
Flag of Monaco 2021 Monaco E-Prix Flag of Mexico 2021 Puebla E-Prix II
Post-Race Test

The 2021 Puebla E-Prix I, formally known as the 2021 CBMM Niobium Puebla E-Prix I, was the eighth round of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, staged at the Autódromo Miguel E. Abed in Amozoc, Puebla, Mexico on 19 June 2021.[1][2] The race, which would be staged in place of the Mexico City E-Prix, saw Lucas di Grassi secure victory after dominant race leader Pascal Wehrlein was disqualified after finishing the E-Prix.[3]

Indeed, Wehrlein had been in fine form throughout the day, with the German racer piloting his #99 Porsche to pole position ahead of Oliver Rowland.[4] They were joined in the Super Pole shootout by Jake Dennis, Jean-Éric Vergne, Maximilian Günther and Edoardo Mortara, while António Félix da Costa ended up as the best placed title pretender in eleventh.[4]

The start of the race saw Wehrlein dart into the lead unopposed as Rowland, who was hampered by pre-race radio issues, made a miserable start from second and plummeted down the order.[3] Instead, it would be Dennis who led the charge into turn one in the wake of the #99 Porsche, although he would instantly be passed by Günther on the brakes into the tight left hander.[3]

Wehrlein did his best to establish a lead, although the German racer's lead was eliminated before the end of the opening tour as the Safety Car was scrambled.[3] The cause would be Nick Cassidy after the New Zealander found the wall on his own exiting turn eight, with the SC staying out for six minutes.[3]

The race resumed with Wehrlein instantly bolting out front, with the #99 Porsche easing out a lead over the two BMW-Andrettis as they squabbled for second.[3] The reason for Wehrlein's urgency was soon made clear, with the #99 Porsche the first of the lead cars to activate Attack Mode as the German racer dropped to third.[3]

Dennis quickly fell to Wehrlein as the German racer used his power advantage to ease past into turn one, as behind various drivers began to arm the boost.[3] Günther would hold onto the lead throughout Wehrleins' four minute power boost, before arming the boost himself to drop back behind Vergne.[3]

The order would quickly shuffle and change during the AM phase, although Wehrlein would manage to hold the lead after arming his second boost, just keeping ahead of Günther.[3] Behind, meanwhile, di Grassi would continue his steady climb up the order as he latched onto the tail of Dennis in third, as Vergne was removed from the race after a side-swipe from Alexander Sims when rejoining after arming AM.[3]

A couple of laps later and Sims' teammate Alex Lynn was involved in an identical collision, although this time the contact would leave Sam Bird hobbled at the side of the circuit.[3] Another six minute intervention would follow, with Wehrlein again able to power away at the head of the field with fifteen minutes remaining.[3]

The final phase of the race saw the #99 Porsche simply disappear at the head of the field, as behind the two BMWs began to slip into the clutches of the pack behind.[3] Indeed, Dennis and Günther were passed by Mortara, di Grassi and René Rast before the end of the race, with the two Audis also moving past Mortara's Venturi before the end of the race.[3]

Out front, meanwhile, Wehrlein would cruise to the chequered flag in imperious fashion to secure victory, only to be instantly disqualified due to a technical infringement.[3] His demise handed Audi a one-two with di Grassi leading Rast across the line, with Mortara just off the back of the Ingolstadt cars in third.[3] Sims was next up ahead of Dennis and da Costa, Stoffel Vandoorne made his way up to seventh ahead of Mitch Evans and Nyck de Vries, while Lynn rounded out the scorers in tenth.[3]

Background[]

The Covid-19 Pandemic would cause a lot of changes to the calendar for the 2020/21 season, which would provisionally include the Mexico City E-Prix on 13 February 2021.[5] However, with the Pandemic causing the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, the venue for the Mexico E-Prix, to be converted into a temporary hospital to treat Covid patients, the Mexico City E-Prix was postponed and later cancelled, leaving a vacancy on the calendar.[1][6] Formula E duly leapt into action to find a replacement for the Mexico City round to keep a trip to North America financially viable, and duly settled on using the purpose built Autódromo Miguel E. Abed in Puebla, Mexico, for two FE races.[1]

Puebla Party[]

The inaugural Puebla E-Prix was scheduled for 19 June 2021, amid news that the Mexican government would be set to relax Covid-19 restrictions to the point that fans would be able to attend the event.[1] A double header event at the Autódromo Miguel E. Abed was subsequently arranged, with the FE field set to use the in-field International Short Course at the Mexican circuit for the two E-Prix.[7]

Eriksson Endeavour[]

