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Flag of Italy 2022 Rome E-Prix I
Rome Layout 2021
The Rome E-Prix Circuit in 2022.
Race Information
Date 9 April 2022
E-Prix No. 88 (4 of 2021/22)
Official Name Flag of Italy 2022 ABB Formula E Rome E-Prix I
Location Flag of Rome Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR
Esposizione Universale Roma, Rome, Italy
Format 45 min + 1 lap
Lap length 3.380 km (2.100 mi)
Distance 27 laps / 91.260 km (56.706 mi)
Support Race
Qualifying Result
Pole Sitter Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne
Team Flag of Germany Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team
Time 1:39.151
Fastest Lap
Driver Flag of New Zealand Nick Cassidy
Team Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Racing
Fastest Lap 1:41.729 on lap 19
ePrix Result
First Second Third
Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne
Winner Team Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing
Time 51:59.632
ePrix Guide
Previous Next
Flag of Mexico 2022 Mexico City E-Prix Flag of Italy 2022 Rome E-Prix II
Post-Race Test

The 2022 Rome E-Prix I, formally known as the 2022 ABB Formula E Rome E-Prix I, was the fourth race of the 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship staged on 9 April 2022 at the Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR in Esposizione Universale Roma, Rome, Italy.[1] The race would be the first staged in two months in the eighth FE season, after the cancellation of the inaugural Cape Town E-Prix and abandoning of plans to stage a race in China in February/March.[1]

Qualifying saw Stoffel Vandoorne defeat Robin Frijns in the final to secure pole position, the Belgian pilot recording a 1:39.151 with a measured run.[2] Vandoorne's path to the final was courtesy of victories against Jean-Éric Vergne and António Félix da Costa in the quarter and semi finals, while Frijns defeated André Lotterer and Nyck de Vries.[2]

The start of the race saw Vandoorne escape off the line to secure the lead, covering of Frijns to deny the Dutchman a lunge into turn four.[3] Behind Vergne tried an ambitious lunge around the outside of da Costa and de Vries to try and grab third, but ultimately faltered, while at the back Dan Ticktum struck the back of Antonio Giovinazzi.[3]

A few moments later and there would be a more significant collision at turn seven, with Edoardo Mortara spinning Oliver Rowland into the barriers.[3] The #30 Mahindra would then partially block the circuit, resulting in several drivers getting stuck before the Brit freed himself, before Maximilian Günther ploughed into the barriers at turn eleven to bring out a Safety Car.[3]

The restart came after five minutes behind the SC, with Vandoorne, Frijns and de Vries immediately streaking clear of da Costa and Vergne.[3] A stalemate emerged soon after, with Frijns keeping Vandoorne honest while watching de Vries in his mirrors, until da Costa began the Attack Mode games a few laps later.[3]

Frijns would be the first to react to da Costa's move, sending the #4 Envision past Vandoorne to secure the lead in a bid to try and build a lead.[3] Vandoorne and de Vries opted to take AM next, both falling behind da Costa while Frijns stayed out for a further tour before taking the boost.[3]

Vandoorne reclaimed the lead when Frijns took his first AM boost, having overtaken da Costa when his boost ended, although it was not long before the Dutchman was back ahead having used AM to blast back ahead.[3] They would again swap places during the second AM phase, although by that stage they had been joined by Mitch Evans, who had quietly climbed through the field in the #9 Jaguar.[3]

Indeed, having kept his AM in reserve the New Zealander would complete two quick-fire moves on Vandoorne and then Frijns to claim the lead before immediately easing away.[3] Vandoorne and Frijns were hence left to fight for second, although with both having an energy deficit they soon found themselves under attack from Vergne as the race entered extra time.[3]

Vandoorne and Vergne eventually found their way past Frijns, by which stage Mortara and Sam Bird in the #10 Jaguar had joined the fight for the podium, da Costa and de Vries having fallen down the order.[3] Vandoorne would almost escape before being reeled back in by Vergne and Frijns, with Frijns completing identical moves into turn fifteen on the Frenchman and the Belgian to reclaim second.[3]

