 2021 Valencia E-Prix II
| ||
|---|---|---|
 The Valencia Circuit for its FE race debut in 2021. | ||
| Race Information | ||
| Date | 25 April 2021 | |
| E-Prix No. | 75 | |
| Official Name | 2021 DHL Valencia E-Prix II | |
| Location |  Circuit Ricardo TormoCheste, Valencia, Spain | |
| Format | 45 min + 1 lap | |
| Lap length | 3.376 km (2.098 mi) | |
| Distance | 30 laps / 101.280 km (62.932 mi) | |
| Qualifying Result | ||
| Pole Sitter |  Jake Dennis
| |
| Team |  BMW i Andretti Motorsport
| |
| Time | 1:28.548 | |
| Fastest Lap | ||
| Driver | Alex Lynn
| |
| Team |  Mahindra Racing
| |
| Fastest Lap | 1:30.263 on lap 22 | |
| ePrix Result | ||
| First | Second | Third |
| Jake Dennis
|
 André Lotterer
|
Alex Lynn
|
| Winner Team | BMW i Andretti Motorsport
| |
| Time | 46:32.002 | |
| ePrix Guide | ||
| Previous | Next | |
| 2021 Valencia E-Prix I
|
 2021 Monaco E-Prix
| |
The 2021 Valencia E-Prix II, formally known as the 2021 DHL Valencia E-Prix II, was the sixth race of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, staged at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Cheste, Valencia, Spain on 25 April 2021.[1][2] The seventy-fifth E-Prix to be staged, the race would see Jake Dennis claim a lights to flag victory in a race dictated by energy conservation and strategy.[3]
Dennis would claim his maiden pole position in qualifying, as a damp but drying circuit dictated the order during both the group stages, and in Super Pole.[4] Indeed, everyone in the fourth and final group would get into the shootout, with Dennis ultimately going fastest by eight tenths of a second having been the last of those to complete a run in Super Pole.[4]
The circuit was completely dry when the race began, resulting in many predictions that the worst place to be was at the front of the field, with energy set to be at a premium throughout.[3] As a result Dennis was able to convert pole into an early lead without being challenged by second placed started Alex Lynn, while behind Oliver Turvey moved ahead of teammate Tom Blomqvist for third.[3]
The race would soon settle into a procession, with the entire field forming into a long peloton behind Dennis, using the slipstream effect to conserve as much energy as possible.[3] Indeed, there would also be a general reluctance to go for Attack Mode amongst the lead group, with Lucas di Grassi the first driver in the midfield to arm the boost.[3]
On lap eleven the majority of the leaders went for the boost, with Dennis retaining the lead, while Lynn slipped behind Turvey, who had armed the boost a lap earlier.[3] Lynn subsequently repassed his compatriot to reclaim second behind Dennis, as the field began to space itself out in the #27 BMW-Andretti's wake.[3]
That was not to say there wasn't any on-track action, however, with René Rast carving his way into the lead group with a stunning run from fourteenth to fifth, chasing André Lotterer up the order.[3] Norman Nato was also on the move, moving into third with a move on Turvey, before inadvertently ending Lynn's hopes of victory by punting the #94 Mahindra into a spin at turn nine.[3]
As the race wore on Stoffel Vandoorne was the first of the Championship leaders to get within touching distance of the points, all of them having qualified at the back due to the conditions in qualifying.[3] However, in a bid to get ahead of a compromised Sébastien Buemi through turn ten the Belgian racer misjudged the gap between the Swiss racer and the inside wall at turn ten, resulting in the #5 Mercedes receiving terminal front left suspension damage.[3]
Into the closing stages and, with a few seconds to go on the clock, Dennis was told to go slowly into the chicane, ensuring that he would only have to complete one lap on his remaining 4% battery capacity.[3] He duly jumped on the brakes and allowed Nato, who had received a time penalty for punting Lynn, and Lotterer to close onto his tail, setting up a last lap sprint for victory.[3]
Ultimately, however, Dennis would be unstoppable out front, cruising to victory ahead of Nato to claim his maiden FE victory, as well as his first podium finish.[3] Nato himself would end up classified in fifth after his penalty was applied, moving Lotterer and Lynn onto the podium, while Oliver Rowland also benefitted from the #71 Venturi's penalty.[3] Rast, meanwhile, would fall too far back to benefit from Nato's penalty and so had to settle for sixth, with Jean-Éric Vergne, Turvey, Edoardo Mortara and Lucas di Grassi claiming the remaining points.[3]
Background[]
The Covid-19 Pandemic had continued to mess with the FIA Formula E Championship's plans for the 2020/21 campaign, resulting in the series using the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain for one of its rounds.[5] Further issues relating to the pandemic meant that the Valencia round was later formed into a double header, with the second Valencia E-Prix to be staged the day after the first.[1] The circuit itself would be unchanged for the second FE race of the weekend, with the weather also set to remain on the wetter side for the Formula E's 75th E-Prix.[1]
Energy Enigma[]
The build-up to the second Valencia E-Prix was dominated by the events of the first, after no fewer than five drivers had been disqualified, and three more failed to finish, due to using more than the allotted amount of usable energy.[6]
de Vries Delights[]
The late insanity at the end of the first battle of Valencia had caused a lot of changes to the Championship table, with Nyck de Vries ascending back to the head of the field. The Dutch youth was joined at the top of the table by teammate Stoffel Vandoorne, and led the Belgian racer by nine points, while former leader Sam Bird had slipped to third after his disqualification from the race. Robin Frijns and Mitch Evans had also lost ground but remained in the top five, while André Lotterer had been left as the only pointless driver in the field after Jake Dennis survived to claim his maiden points finish.