Ahead of the trip to Mexico Dragon Racing revealed they're replacement driver for the trip to Puebla, with Nico Müller unable to race in Mexico due to his prior commitments in the DTM.[8] The #6 Dragon seat was instead handed to Müller's former DTM rival and Dragon's reserve pilot Joel Eriksson, who would make his FE race debut in Puebla having previously tested for Virgin Racing and Dragon at the 2018 and 2020 Rookie Tests respectively.[8] The Swede's debut would also mark his first competitive drive in a single seater since 2018, as well as the first race for a Swedish driver since Felix Rosenqvist raced at the 2018 Ad Diriyah E-Prix.[8]

Unfortunately for Eriksson his debut would be marred by a pre-ordained twenty place grid penalty, after Dragon/Penske were forced to break the seals on the inverters on the #6 Dragon car after damage sustained in the 2021 Monaco E-Prix.[9]

Monegasque Movements[]

Second place for Robin Frijns in Monte Carlo was enough to move the Dutchman to the head of the Championship, despite the fact that he had yet to win a race in 2020/21. Indeed, that result had moved him five points ahead of Nyck de Vries, while Mitch Evans, also yet to win a race in season seven, had moved into third, eight off the lead. Monaco E-Prix winner António Félix da Costa, meanwhile, had leapt up to fourth, ten points off the lead, while Sam Bird completed the top five with a thirteen point deficit to his former teammate.

In the Teams' Championship the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team had retained the lead, in-spite of the fact that they had failed to score at all during the trip to Monte Carlo. Their advantage had been reduced, however, with second placed Jaguar Racing having closed the gap to the German marque's factory squad to just two points as the halfway point of the season approached. DS Techeetah, meanwhile, had leapt into third, seven off the lead, while Envision Virgin and BMW-Andretti rounded out the top five.

Entry List[]

The full entry list for the 2021 Puebla E-Prix I is displayed below:

2021 Puebla E-Prix I Entry List
No. Name Entrant Constructor Car
4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing Audi e-tron FE07
5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne Flag of Germany Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow 02
6 Flag of Sweden Joel Eriksson Flag of the United States Dragon/Penske Autosport Penske EV-5
7 Flag of Brazil Sérgio Sette Câmara Flag of the United States Dragon/Penske Autosport Penske EV-5
8 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team NIO 333 FE 001
10 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing Jaguar I-Type V
11 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Audi e-tron FE07
13 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa Flag of China DS Techeetah DS E-Tense FE 21
17 Dutch Flag Nyck de Vries Flag of Germany Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow 02
20 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing Jaguar I-Type V
22 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland Flag of France Nissan e.Dams Nissan IM03
23 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi Flag of France Nissan e.Dams Nissan IM03
25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of China DS Techeetah DS E-Tense FE 21
27 Flag of the United Kingdom Jake Dennis Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport BMW iFE.21
28 Flag of Germany Maximilian Günther Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport BMW iFE.21
29 Flag of the United Kingdom Alexander Sims Flag of India Mahindra Racing Mahindra M7Electro
33 Flag of Germany René Rast Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Audi e-tron FE07
36 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of Germany TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Porsche 99X Electric
37 Flag of New Zealand Nick Cassidy Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing Audi e-tron FE07
48 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow 02
71 Flag of France Norman Nato Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow 02
88 Flag of the United Kingdom Tom Blomqvist Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team NIO 333 FE 001
94 Flag of the United Kingdom Alex Lynn Flag of India Mahindra Racing Mahindra M7Electro
99 Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein Flag of Germany TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Porsche 99X Electric
Source:[10]

Practice[]

FP1[]

FP2[]

Qualifying[]

Qualifying for the 2021 Puebla 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[]

The opening sextet of the session would see those positioned in the top six in the Championship head onto the circuit, and would hence be headlined by the #4 Envision Virgin of Robin Frijns.[11] He would be joined on circuit by compatriot Nyck de Vries in the #17 Mercedes, as well as the sister Mercedes of Stoffel Vandoorne and defending Champion António Félix da Costa.[11] Completing the sextet would then be the two Jaguar Racing entries of Mitch Evans and Sam Bird, with all six drivers concerned that track evolution would send them to the back of the field.[11]

Conditions were overcast as Evans led the opening group onto the circuit, with all six drivers leading the pitlane as one having opted to all go straight onto their full-power runs.[12] That setup an intense outlap, which saw everyone behind Evans jostle for position, starting with de Vries and Frijns both passing Bird.[12] Bird then passed the pair of them before Frijns moved back ahead of the Brit entering the final corner, while Bird would also slip behind Vandoorne in a melee entering the start/finish straight.[12]

Bird subsequently threw the #10 Jaguar down the inside of Vandoorne into turn one at the start of their flying laps, greatly hobbling the Belgian's lap and hampering his own effort.[12] However, the Brit himself would be blocked on the exit as Frijns rejoined having locked-up and run wide, while de Vries was forced to ease off to avoid the trio ahead.[12] Untroubled by all of that, however, would be Evans and da Costa, with the Portuguese ace trailing the New Zealander across the line to set the initial pace with a 1:24.881 to Evans' 1:24.934.[12]