Out front, meanwhile, Evans had time to slow on the penultimate lap to reduce the potential race distance, before cruising to the chequered flag to claim his first win of the campaign.[3] Frijns was five seconds behind in second ahead of Vandoorne, while Vergne claimed fourth ahead of Mortara, although the Swiss pilot served a five second time penalty post-race.[3] He hence ended up in seventh behind Bird and da Costa, Pascal Wehrlein finished eight ahead of Nick Cassidy, while André Lotterer secured the final point in tenth.[3]

Background[]

The fourth round of the 2021/22 season saw the field arrive at the familiar sight of the Esposizione Universale Roma in Rome, Italy, with the Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR again hosting the Italian capital's annual FE event.[1] The circuit itself was unchanged, barring the relocation of the start line to midway between turns three and four, after the extensive modifications made ahead of the 2021 visit for the series, with the Attack Mode activation zone remaining at turn fifteen.[1] Furthermore, there would be a second race in Rome, as the two planned E-Prix in Cape Town and China in late February/early March were cancelled due to a peak in local Covid cases and a lack of a confirmed venue respectively.[4]

A Porsche Breakthrough[]

In the Championship Edoardo Mortara had retained the lead in Mexico City after the third round, the Swiss ace having moved onto 43 points for the campaign. Nyck de Vries had retained second, but slipped five behind, while Pascal Wehrlein had ascended to third after his maiden triumph, although was thirteen off the leader. André Lotterer was level with his teammate on 30 points in fourth ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne, with seventeen of the twenty-two drivers having scored in the first three rounds.

In the Teams' Championship ROKiT Venturi Racing had maintained their early lead, and had doubled it to two points. Indeed, Mercedes had kept pace with their customers to remain in second, while the Porsche Formula E Team had shot into third, and just eight off the lead, after their first one-two. DS Techeetah and Envision Racing then completed the top five, with NIO 333 FE Team and Dragon/Penske Autosport the only non-scoring teams.

Entry List[]

The full entry list for the 2022 Rome E-Prix I is displayed below:

2022 Rome E-Prix I Entry List
No. Name Entrant Constructor Car
3 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team NIO 333 FE 001
4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision 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
7 Flag of Brazil Sérgio Sette Câmara Flag of the United States Dragon/Penske Autosport Penske EV-5
9 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar TCS Racing Jaguar I-Type V
10 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar TCS Racing Jaguar I-Type V
11 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow 02
13 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa Flag of France 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
22 Flag of Germany Maximilian Günther 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 France DS Techeetah DS E-Tense FE 21
27 Flag of the United Kingdom Jake Dennis Flag of the United States Avalanche Andretti Formula E BMW iFE.21
28 Flag of the United States Oliver Askew Flag of the United States Avalanche Andretti Formula E BMW iFE.21
29 Flag of the United Kingdom Alexander Sims Flag of India Mahindra Racing Mahindra M7Electro
30 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland Flag of India Mahindra Racing Mahindra M7Electro
33 Flag of the United Kingdom Dan Ticktum Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team NIO 333 FE 001
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 Racing Audi e-tron FE07
48 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow 02
94 Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein Flag of Germany TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team Porsche 99X Electric
99 Flag of Italy Antonio Giovinazzi Flag of the United States Dragon/Penske Autosport Penske EV-5
Source:[5]

Practice[]

FP1[]

FP2[]

Qualifying[]

Qualifying for the 2022 Rome E-Prix I would be conducted according to the knockout format, introduced ahead of season eight.[6] The field would be split into two groups of eleven drivers, based on Championship position, with each group then getting ten minutes on track to complete as many laps as they wished at 220 kW.[6] The fastest eight overall would then proceed to the knockout phase, now running at the maximum 250 kW qualifying mode, with the fastest from group A against the fourth fastest from group B and so on, until four drivers were left.[6]

Those four would move on to the Semi-Final, with the winner of A1/B4 taking on the victor of A2/B3, while the triumphant driver of A3/B2 would take on A4/B1's winner.[6] The winners from those duels would then go into the final, with the winner of that duel taking pole, while the runner-up would start from second, before any grid penalties were applied.[6]

Group A[]