With their drivers rising to first and second in the Drivers' Championship there was little surprise that the Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team headed the Teams' Championship after the first race in Valencia, having moved onto 105 points for the campaign. Jaguar Racing had hence slipped to second, and dropped 23 points behind, while Envision Virgin Racing had moved into third on 58. DS Techeetah were next up in fourth, but had less than half the points of the leaders, while BMW-Andretti were off the foot of the table and, having moved ahead of the NIO 333 FE Team.
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 2021 Valencia E-Prix II is displayed below:
Practice[]
FP3[]
Qualifying[]
Qualifying for the 2021 Valencia 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.[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 top six in the Championship would venture out onto the circuit first in group one, and was therefore headlined by the Series' leader Nyck de Vries.[8] The Dutchman would be joined on circuit by Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team teammate Stoffel Vandoorne, as well as the two Jaguar Racing entries of Sam Bird and Mitch Evans.[8] Also on track would be Pascal Wehrlein of Porsche, and Robin Frijns in the Envision Virgin run #4 Audi.[8]
Rain ahead of qualifying ensured that the circuit was soaked as group one were released from the pitlane, although with the rain having stopped and the sun trying to break through the clouds, there was an expectation that the circuit would dry.[9] As a result, everyone in group one would decide to complete a warm-up lap, with Wehrlein the first out onto the circuit ahead of the Mercedes of Vandoorne and de Vries.[9] They were followed out of the pits by Evans, Bird and Frijns, with the latter trio swapping positions at the end of their out-laps before settling into their original positions in the queue.[9]
Regardless, Wehrlein was the first driver to set a flying lap in the tricky conditions, with the German youth setting a strong final sector to open the session with a 1:33.745.[9] Vandoorne, meanwhile, would have a slide in turn eight that ruined his lap, leaving him in second, with teammate de Vries similarly off the pace in third, right behind his teammate.[9] Evans was next across the line to go second fastest, a strong third sector his major boon, while Frijns and Bird would slot either side of the Mercedes, Bird rounding out the sextet.[9]
Group 2[]
Group two saw those position seventh through twelfth in the Championship after the opening five races venture onto the circuit, with the two DS Techeetahs of Jean-Éric Vergne and António Félix da Costa the standout names.[8] They would, however, have to share the circuit was the Venturi run Mercedes of Edoardo Mortara, as well as René Rast in the first of the factory Audis.[8] Alexander Sims would also be in action in the #29 Mahindra, as would Nico Müller in the #6 Dragon/Penske after his shock podium on Saturday.[8]
With the circuit still damp and no real dry line emerging all six drivers in group two would head out of the circuit to complete warm-up laps, with Vergne the first to lead the pitlane.[9] The Frenchman was joined in short order by Rast, da Costa, Mortara, Sims and Müller, with Mortara and da Costa going on to swap positions on their outlaps.[9] The sextet would then manage to spread themselves out during their warm-up laps, with Vergne the first to run of the still treacherous circuit.[9]
Vergne's effort was a particularly impressive one, the Frenchman using notably wider lines through turns two and eight to find grip, resulting in him setting a new benchmark half a second faster than Wehrlein's.[9] Rast followed but lost pace in the third sector, dumping him behind the #99 Porsche, while Mortara similarly suffered a poor run through the final third of lap, slotting into fourth.[9] da Costa also lost time in the final sector but had enough pace elsewhere to go second before being displaced by Sims, while Müller managed to hit the switch on his steering wheel that put the #6 Dragon into race mode in turn twelve, cost him a lot of time and leaving him in twelfth.[9]
Group 3[]
The third sextet of the afternoon featured those in thirteenth through eighteenth in the Championship venturing out of the pitlane, with two former Champions among their number.[8] Indeed, the #11 Audi of Lucas di Grassi and the #23 Sébastien Buemi would enter the qualifying fray, as would Buemi's Nissan e.Dams teammate Oliver Rowland.[8] Nick Cassidy would also head onto the circuit in the #37 Virgin Audi, as would Maximilian Günther in the #28 BMW-Andretti, as well as Sérgio Sette Câmara in the second Dragon.[8]
There were still no signs of the circuit drying as the green light was shown at the end of the pitlane to signal the start of group three's session, with Rowland the first to venture out at the start of the four minute period.[9] The #22 Nissan was followed onto the track by teammate Cassidy, Günther and di Grassi, with Sette Câmara the last of the sextet to head out onto the circuit.[9] Indeed, all six would copy the first two groups by completing warm-up laps, with Rowland showing how greasy the circuit still was with a slide through turn four.[9]