Best of the rest from the group would be de Vries, half a second off, while Bird, Frijns and Vandoorne were all even further behind.[12]

Group 2[]

The second sextet of the afternoon saw those positioned seventh through twelfth in the Championship hunt join the fray, with Jean-Éric Vergne headlining the group in the #25 DS Techeetah.[11] The Frenchman would be joined on track by René Rast in the first of factory Audi entries, as well as Oliver Rowland in the #22 Nissan e.Dams.[11] Also on track would be the Venturi run Mercedes of Edoardo Mortara, BMW-Andretti's Jake Dennis, and Pascal Wehrlein in the #99 Porsche.[11]

Unlike the first group the second sextet opted to give each other more space as they left the pitlane, with Mortara the first to head out as all six decided to go straight onto their full power runs.[12] The Swiss racer was followed out by Dennis, Vergne and Wehrlein, while Rowland and Rast were the last to leave and would swap places in the queue before the end of their out-laps.[12] However, all six drivers would open their laps before the chequered flag was thrown, with Mortara the first to set an effort.[12]

Mortara duly survived small lock-ups into turns one and eleven to set a new benchmark of 1:24.286, before instantly being displaced by Dennis, who glanced the wall on the apex of turn two but survived.[12] Vergne was next but a miserable third sector dumped him in behind Dennis, before Wehrlein stunned the field by finding almost four tenths on the #27 BMW to go fastest.[12] Rast followed him across the line and recovered from a poor opening sector to slot into fifth, while Rowland claimed second after a clean run.[12]

Group 3[]

The third group would have seen those drivers position thirteenth through eighteenth in the Championship venture onto the circuit, although the absence of Nico Müller meant there was some shuffling to the order.[11] The Swiss racer's absence hence saw Lucas di Grassi move up into the third group, with the #11 Audi joining the sister Virgin run Audi of Nick Cassidy.[11] Also in action would be both Mahindra Racing entries of Alexander Sims and Alex Lynn, the #28 BMW-Andretti of Maximilian Günther and the second Porsche of André Lotterer.[11]

Much like group two the third sextet would all go onto their flying laps straight away, but would give each other enough space to setup their runs on their out-laps.[12] Günther was first out ahead of Lynn, while Sims and di Grassi exited together, and would swap positions over the course of their out-laps.[12] Lotterer and Cassidy were the last of the sextet to join the fray, with both opening their flying laps with ample time.[12]

Günther was the first to complete his run, and despite missing a few apexes the German youth put his #28 BMW into fifth overall, well clear of Lynn who had a brief scare by clipping the grass on the exit of turn seven.[12] di Grassi was next up with a clean run to go seventh, instantly displaced by Sims as the Brit bounced back from a poor opening sector.[12] Lotterer was next but a poor opening sector a significant twitch through turn fifteen left him in tenth, while Cassidy had a miserable start to his lap to leave him in thirteenth.[12]

Group 4[]

The final sextet was originally set to feature those placed nineteenth through twenty-fourth head onto the circuit, although di Grassi's promotion would instead see the debuting Joel Eriksson join the fray in Müller's car.[11] The Swede would join teammate Sérgio Sette Câmara in the sister Penske/Dragon, as well as the NIO duo of Oliver Turvey and Tom Blomqvist.[11] Rounding out the group would then be the #23 Nissan of Sébastien Buemi, as well as the #71 Venturi Mercedes of Norman Nato.[11]

Nato would cause somewhat of a stir by going out of the pits right at the start of the final group's allotted time period, although the Frenchman would not complete a warm-up lap.[12] Instead, Nato would go straight onto his flying lap, and would hence catch the rest of the group, led by Eriksson, as they ventured out of the pits on their outlaps.[12] Fortunately for Nato his fellow pilots such as Tom Blomqvist would instantly dart out of the way, although an otherwise poor lap and slide in turn fifteen left him in a disappointing sixteenth at the end of his run.[12]

Debutante Eriksson was next up, and a reasonable run through the opening sectors left him in thirteenth come the end of his run, albeit knowing he was to take a huge grid penalty.[12] Turvey was next across the line but was unable to overcome a poor second sector, claiming sixteenth, while Sette Câmara broke into the top ten in ninth.[12] Blomqvist, meanwhile, would have an issue in the middle sector and ended up seven seconds off the pace, while Buemi simply lacked any pace at all as he rounded out the group phase in twenty-first overall.[12]

Super Pole[]

Mortara was the first driver to enter the Super Pole fray, with the conditions remaining stable as the sun was occasionally blocked by cloud.[12] Regardless, Mortara would deliver a reasonably clean lap, until a lock-up at turn eleven sent the Swiss racer wide and ruined his lap, the #48 Venturi losing two seconds at that corner alone.[12] Indeed, Günther's run a few moments later showed just how much that mistake had cost Mortara, as the German racer went fastest despite being out-paced by Mortara in the first and third sectors.[12]