Jake Dennis was the first driver out of the pits as Group A were cleared to enter the circuit, with the #27 Avalanche Andretti opting to complete a flying lap straight away, setting the benchmark at a 1:41.020.[7] He was alone in that decision, with the other ten drivers trickling out of the pits and opting to strart prep-laps before committing to their first serious effort.[7] Pascal Wehrlein was hence the first driver to set a time to try and challenge the Andertti, although the #94 Porsche would fall shy of the Andretti after nearly brushing the wall at the chicane on both entry and exit.[7]

Instead it was Edoardo Mortara who replaced the Brit at the head of the pack, a 1:40.554, an effort which would remain fastest for a few moments before Robin Frijns and Mitch Evans flashed across the line, the New Zealander quicker than the Dutchman witha 1:40.375.[7] With that the majority of the field, bar Mortara, Evans and Sam Bird, would all head to the pits to have fresh tyres installed, before everyone scrambled out of the pits with four minutes to go.[7] Mortara, meanwhile, would improve on his time in the quiet period but remain third, while Bird abandoned a promising run at the end of the second sector as the rest of the Group rejoined the fray.[7]

That decision proved costly for Bird, who having got himself to the back of the queue would take the chequered flag at the end of the session before he could commit to another flying lap, leaving him out of the Duels already having only sat in fifth after his first run.[7] Up ahead, meanwhile, it was Wehrlein at the head of the pack, and a strong third sector would leave the #94 Porsche fastest with a 1:40.270, followed by Mortara whose disappointing run left him in fourth, and quickly replaced by Evans.[7] Frijns then went fastest with a 1:40.069 with Stoffel Vandoorne following him across the line to grab second with an identical effort, before Dennis rounded out the session with a 1:40.069 to top the Group with the final run of the session.[7]

The #27 Andretti hence progressed to the Quarter-Finals, joined by Frijns, Vandoorne and Wehrlein.[7]

Group B[]

Nick Cassidy was first on track in Group B as their twelve minute session got underway, and the #37 Envision would go on to set the first flying lap of said Group, a 1:40.833 after completing a prep-lap.[7] He was followed across the line by Lucas di Grassi, who was just 0.015s off the Envision-Audi, while André Lotterer briefly secured third before being knocked back by Oliver Rowland as the #30 Mahindra went fastest with a 1:40.748.[7] Nyck de Vries was next across the line but could only manage third, a poor third sector undermining his benchmark setting time in the first, before the two DS Techeetah hit the top, António Félix da Costa setting a 1:40.702 only to be supplanted by teammate Jean-Éric Vergne when the #25 Techeetah recorded a 1:40.405.[7]

That brought about the end of the first runs and the first part of the session, with all eleven drivers trundling back into the pits for a fresh set of tyres for their second runs.[7] Once again it was Cassidy who headed out of the pitlane first in the Envision, followed quickly by de Vries in the #17 Mercedes, with those two committing to preparation laps on their new tyres.[7] The rest of the contenders, meanwhile, would settle into out and push laps, although it would still be de Vries who headed the queue to start the final runs, Cassidy having dropped behind the Mercedes.[7]

de Vries' run would against strat promisingly, the Dutchman again recording the fastest first sector, although a lock-up at turn seven and minor errors in the third sector cost him his advantage, and left him second at the end of his run.[7] That quickly became third as Lotterer swept across the line to go fastest with a 1:40.357, before Vergne reclaimed top spot with a 1:40.309.[7] da Costa then lowered the fastest lap benchmark with a 1:40.227, with what was effectively the last flying lap of the session due to a yellow flag being thrown in the second sector, required after Rowland sent himself spinning across the track in-front of a gaggle of cars.[7]

That yellow meant everyone behind the #30 Mahindra had to back off, and hence meant that there would be no major improvements for over half of the Group.[7] As a result it would be da Costa who ended the Group fastest ahead of Vergne, with Lotterer and de Vries joining the two DS Techeetahs in the Quarter-Finals.[7]

Knockouts[]

After a five minute wait at the end of the Group stage the Quarter-Finals would begin, starting with a duel between Dennis in the #27 Andretti and de Vries in the #17 Mercedes.[7] Quarter-Final two would then see Frijns take on Lotterer, followed by Vandoorne against Vergne, before the final Quarter-Final between Wehrlein and da Costa would settle who progressed into the Semi-Finals.[7]