Rowland was the first to run, and after another twitch at turn four, and a wide line through turn eight, the British racer slotted into second, just ahead of teammate Buemi who set a new benchmark in the first sector.[9] Cassidy was next up and set a stunning second sector to go seven tenths up on Vergne's earlier lap, only to lose two seconds at turn twelve after twitching on the inside kerb, and then sliding out onto the concrete on the outside of the corner.[9] Günther was next but had his fifth place time deleted for running wide a turn five, di Grassi made minor mistakes in the opening two sectors to leave him in seventeenth, while Sette Câmara rounded out the group with a run to fourth, setting strong times in the second and third sectors.[9]
After the group stage, Cassidy's time was deleted for exceeding track limits at turn twelve.[9]
Group 4[]
Group four saw those in the final six positions in the Championship head onto the circuit, with two former pole sitters amongst their number.[8] Indeed, André Lotterer in the #36 Porsche and Alex Lynn in the second Mahindra would be the standout drivers in the quartet, joined by Norman Nato in the fourth Mercedes powered car in the field.[8] Also in action would be Jake Dennis in the second BMW-Andretti, as well as the two NIOs of Oliver Turvey and Tom Blomqvist.[8]
As the final group were cleared to join the circuit there were signs that the circuit was drying, with parts of the racing line showing drier tarmac in certain places, resulting in those in group four suddenly emerging as strong favourites for Super Pole.[9] Regardless, all six drivers would opt to complete warm-up laps as the other groups had, with Dennis the first to head out onto the circuit with Lotterer close behind.[9] Nato was next out ahead of Turvey and Blomqvist, while Lynn went last in the hopes of having the best of the circuit conditions given the seemingly rapid track evolution.[9]
The early signs of Super Pole contention were good for the fourth sextet, with Dennis instantly going seven tenths faster than Vergne in the first sector, an advantage which he would nearly double in the second.[9] A clean run through sector three and Dennis indeed went fastest overall, recording a 1:31.855, with Lotterer a tenth away in the #36 Porsche, having followed the #27 BMW throughout the lap.[9] Nato was next and bettered Dennis in the first sector but faded in the third and hence settled for third, before being pushed back by Turvey and then Blomqvist as they both claimed third for themselves.[9] Lynn then rounded out the group with a promising run that faded akin to Nato's, the Brit putting the #94 Mahindra into third to displace both NIOs, and ensure that all six members of group four would head into the shootout.[9]
Super Pole[]
A dry line was increasingly visible as Nato left the pitlane to start the shootout, with the Frenchman knowing that the circuit would only improve throughout the last phase of qualifying.[9] Indeed, despite snaps of oversteer on the greasy parts of the circuit at turns one, eight and twelve, the Frenchman would set a new fastest lap of the session with a 1:30.489, showing that the circuit was still improving.[9] Unfortunately for Nato the circuit would continue to improve, with Turvey able to displace him a couple of minutes later with a clean run through the first and third sectors to set the pace at a 1:30.409.[9]
Blomqvist followed the sister #8 NIO out onto the circuit, and would recover from a slide entering turn eight that cost him three tenths in the second sector to go fastest himself, claiming a 1:30.202.[9] Lynn followed an combined comparable sector times to Blomqvist's in the first and third sector with a stunning middle sector, notably hugging the inside kerb at turn eight, to go fastest with a 1:29.737.[9] However, the circuit was still improving overall, as demonstrated by Lotterer as the German racer put the #36 Porsche onto provisional pole with a 1:29.411, despite an error entering turns nine/ten that cost him two tenths in the middle sector.[9]
With that Dennis headed onto the circuit, with track evolution and his group topping effort marking him as the clear favourite for pole position, if he delivered a clean run.[9] The Brit would open his lap strongly, taking two tenths out of Lotterer in the first sector, before battling a twitch from the rear entering turn eight to go six tenths clear in the second sector.[9] A clean third sector and Dennis duly claimed his maiden pole position, eight tenths up on Lotterer with a 1:28.548.[9]
Post Qualifying[]
The final qualifying result for the 2021 Valencia E-Prix II are outlined below:
| 2021 Valencia E-Prix II Qualifying Result | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Time | Gap | Grid | Group |
| 1st | 27 | Jake Dennis
|
BMW i Andretti Motorsport
|
1:28.548 | — | 1 | G4 |
| 2nd* | 36 | André Lotterer
|
Porsche Formula E Team
|
1:29.411 | +0.863s | 5* | G4 |
| 3rd | 94 | Alex Lynn
|
Mahindra Racing
|
1:29.737 | +1.189s | 2 | G4 |
| 4th | 88 | Tom Blomqvist
|
 NIO 333 FE Team
|