Vergne went next and would improve upon Günther's lap in every sector, although twitches in turns eight and fifteen saw the Frenchman set a seemingly beatable effort of 1:24.282.[12] Dennis duly displaced Vergne atop the timesheet with a very measured lap a couple of minutes later, with the Brit improving upon Vergne' run by a tenth in each sector.[12] Next up was Rowland, with the #22 Nissan duly displacing the #28 BMW by 0.041s after losing time in the final sector.[12]

The last man to enter the circuit would be group pace setter Wehrlein, and despite running wide in the first corner, the #99 Porsche would go up on Rowland by 0.005s after the first sector.[12] A more precise run through the second sector saw Wehrlein find a tenth and a half over Rowland, which would prove to be enough to carry Wehrlein to pole position as he lost a tenth in the final third of the lap.[12]

Post Qualifying[]

The final qualifying result for the 2021 Puebla E-Prix I are outlined below:

2021 Puebla E-Prix I Qualifying Result
Pos. No. Name Team Time Gap Grid Group
1st 99 Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 1:23.780 1 G2
2nd 22 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 1:23.838 +0.058s 2 G2
3rd 27 Flag of the United Kingdom Jake Dennis Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 1:23.879 +0.099s 3 G2
4th 25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of China DS Techeetah 1:24.282 +0.502s 4 G2
5th 28 Flag of Germany Maximilian Günther Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 1:25.095 +1.315s 5 G3
6th 48 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing 1:27.217 +3.437s 6 G2
Super Pole
1st 99 Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 1:23.505 SP G2
2nd 22 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 1:23.808 +0.303s SP G2
3rd 27 Flag of the United Kingdom Jake Dennis Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 1:23.886 +0.381s SP G2
4th 25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of China DS Techeetah 1:23.996 +0.491s SP G2
5th 28 Flag of Germany Maximilian Günther Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 1:24.072 +0.567s SP G3
6th 48 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing 1:24.286 +0.781s SP G2
7th 29 Flag of the United Kingdom Alexander Sims Flag of India Mahindra Racing 1:24.425 +0.920s 7 G3
8th 11 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 1:24.489 +0.984s 8 G3
9th* 7 Flag of Brazil Sérgio Sette Câmara Flag of the United States Penske/Dragon Racing 1:24.706 +1.201s 24* G4
10th 33 Flag of Germany René Rast Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 1:24.818 +1.313s 9 G2
11th 36 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 1:24.832 +1.327s 10 G3
12th 13 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa Flag of China DS Techeetah 1:24.881 +1.376s 11 G1
13th 20 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 1:24.934 +1.429s 12 G1
14th 6 Flag of Sweden Joel Eriksson Flag of the United States Penske/Dragon Racing 1:24.992 +1.487s 23 G4
15th 37 Flag of New Zealand Nick Cassidy Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing 1:25.352 +1.847s 13 G3
16th 17 Dutch Flag Nyck de Vries Flag of Germany Mercedes 1:25.387 +1.882s 14 G1
17th 8 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team 1:25.404 +1.899s 15 G4
18th 94 Flag of the United Kingdom Alex Lynn Flag of India Mahindra Racing 1:25.593 +2.088s 16 G3
19th 71 Flag of France Norman Nato Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing 1:25.730 +2.225s 17 G4
20th 10 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 1:25.788 +2.283s 18 G1
21st 23 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 1:25.809 +2.304s 19 G4
22nd 4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing 1:26.146 +2.641s 20 G1
23rd 5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne Flag of Germany Mercedes 1:26.413 +2.908s 21 G1
24th 88 Flag of the United Kingdom Tom Blomqvist Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team 1:30.568 +7.053s 22 G4
110% Time: 1:31.855[13]
Source:[13]
  • * Sette Câmara served a 20 place grid penalty for changing various components.[14]
  • Eriksson served a 20 place grid penalty after Dragon broke the seals on the inverters of the #6 car after the 2021 Monaco E-Prix.[9]

Race[]

Temperatures were increasing as the FE field gathered on the dummy grid ahead of the start, with a low threat of rain towards the end of the 45 minute plus one lap race.[15] There would be several pre-race penalties that would have to be taken by drivers who could not fulfil their grid penalties, with Sérgio Sette Câmara and Joel Eriksson receiving drive-through penalties for inverter changes, while Sébastien Buemi received a ten second stop-go for changing various components.[15] Otherwise there would be no modifications to the order, with Pascal Wehrlein leading the field onto the grid proper as all twenty-four drivers prepared for the lights.[15]

Report[]