1:30.202 | +1.654s | 3 | G4 |
| 5th | 8 | Oliver Turvey
|
NIO 333 FE Team
|
1:30.403 | +1.855s | 4 | G4 |
| 6th | 71 |  Norman Nato
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
1:30.489 | +1.941s | 6 | G4 |
| Super Pole | |||||||
| 1st | 27 | Jake Dennis
|
BMW i Andretti Motorsport
|
1:31.855 | — | SP | G4 |
| 2nd | 36 | André Lotterer
|
Porsche Formula E Team
|
1:31.958 | +0.103s | SP | G4 |
| 3rd | 94 | Alex Lynn
|
Mahindra Racing
|
1:32.585 | +0.730s | SP | G4 |
| 4th | 88 | Tom Blomqvist
|
NIO 333 FE Team
|
1:32.727 | +0.872s | SP | G4 |
| 5th | 8 | Oliver Turvey
|
NIO 333 FE Team
|
1:32.950 | +1.095s | SP | G4 |
| 6th | 71 | Norman Nato
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
1:33.155 | +1.300s | SP | G4 |
| 7th | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne
|
DS Techeetah
|
1:33.198 | +1.343s | 7 | G2 |
| 8th | 22 | Oliver Rowland
|
Nissan e.Dams
|
1:33.336 | +1.481s | 8 | G3 |
| 9th | 23 |  Sébastien Buemi
|
Nissan e.Dams
|
1:33.390 | +1.535s | 9 | G3 |
| 10th | 7 |  Sérgio Sette Câmara
|
Dragon/Penske Autosport
|
1:33.452 | +1.597s | 10 | G3 |
| 11th | 29 | Alexander Sims
|
Mahindra Racing
|
1:33.479 | +1.624s | 11 | G2 |
| 12th | 13 |  António Félix da Costa
|
DS Techeetah
|
1:33.604 | +1.749s | 12 | G2 |
| 13th | 99 | Pascal Wehrlein
|
Porsche Formula E Team
|
1:33.745 | +1.890s | 13 | G1 |
| 14th | 33 | René Rast
|
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
|
1:33.879 | +2.024s | 14 | G2 |
| 15th | 48 | Edoardo Mortara
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
1:33.898 | +2.043s | 15 | G2 |
| 16th† | 20 |  Mitch Evans
|
Jaguar Racing
|
1:34.115 | +2.260s | 19† | G1 |
| 17th | 4 |  Robin Frijns
|
Envision Virgin Racing
|
1:34.166 | +2.311s | 16 | G1 |
| 18th | 5 |  Stoffel Vandoorne
|
Mercedes
|
1:34.416 | +2.561s | 17 | G1 |
| 19th | 17 | Nyck de Vries
|
Mercedes
|
1:34.419 | +2.564s | 18 | G1 |
| 20th | 10 | Sam Bird
|
Jaguar Racing
|
1:34.480 | +2.625s | 20 | G1 |
| 21st | 6 | Nico Müller
|
Dragon/Penske Autosport
|
1:34.588 | +2.733s | 21 | G2 |
| 22nd | 11 | Lucas di Grassi
|
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
|
1:34.610 | +2.755s | 22 | G3 |
| 23rd‡ | 37 | Nick Cassidy
|
Envision Virgin Racing
|
1:37.838 | +5.983s | 23 | G3 |
| 24th‡ | 28 | Maximilian Günther
|
BMW i Andretti Motorsport
|
1:41.980 | +10.125s | 24 | G3 |
| 110% Time: 1:41.405[10] | |||||||
| Source:[10] | |||||||
- * Lotterer served a three place grid penalty for causing a collision with Mortara in the 2021 Valencia E-Prix I.[11]
- † Evans served a three place grid penalty for causing a collision with Sette Câmara in the 2021 Valencia E-Prix I.[12]
- ‡ Cassidy and Günther had their fastest laps from qualifying deleted for exceeding track limits at turns twelve and one respectively.[13]
Race[]
The rain had finally left the Circuit Ricardo Tormo as the field emerged from the pitlane to assemble on the dummy grid for the E-Prix, with the circuit itself completely dry for the race.[14] Indeed, for the first time since the 2021 Diriyah E-Prix II the FE field would make a standing start rather than roll away behind the Safety Car, although the improved conditions would only alleviate fears of running out of energy before the end of the race.[14] The most common remark from both teams and drivers would be that it was a race no-one wanted to lead, with the slipstream effect set to enable drivers behind the lead car to save a significant amount of energy.[14]
Report[]
It would prove to be an unusually tame start to the race, with pole sitter Jake Dennis able to ease into the lead, while Alex Lynn immediately tucked the #94 Mahindra right under the #27 BMW-Andretti's rear winglets.[14] Behind, Oliver Turvey eased down the inside of NIO teammate Tom Blomqvist to claim third, with the rest of the field making it through the first corner without issue.[14] Indeed, the only action of note would be a mistake from Blomqvist entering turn two, with the #88 NIO running wide to allow Norman Nato to slip through and claim fourth.[14]
There would be a little more action further around the opening tour, with Nato's teammate being elbowed out into the gravel at turn five, while António Félix da Costa tagged the back of Oliver Rowland at turn nine and slipped to ninth.[14] Out front, meanwhile, the race would quickly turn into a procession, with Lynn remaining glued to Dennis' tail throughout the opening tour, and showing no signs of throwing a lunge at the #27 BMW.[14] Behind, Turvey, Nato and Blomqvist were similarly holding station running nose-to-tail behind Lynn, with the rest of the field soon forming a single-file peloton behind Dennis' BMW.[14]
For three laps the field would remain in single-file, with no-one willing to force a move to climb up the order amid fears that they would lose time to the cars in front and lose the slipstream effect.[14] This fear was demonstrated when Sérgio Sette Câmara threw a lunge at Sébastien Buemi into turn nine, which worked to hand the #7 Dragon/Penske tenth, but also created a two second gap to the car in front.[14] Sette Câmara would duly recover to lead Buemi and co. back onto the back of da Costa, and would even pass the #13 DS Techeetah, but the Brazilian youth would spend 1% more energy than those ahead to do so.[14]
Back with the leaders and Nato was growing increasingly frustrated behind Turvey, and duly tried to sneak inside the #8 NIO at turn eight hoping not to lose too much time to Dennis and Lynn ahead.[14] Turvey would try and hold on around the outside of the long looping left-hander, which ensured that the #8 NIO had the inside line for the sharp right-hander of turn nine.[14] However, the shallower line on the dirtier part of the circuit would cause Turvey an issue, with the #8 NIO sliding into the back of Lynn as they turned into turn nine as Turvey tried to make the corner.[14] Fortunately Lynn would escape without issue, while that commitment from Turvey was enough for him to hold onto third for the time being.[14]
That battle signalled the start of some more fighting further back down the field, with Jean-Éric Vergne on the move, firing down the inside of Blomqvist for fifth into the chicane.[14] Vergne's teammate da Costa would also find himself in a scrap, exchanging blows with Sette Câmara over ninth into turns one and then nine, with the #13 Techeetah duly reclaiming the position after half a lap of fighting.[14] Mortara, meanwhile, would begin his recovery with a lunge down the inside of René Rast into turn nine to claim twelfth, while Lucas di Grassi elbowed his way past Robin Frijns for a lowly seventeenth in the crocodile.[14]
After that Attack Mode would come into play, with di Grassi using the boost to pass both of the Mercedes, as drivers at the back of the field gambled on taking the boost early.[14] Indeed, those in the top ten train would be unwilling to arm the boost in fear of losing ground to those behind, with Turvey the first to arm his boost on lap ten, dropping to fourth behind Nato as di Grassi scythed past Pascal Wehrlein for fourteenth.[14] Turvey would subsequently get his revenge on Nato by lunging past the #71 ROKiT Venturi at turn seven/eight, having first tried to lunge past the Frenchman at turn two.[14]
Turvey's decision to take AM opened the door for the lead duo to take the boost, with Dennis retaining the lead, while Lynn dropped behind the pre-boosted NIO and fell to third.[14] Nato and Vergne would also take AM to leave the top five unchanged overall, albeit now with Lynn stuck behind Turvey's NIO, which had fallen a few car lengths behind Dennis in the AM exchanges.[14] Indeed, Lyn would have to wait until Turvey's AM boost had finished to before he could get back into second, sweeping past the #8 NIO through turn seven, with Nato and Vergne also using the last of their first AM boosts to lunge past the Brit into turns one and two on the following tour.[14]
Turvey would subsequently fall out of the lead group altogether over the following laps, with André Lotterer scything past the #8 NIO through turn eleven a few moments after Vergne had blasted past, before Oliver Rowland divebombed his namesake into turn nine a lap later.[14] Furthermore, as Turvey slipped back Lotterer was in the ascendency, with the #36 Porsche going on to catch Vergne napping into the chicane to secure fourth.[14] With that the action at the front of the field settled into a stalemate once again, with Lynn now back with his nose almost glued to the tail of Dennis' BMW for the lead, while a gap was fast forming between Rowland in sixth and the now seventh placed Turvey.[14]
With that attention would focus to the midfield once again, with Rast and Stoffel Vandoorne now ominously marching towards the points from the back of the field with the aid of AM.[14] Indeed, after a brief exchange with teammate Nyck de Vries, Vandoorne would pick his way past di Grassi, Blomqvist and Mortara on successive laps to move into tenths, chasing Rast who had passed that cluster of cars a few moments before.[14] Rast would also make a move on da Costa to secure eighth as Vandoorne cleared Mortara at turn one, before catching and passing Turvey for seventh at turn eight.[14]
That was not it for Rast on lap seventeen, however, for he would take advantage of Rowland's successful lunge on Vergne at turn nine to pass the #25 DS Techeetah for sixth putting three cars between himself and Vandoorne.[14] Furthermore, so well executed was his move on Vergne that Rast did not lose any time to Rowland, allowing him to dive inside the #22 Nissan e.Dams into turn one at the start of the following tour to secure fifth, before snatching fourth from Lotterer into turn eight as the #36 Porsche ran wide.[14] That would then become third a few seconds later, as Nato smacked into Lynn at the apex of turn nine, sending the #94 Mahindra scrambling across the gravel on the outside of the modified corner.[14]
Lynn scrambled back on in sixth between Rowland and Vergne, and would have to cover off the inside line into the chicane and turn one in the following moments to hold onto the position.[14] Nato was also having to make some defensive manoeuvres to keep the charging Rast at bay to hold second, as behind Vergne armed AM and slipped back behind Turvey, whom had armed his second AM boost during the Rast charge.[14] Dennis, Nato and Lotterer would all take AM on the following tour with around fifteen minutes to go, with Rast unable to take advantage having realised that, in the midst of his charge up the field, the #33 Audi had consumed about 2% more energy then those around him.[14]