The start of the race would see Wehrlein power into the lead from pole position as Rowland, who would race without a radio after an issue after qualifying, limped off the grid from second.[15] Indeed, Rowland's getaway was so poor that the Brit decided to try and pull to the side of the circuit, resulting in him baulking Jean-Éric Vergne as the Frenchman darted from one side to the other of the limping #22 Nissan e.Dams.[15] He was hence mugged by both of the BMW-Andrettis, with Maximilian Günther storming up from fifth to second with a lunge down the inside of teammate Jake Dennis into the left hander.[15]

Further around the opening tour the field would steady itself, with António Félix da Costa dancing past André Lotterer for ninth, while Rowland recovered to thirteenth.[15] However as the field scrambled out of turn eight Nick Cassidy would get out of shape and slam the barriers, causing heavy damage to the side of the #37 Envision Virgin.[15] Cassidy was forced to stop by the entry of turn nine, resulting in the MINI Electric Pacesetter being scrambled before the end of the opening tour to allow the New Zealander to be recovered.[15]

After two slow tours of the Autódromo Miguel E. Abed the Safety Car returned to the pitlane, leaving Wehrlein in control of the race again as the #99 Porsche prepared to bolt through turn thirteen.[15] The ploy worked with Wehrlein darting clear of the two BMWs behind him, while those two managed to escape from Vergne behind as the field powered down the start/finish straight.[15] Elsewhere, Alex Lynn, Robin Frijns, Tom Blomqvist and Stoffel Vandoorne would all opt to arm Attack Mode during the restart lap, the former having dropped right to the back having had to pit to have a punctured tyre changed.[15]

Wehrlein was the first of the lead drivers to arm AM on the following tour, with his initial sprint on the first restart lap meaning he rejoined just behind Dennis and ahead of Vergne in third.[15] At the start of the following lap the German racer fired the #99 Porsche down the inside of the #27 BMW into the first corner, with Dennis opting not to defend against the empowered Porsche.[15] With that Wehrlein was off to hunt Günther for the lead, as behind Lucas di Grassi elbowed his way past Alexander Sims for sixth.[15]

Wehrlein would have to wait until Günther armed AM on lap eight to reclaim the lead, with the #28 BMW dropping back to fifth behind di Grassi before mugging the Brazilian racer into turn eleven.[15] Elsewhere, Mitch Evans would move up the order with a lunge at Lotterer into turn one to secure ninth, which would become eighth when da Costa armed AM later on during the same tour.[15] Frijns, meanwhile, would make a mistake while fighting Sims in the midfield, with the Championship leader locking up badly when lunging down the inside of the #94 Mahindra at turn eleven, which carried him into the side of de Vries.[15] The contact would send de Vries around into a spin as Frijns and Sims scrambled past, although the #17 Mercedes would continue after losing a fair amount of time.[15]

di Grassi and Sims were the next drivers to opt to arm Attack Mode as, out front, Wehrlein was establishing an ominous advantage at the head of the field as his first AM boost came to an end.[15] Indeed, the #99 Porsche would arm its second AM boost and drop to third once again, with Vergne following Wehrlein down the "joker" loop to arm his first AM boost.[15] However, while Wehrlein would rejoin just behind Dennis, Vergne would be sideswiped by Sims as the Brit made his way through the normal part of turn eight, causing heavy damage to the #25 DS Techeetah as Vergne was pushed into the wall.[15]

Vergne was out and limping back to the pits with terminal damage to his car, while Sims escaped punishment as the driver on track was adjudged to have priority in such incidents.[15] As the #29 Mahindra continued de Vries found himself having to defend from di Grassi into turn one, while René Rast was also on the move with a lunge on Bird for eighth into turn one.[15] Günther, meanwhile, would arm his second AM boost as the race reached the halfway point and drop back to third behind Wehrlein and Dennis, with Edoardo Mortara, who had quietly climbed up to the back of the BMWs, following him through the AM zone.[15]

Günther duly eased back past teammate Dennis for second at the start of the following tour, although both were someway behind the restored race leader Wehrlein, who was consistently setting fastest first sectors out front.[15] However, his healthy lead was about to be wiped out by another AM related accident, as Lynn and Bird came together as the latter rejoined from the AM activation zone.[15] In a repeat of the Vergne/Sims accident the #94 Mahindra would slam into the side of the #10 Jaguar as Bird rejoined, although this time the contact would force Bird to stop on the run to turn nine and trigger a second Safety Car intervention.[15]

After two laps and six minutes, resulting in another 6 kWh energy reduction, the race resumed, with Wehrlein this time deciding to bolt entering turn fourteen, although Günther went with him.[15] However, the BMW would prove to be no match to the Porsche over the course of the restart lap, with Wehrlein establishing a one second margin as the field settled down again in the wake of the #99 Porsche.[15] However, all was not well with the Porsche squad, with the timing screens suddenly displaying a message that Wehrlein, and teammate Lotterer, were both under investigation for a "Technical Infringement".[15]