Elsewhere, Vandoorne's charge had stalled behind Sébastien Buemi, who had caught onto the back of the lead group as Rowland and Lynn had armed their AM boosts on lap twenty, moments after Vergne had lunged back past Turvey.[14] Lynn duly felt the need to defend into turn nine, costing Buemi enough time that Vandoorne would try to squeeze past the #23 Nissan through turn ten, despite being too far back to realistically challenge into the right hand flick.[14] That, ultimately, proved to be a poor decision from the title pretender, for Buemi would take the racing line and inadvertently feed Vandoorne's car into the concrete wall on the inside of the corner.[14]
The contact between Buemi, Vandoorne and the wall would send Buemi skating across the gravel, while Vandoorne received heavy damage to the front right corner of his car, forcing him to retire in the pitlane due to damage.[14] Buemi scrambled back on at the back of the top ten, while Rast was to become the unseen third victim of the incident, for he would pickup a piece of an advertising banner that had been ripped off by Vandoorne's smack against the temporary barrier.[14] That added drag would wreck the balance of the #33 Audi for the closing stages of the race, although Lotterer would manage to ease inside of his compatriot into turn one before Rast picked up his streamer.[14]
Into the closing stages and Dennis still held the lead of the race and, despite having led every lap since the start in a race where slipstream was meant to enable drivers to save energy, still had the same percentage of usable energy as the rest of the lead group.[14] Behind, Nato was slapped with a five second time penalty for knocking Lynn back down the order, but would remain tucked under Dennis' diffuser, while Lotterer sat behind the pair of them in the Porsche.[14] Rast, meanwhile, was holding onto fourth in his slightly hobbled Audi, Rowland would barge his way past Vergne for fifth with ten minutes to go, with Lynn also finding a way past the #25 DS Techeetah to claim sixth at turn eight.[14]
Elsewhere, Mitch Evans would become the latest driver to make a charge up the order from the back of the field, the #20 Jaguar suddenly breaking from the back of the midfield to the top ten.[14] Indeed, the New Zealander had stealthily made his way up the field as the strategic battle for the lead had unfolded, with a move on da Costa putting him into tenth before the #13 DS Techeetah was sent into the pitlane to serve a drive-through for improper use of AM.[14] Evans would go on to catch and pass Mortara with the aid of AM in the closing stages, although the Swiss racer would manage to force his way back ahead of the Jaguar, putting them in a scrap for ninth through to the end of the race.[14]
Back with the leaders the order was chopping and changing as teams had to react to the potential change in race distance, with Rast's pace declining, allowing Lynn and Rowland to pass unopposed on lap 28.[14] Dennis, meanwhile, would start the 29th lap of the race with 1:35 left on the clock, with a single lap of the modified Circuit Ricardo Tormo taking around 1:31 at race pace to complete.[14] That fact would result in the BMW-Andretti squad scrambling to the radio to Dennis as he came towards the chicane to complete the lap, telling him to back off so they would not have to complete an additional lap and risk running out of energy.[14]
Dennis duly eased off into the chicane, allowing Nato, Lotterer, Lynn, Rowland, Rast and Vergne to all close right up onto his tail once again, although the #27 BMW would crucially cross the line to start lap 30 after the clock had hit 0.[14] That setup a last-lap sprint for the lead drivers, with everyone bar the hobbled Rast able to complete the final tour without the need to focus on re-gen to make it to the finish.[14] That, however, would have no impact on the final results, for a small mistake from Lotterer dropped him off the back of Nato, who was to serve a penalty, while Rast and Vergne were both told to back off in order to make sure they made it to the flag.[14]
As a result Dennis would sweep across the line to claim his maiden FE victory, having led every single lap from pole position, with Nato second at the line before his time penalty was applied.[14] The Frenchman subsequently slipped back to fifth in the final standings once he had five seconds added to his time, with Lotterer moving up to second and Lynn into third.[14] Rowland ended the day in fourth ahead of the #71 Venturi, Rast and Vergne finished nose-to-tail eight seconds off the lead, while the remaining points were handed to Turvey, Mortara and di Grassi, the Brazilian racer having used FanBoost to pass Evans late on as the Jaguar racer had to conserve.[14]
Result[]
The final classification of the 2021 Valencia E-Prix II is displayed below, with the fastest lap setter indicated in italics, and the pole sitter shown in bold.
| 2021 Valencia E-Prix II Race Result | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Laps | Race Time | Fastest lap | Pts. |
| 1st | 27 | Jake Dennis
|
BMW i Andretti Motorsport
|
30 | 46:32.002 | 1:30.658 | 29G |
| 2nd | 36 | André Lotterer
|
Porsche Formula E Team
|
30 | +1.483s | 1:31.180 | 18 |
| 3rd | 94 | Alex Lynn
|
Mahindra Racing
|
30 | +2.428s | 1:30.263 | 16 |
| 4th | 22 | Oliver Rowland
|
Nissan e.Dams
|
30 | +2.870s | 1:31.078 | 12 |
| 5th* | 71 | Norman Nato
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
30 | +5.811s | 1:31.067 | 10 |
| 6th | 33 | René Rast
|
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
|
30 | +8.122s | 1:31.718 | 8 |
| 7th | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne
|
DS Techeetah
|
30 | +8.782s | 1:31.388 | 6 |
| 8th | 8 | Oliver Turvey
|
NIO 333 FE Team
|
30 | +11.292s | 1:31.378 | 4 |
| 9th | 48 | Edoardo Mortara
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
30 | +12.014s | 1:31.595 | 2 |
| 10th | 11 | Lucas di Grassi 
|
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
|
30 | +12.405s | 1:31.015 | 1 |
| 11th | 23 | Sébastien Buemi
|
Nissan e.Dams
|
30 | +13.295s | 1:31.570 | |
| 12th | 28 | Maximilian Günther
|
BMW i Andretti Motorsport
|
30 | +13.594s | 1:30.500 | |
| 13th | 37 | Nick Cassidy
|
Envision Virgin Racing
|
30 | +14.329s | 1:31.139 | |
| 14th | 10 | Sam Bird
|
Jaguar Racing
|
30 | +15.151s | 1:30.370 | |
| 15th | 20 | Mitch Evans
|
Jaguar Racing
|
30 | +17.213s | 1:30.846 | |
| 16th | 17 | Nyck de Vries
|
Mercedes
|
30 | +18.444s | 1:31.608 | |
| 17th | 88 | Tom Blomqvist
|
NIO 333 FE Team
|
30 | +18.885s | 1:31.789 | |
| 18th | 99 | Pascal Wehrlein
|
Porsche Formula E Team
|
30 | +19.274s | 1:31.873 | |
| 19th | 4 | Robin Frijns
|
Envision Virgin Racing
|
30 | +19.756s | 1:31.368 | |
| 20th | 6 | Nico Müller
|
Dragon/Penske Autosport
|
30 | +21.069s | 1:30.880 | |
| 21st | 7 | Sérgio Sette Câmara
|
Dragon/Penske Autosport
|
30 | +32.079s | 1:32.054 | |
| 22nd | 13 | António Félix da Costa
|
DS Techeetah
|
30 | +59.698s | 1:30.718 | |
| 23rd† | 29 | Alexander Sims
|
Mahindra Racing
|
30 | +1:04.227 | 1:30.081† | |
| Ret | 5 | Stoffel Vandoorne
|
Mercedes
|
20 | Accident | 1:31.463 | |
| Source:[10] | |||||||
Indicates a driver was awarded FanBoost during the race.[15]- G Indicates a driver claimed a bonus point for setting the fastest lap in the group stage of qualifying.
- * Nato served a five second time penalty for causing a collision with Lynn.[16]
- † Sims set the fastest lap of the race (1:30.081) but was unable to claim the bonus points as he finished outside of the top ten.
Milestones[]
- 75th FIA Formula E Championship E-Prix to be staged.
- 75th start for Sam Bird and Lucas di Grassi.
- Jake Dennis claimed his maiden pole position.
- Fifth pole position for BMW as a powertrain supplier.
- Dennis secured his maiden FE victory.