Unsure of what that potential issue or resulting penalty would be, Porsche instructed Wehrlein to build a five second lead, to which the German racer responded with a series of strong laps.[15] Behind, Dennis would lunge past teammate Günther to claim second, with the #28 BMW subsequently coming under fire from Mortara, although the Swiss racer's initial attack saw him lock-up.[15] Dennis subsequently dropped to seventh when he armed his second AM on the following tour, while Mortara made a surprise lunge at turn eleven work to claim second, a move which also allowed di Grassi to move past the BMW.[15]

Indeed, di Grassi had been making steady progress during the race, and now found himself within touching distance of the back of Mortara for second as the race entered its final phase.[15] Behind, his teammate Rast was also making good progress through the field, with the #33 Audi the latest car to elbow its way past Günther with six minutes of the race to go.[15] With that the two Audis would close ominously onto the back of the #48 Venturi Mercedes, with Wehrlein continuing to build his lead out front to remain seemingly out of reach.[15]

With two laps to go di Grassi was within striking distance, and duly scythed down the inside of Mortara at the start of lap 26 with Mortara opting against defending.[15] Rast was hence left on the former factory Audi drivers' tail as di Grassi settled into second, while behind Sims made a move on Günther stick to move into fifth.[15] Rast's impending move into third would come at the start of the penultimate tour, with Mortara feigning a defence into the first corner although not one that would deter the German veteran from moving past.[15]

Out front, meanwhile, Wehrlein would ease to a very comfortable victory, four seconds clear of di Grassi as he crossed the line to secure his and Porsche's maiden FE triumph.[15] However, within seconds of the #99 Porsche crossing the line the German racer was disqualified from the race due to the "Technical Infringement", which was revealed to have been a clerical error with regards to Wehrlein and Lotterer's tyre selections for the race.[15] di Grassi was hence declared as the winner just ahead of teammate Rast, who had entertained a half look at di Grassi into turn eleven on the final tour, while Mortara ended the race in third.[15]

Post-Race[]

After the race Porsche, as well as Nissan e.Dams, revealed that it had been human error for their disqualifications, as both teams had failed to register which tyre sets they would use during the race before the start.[16] The rationale for removing all four cars from the results was that Michelin could not carry out post-race pressure checks on the tyres used by the cars, although all tyres used during the race weekend had to fall within Michelin's pressure guidelines regardless.[16] Porsche subsequently announced that they would appeal the decision to disqualify their cars, citing the fact that there had been no performance advantage due to their administrative error.[16]

Result[]

The final classification of the 2021 Puebla E-Prix I is displayed below, with the fastest lap setter indicated in italics, and the pole sitter shown in bold:

2021 Puebla E-Prix I Race Result
Pos. No. Name Team Laps Race Time Fastest lap Pts.
1st 11 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi FanBoost Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 28 47:40.772 1:25.549 25
2nd 33 Flag of Germany René Rast Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 28 +0.497s 1:25.531 19
3rd 48 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing 28 +2.774s 1:26.372 15
4th 29 Flag of the United Kingdom Alexander Sims Flag of India Mahindra Racing 28 +10.443s 1:27.046 12
5th 27 Flag of the United Kingdom Jake Dennis Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 28 +11.473s 1:26.338 10
6th 13 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa FanBoost Flag of China DS Techeetah 28 +11.624s 1:26.597 8
7th 5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne FanBoost Flag of Germany Mercedes 28 +12.022s 1:26.880 6
8th 20 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 28 +12.351s 1:26.394 4
9th 17 Dutch Flag Nyck de Vries FanBoost Flag of Germany Mercedes 28 +12.936s 1:26.036 2
10th 94 Flag of the United Kingdom Alex Lynn Flag of India Mahindra Racing 28 +13.154s 1:26.797 1
11th 8 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team 28 +14.548s 1:26.988
12th 28 Flag of Germany Maximilian Günther Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 28 +15.257s 1:26.871
13th 88 Flag of the United Kingdom Tom Blomqvist Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team 28 +15.756s 1:27.243
14th 71 Flag of France Norman Nato Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing 28 +15.756s 1:27.243
15th 7 Flag of Brazil Sérgio Sette Câmara Flag of the United States Penske/Dragon Racing 28 +16.971s 1:26.409
16th 4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing 28 +17.942s 1:25.758
17th 6 Flag of Sweden Joel Eriksson Flag of the United States Penske/Dragon Racing 28 +18.285s 1:26.111
DSQ* 99 Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 28 Disqualified 1:25.801 4G
DSQ* 36 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 28 Disqualified 1:27.002
DSQ* 23 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 28 Disqualified 1:26.563
DSQ* 22 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 24 Disqualified 1:25.172
Ret 10 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird FanBoost Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 15 Collision 1:27.324
Ret 25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of China DS Techeetah 12 Collision 1:28.020
Ret 37 Flag of New Zealand Nick Cassidy Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing 0 Accident
Source:[13]
  • FanBoost Indicates a driver was awarded FanBoost during the race.
  • G Indicates a driver claimed a bonus point for setting the fastest lap in the group stage of qualifying.
  • * Wehrlein, Lotterer, Buemi and Rowland were all disqualified from the race results after their teams (Porsche) and (Nissan e.Dams) failed to declare their starting tyres. Porsche announced that they would attempt to appeal the final result.[17][18][19][20]
  • Rowland recorded the fastest lap of the race (1:25.172) but was ineligible to claim the bonus point as he failed to finish in the top ten.[13]