- Also Dennis' first podium finish.
- Fifth victory for BMW i Andretti Formula E as an entrant.
- Fifth win for BMW as a powertrain supplier.
- Maiden podium finish for Alex Lynn.
- 42nd FanBoost victory for di Grassi.
- di Grassi moved level with Sébastien Buemi at the top of the list for most FB wins.
- Tenth FanBoost win for de Vries.
Standings[]
With the five leading drivers all failing to score in the second Valencia E-Prix there had been no changes at the head of the field, meaning Nyck de Vries retained his nine point lead over teammate Stoffel Vandoorne. Sam Bird, Robin Frijns and Mitch Evans had likewise held station in third through fifth, while René Rast had ascended to sixth after his run into the points. The day's big winner was Jake Dennis, who gained fourteen positions to move into eighth, while André Lotterer's first points finish of the season meant that all 24 drivers had scored.
Likewise, there had been no movement atop the Teams' Championship after the sixth race of the campaign, with Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team having retained their 23 point lead. Jaguar Racing had likewise held station in second ahead of Envision Virgin Racing, with none of their drivers having scored, while DS Techeetah had inched closer to the lead trio in fourth. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler had similarly retained fifth but gained ground on the leaders, while BMW-Andretti had moved up to seventh with Dennis' victory.
References[]
Videos and Images:
References:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 'CALENDAR UPDATE: 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 26/03/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/march/season-7-calendar-update, (Accessed 27/03/2021)
- ↑ 'DHL becomes Race Title Partner for the 2021 DHL Valencia E-Prix', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 16/04/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/april/dhl-valencia-e-prix, (Accessed 17/04/2021)
- ↑ 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 'Jake Dennis takes maiden win with perfectly judged lights-to-flag drive in the DHL Valencia E-Prix Round 6', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/04/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/april/valencia-e-prix-round-6-report, (Accessed 25/04/2021)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 'BMW's Jake Dennis fires to first Formula E Julius Baer Pole Position in Valencia', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/04/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/april/valencia-e-prix-round-6-qualifying-report, (Accessed 25/04/2021)
- ↑ 'Second set of 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship races announced', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 28/01/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/january/calendar-update-2020-21, (Accessed 28/01/2021)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedValR1 - ↑ '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)
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 'ROUND 5 & 6 - VALENCIA E-PRIX 23 - 25 APRIL 2021: Qualifying Groups - ROUND 6', results.fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/04/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/06_R06%20Valencia/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/0100_Doc%20100%20-%20Qualifying%20Groups.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 25/04/2021)
- ↑ 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 9.14 9.15 9.16 9.17 9.18 9.19 9.20 9.21 9.22 9.23 9.24 9.25 9.26 9.27 9.28 9.29 9.30 9.31 9.32 9.33 9.34 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedQH - ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedResults - ↑ 'ROUND 5 & 6 - VALENCIA E-PRIX 23 - 25 APRIL 2021: Decision No. 29', results.fiaformuale.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/04/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/05_R05%20Valencia/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/091_Doc%2091%20-%20Decision%20No.%2029.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 24/04/2021)
- ↑ 'ROUND 5 & 6 - VALENCIA E-PRIX 23 - 25 APRIL 2021: Decision No. 27', results.fiaformuale.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/04/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/04_R05%20Valencia/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/087_Doc%2087%20-%20Decision%20No.%2027.pdf, (Accessed 24/04/2021)
- ↑ 'ROUND 5 & 6 - VALENCIA E-PRIX 23 - 25 APRIL 2021: Decision No. 35', results.fiaformuale.com, (FIA Formula E, 24/04/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/06_R06%20Valencia/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/104_Doc%20104%20-%20Decision%20No.%2035.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 24/04/2021)
- ↑ 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 14.12 14.13 14.14 14.15 14.16 14.17 14.18 14.19 14.20 14.21 14.22 14.23 14.24 14.25 14.26 14.27 14.28 14.29 14.30 14.31 14.32 14.33 14.34 14.35 14.36 14.37 14.38 14.39 14.40 14.41 14.42 14.43 14.44 14.45 14.46 14.47 14.48 14.49 14.50 14.51 14.52 14.53 14.54 14.55 14.56 14.57 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedRH - ↑ 'ROUND 5 & 6 - VALENCIA E-PRIX 23 - 25 APRIL 2021: Fan Boost - Round 6', results.fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/04/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/06_R06%20Valencia/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/113_Doc%20113%20-%20Bulletin%20No.%207.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 25/04/2021)
- ↑ 'ROUND 5 & 6 - VALENCIA E-PRIX 23 - 25 APRIL 2021: Decision No. 38', results.fiaformuale.com, (FIA Formula E, 25/04/2021), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/06_2020-21/06_R06%20Valencia/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/115_Doc%20115%20-%20Decision%20No.%2038.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 25/04/2021)
| 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 |