Milestones[]

Standings[]

Robin Frijns had retained his Championship lead after the first race in Puebla came to a conclusion, although his advantage had been cut to just two points as the season passed the halfway point. Indeed, António Félix da Costa had moved to within two of the lead as Frijns failed to score, overhauling Nyck de Vries as the Dutchman himself moved within three of his title leading compatriot. René Rast was the big mover as he leapt into fourth ahead of Mitch Evans, while Pascal Wehrlein dropped to thirteenth after Porsche's clerical error cost him victory.

In the Teams' Championship Mercedes continued to lead the way, although their advantage had been cut to six points as the season passed the halfway point. Their closest challengers remained Jaguar Racing, on 107 points, although the British squad were under more pressure from behind as DS Techeetah had moved onto 106 points after the first race in Mexico. Elsewhere, the first win in two seasons for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler saw them shoot into fourth, sixteen off the lead, while Envision Virgin Racing dropped behind their suppliers to fifth.

2020/21 Drivers Championship
Pos. Name Pts. +/-
1st Dutch Flag Robin Frijns 62 ◄0
2nd Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa 60 ▲2
3rd Dutch Flag Nyck de Vries 59 ▼1
4th Flag of Germany René Rast 58 ▲4
5th Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans 58 ▼2
6th Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne 54 ◄0
7th Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird 49 ▼2
8th Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara 47 ▲3
9th Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne 46 ▼2
10th Flag of the United Kingdom Jake Dennis 43 ◄0
11th Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi 39 ▲8
12th Flag of the United Kingdom Alexander Sims 36 ▲2
13th Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein 36 ▼1
14th Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland 35 ▼5
15th Flag of Switzerland Nico Müller 30 ▼2
16th Flag of the United Kingdom Alex Lynn 24 ▼1
17th Flag of Germany Maximilian Günther 22 ▼2
18th Flag of New Zealand Nick Cassidy 19 ▼1
19th Flag of Germany André Lotterer 18 ▼1
20th Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey 13 ◄0
21st Flag of Brazil Sérgio Sette Câmara 12 ◄0
22nd Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi 11 ◄0
23rd Flag of France Norman Nato 11 ◄0
24th Flag of the United Kingdom Tom Blomqvist 5 ◄0
25th Flag of Sweden Joel Eriksson 0 ◄0
2020/21 Teams Championship
Pos. Name Pts. +/-
1st Flag of Germany Mercedes 113 ◄0
2nd Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 107 ◄0
3rd Flag of China DS Techeetah 106 ◄0
4th Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 97 ▲2
5th Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing 81 ▼1
6th Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 65 ▼1
7th Flag of India Mahindra Racing 60 ▲1
8th Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing 58 ▲2
9th Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 54 ▼2
10th Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 46 ▼1
11th Flag of the United States Dragon/Penske Autosport 42 ◄0
12th Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team 18 ◄0

References[]

Videos and Images:

References:

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 'Formula E and FIA reveal full calendar for 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 22/04/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/april/full-2020-2021-calendar-update?utm_source=FormulaETwitter&utm_medium=SocialPost&utm_campaign=News&utm_term=Championship&utm_content=Racing, (Accessed 22/04/2021)
  2. 'PUEBLA PREVIEW: Everything you need to know ahead of the 2021 CBMM Niobium Puebla E-Prix Rounds 8 & 9', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 16/06/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/june/cbmm-niobium-puebla-e-prix-preview, (Accessed 16/06/2021)
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 'Di Grassi leads home Audi one-two in Puebla after penalty for Wehrlein and Porsche', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 19/06/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/june/puebla-e-prix-race-report, (Accessed 20/06/2021)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 'Wehrlein slides to pole in super tight Qualifying for Round 8 in Puebla', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 19/06/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/june/puebla-e-prix-qualifying-report, (Accessed 20/06/2021)
  5. '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)
  6. Erick Hernandez, 'Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez set to serve as temporary Covid-19 hospital', thecheckeredflag.co.uk, (The Checkered Flag, 08/05/2020), https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2020/05/autodromo-hermanos-rodriguez-set-to-serve-as-temporary-covid-19-hospital/, (Accessed 09/05/2021)
  7. Tobias Bluhm, 'With a steep curve: Formula E presents track layout for Puebla E-Prix & distributes 20,000 tickets', e-formel.de, (e-formel.de, 06/05/2021), https://e-formel.de/nachrichten/formel-e-news/formel-e-news-detail/mit-steilkurve-formel-e-praesentiert-layout-fuer-puebla-e-prix-verteilt-20-000-eintrittskarten-90980.html, (Accessed 09/05/2021)
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 'Joel Eriksson to step in for DRAGON's Nico Mueller at Puebla E-Prix', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 28/05/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/may/eriksson-to-make-formula-e-debut-puebla-mueller-dragon, (Accessed 05/06/2021)
  9. 9.0 9.1 Matt Kew, 'Formula E debutant Eriksson hit with 20-place grid penalty', autosport.com, (Motorsport Network, 19/06/2021), https://www.autosport.com/formula-e/news/formula-e-debutant-eriksson-hit-with-20-place-grid-penalty/6584739/, (Accessed 19/06/2021)
  10. '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. 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 'ROUND 8 & 9 - PUEBLA E-PRIX 19-20 JUNE 2021 Qualifying Groups - Round 8', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 19/06/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/08_R08%20Puebla/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/018_Doc%2018%20-%20Qualifying%20Groups.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 20/06/2021)
  12. 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 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named QH
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Results
  14. 'ROUND 8 & 9 - PUEBLA E-PRIX 19-20 JUNE 2021 - Decision No. 5', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 19/06/2021), https://results.fiaformulae.com/en/noticeboard#page=1&zoom=auto,-30,842, (Accessed 20/06/2021)
  15. 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 15.37 15.38 15.39 15.40 15.41 15.42 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RH
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 Matt Kew, 'Porsche appeals Wehrlein's Puebla disqualification', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 20/06/2021), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/porsche-appeals-wehrlein-puebla-disqualification/6590881/, (Accessed 21/06/2021)
  17. 'ROUND 8 & 9 - PUEBLA E-PRIX 19-20 JUNE 2021 Decision No. 8', fiaformuale.com, (FIA Formula E, 20/06/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/08_R08%20Puebla/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/042_Doc%2042%20-%20Decision%20No.%208.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 20/06/2021)
  18. 'ROUND 8 & 9 - PUEBLA E-PRIX 19-20 JUNE 2021 Decision No. 9', fiaformuale.com, (FIA Formula E, 20/06/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/08_R08%20Puebla/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/042_Doc%2042%20-%20Decision%20No.%208.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 20/06/2021)
  19. 'ROUND 8 & 9 - PUEBLA E-PRIX 19-20 JUNE 2021 Decision No. 10', fiaformuale.com, (FIA Formula E, 20/06/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/08_R08%20Puebla/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/042_Doc%2042%20-%20Decision%20No.%208.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 20/06/2021)
  20. 'ROUND 8 & 9 - PUEBLA E-PRIX 19-20 JUNE 2021 Decision No. 11', fiaformuale.com, (FIA Formula E, 20/06/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/08_R08%20Puebla/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/042_Doc%2042%20-%20Decision%20No.%208.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 20/06/2021)
2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship
Entrants
Audi Sport ABT SchaefflerBMW i Andretti MotorsportDragon/Penske AutosportDS TecheetahEnvision Virgin RacingJaguar RacingMahindra RacingMercedes-EQ Formula E TeamNIO 333 FE TeamNissan e.DamsROKiT Venturi RacingTAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
Manufacturers
AudiBMWDSJaguarMahindra & MahindraMercedes-BenzNIONissanPenskePorsche
Cars
Spark SRT05e
Audi e-tron FE07BMW iFE.21DS E-Tense FE20DS E-Tense FE 21Jaguar I-Type VMahindra M7ElectroMercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02NIO 333 FE 001Nissan IM02Nissan IM03Penske EV-4Penske EV-5Porsche 99X Electric
Drivers
4 Robin Frijns5 Stoffel Vandoorne6 Nico Müller/Joel Eriksson7 Sérgio Sette Câmara8 Oliver Turvey10 Sam Bird11 Lucas di Grassi13 António Félix da Costa17 Nyck de Vries20 Mitch Evans22 Oliver Rowland23 Sébastien Buemi25 Jean-Éric Vergne27 Jake Dennis28 Maximilian Günther29 Alexander Sims33 René Rast36 André Lotterer48 Edoardo Mortara71 Norman Nato88 Tom Blomqvist94 Alex Lynn99 Pascal Wehrlein
E-Prix
Diriyah IDiriyah IIRome IRome IIValencia IValencia IIMonacoPuebla IPuebla IINew York City INew York City IILondon ILondon IIBerlin IBerlin II
Cancelled E-Prix
Marrakesh E-PrixMexico City E-PrixParis E-PrixSantiago E-PrixSanya E-PrixSeoul E-Prix
Tests
Valencia
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