Quarter-Finals[]

Into the first duel and it was de Vries who headed out onto the track first, and would gain two tenths in the first sector alone with a strong run down the hill and into turn three.[7] Dennis would respond with a slightly quicker second sector, although a snappy rear on the #27 Andretti would undermine the Brit in the final third of the lap, handing victory to de Vries as the #17 Mercedes recorded a 1:38.980.[7] Quarter Final two would see Frijns, running behind Lotterer, gain the upperhand initially in the first sector, before the duel was effectively settled in the second sector after Lotterer struggled over the bumps entering turn seven.[7] A huge third sector for Frijns only confirmed the inevitable, with his 1:38.764 comfortably faster than Lotterer's 1:39.482.[7]

The third Quarter-Final would open with Vandoorne starting his run, and despite looking stronger through the first half of the first sector it was Vergne who was on top after the first sector, half a tenth quicker.[7] The duel would then slowly turn in Vandoorne's favour over the rest of the lap, with the Belgian pilot setting excellent times in the second and third sectors to claim 1:38.596, while Vergne lost a huge amount of time in the second sector after missing the apex of turn eight, leaving him on a 1:39.105.[7] The final duel then took to the circuit with Wehrlein running ahead of da Costa, with the Portguese racer gaining a two tenth lead in the first sector, only for Wehrlein to come back at him in the second.[7] That made the third part of the lap the decisive one, and it was da Costa's slightly more aggressive run through that sector that won the duel for the #13 Techeetah as he found three tenths to beat the #94 Porsche.[7]

Semi-Finals[]

The all Dutch first Semi-Final would get underway with de Vries first on track, and the defending Champion would find himself fighting a very lively rear-end on the #17 Mercedes, which cost him a tenth and a half to Frijns in the first sector.[7] Into the second and de Vries seemed to have somewhat tamed the back of his car, allowing him to take three hundredths out of Frijns in the second sector, giving him a chance in third.[7] Yet, de Vries' benchmark in the third sector would not be enough, for which he found another couple of hundredths over Frijns, it was the #4 Envision that progressed to the final with a controlled 1:38.836 to beat de Vries by 0.113s.[7]

The second Semi-Final again saw a Mercedes start its lap first, with Vandoorne in the #5 Mercedes gaining an initial advantage over the chasing da Costa, the pair separated by just 0.004s after nearly identical opening sectors.[7] The second sector then seemed to be heading in da Costa's favour after the Portuguese pilot gained the lead through turn seven, only for a cautious run through the chicane to cost him two tenths to Vandoorne come the end of the second sector.[7] That, ultimately, would be a gap that da Costa simply couldn't make up despite his best efforts in the third, falling just 0.015s shy of Vandoorne's 1:38.971 come the end of their respective runs.[7]

Final[]

Having set a slower time in the Semis it was Vandoorne who went out first in the final, although that did not deter the Belgian pilot, who looked perfectly comfortable through the first set of corners to gain a tenth advantage over Frijns behind.[7] Frijns looked stronger come the end of the opening sector, however, trailing by just 0.04s, although a slide as he came through the chicane would hand the initiative back to Vandoorne as the #4 Envision lost two tenths in that moment alone.[7] That ultimately settled the Final in Vandoorne's favour, whose slightly better run through the final sector left him on a 1:39.151, a mark which Frijns would fall shy of by almost three and a half tenths at the end of his lap.[7]

Post Qualifying[]

The final qualifying result for the 2022 Rome E-Prix I are outlined below:

2022 Rome E-Prix I Qualifying Results
Final
Heat Pos. No. Name Team Time Gap Grid
I Win 5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne Flag of Germany Mercedes 1:39.151 1
Lose 4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Racing 1:39.500 +0.349s 2
Semi-Finals
Heat Pos. No. Name Team Time Gap Grid
I Win 4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Racing 1:38.836 F
Lose 17 Dutch Flag Nyck de Vries Flag of Germany Mercedes 1:38.949 +0.113s 3
II Win 5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne Flag of Germany Mercedes 1:38.971 F
Lose 13 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa Flag of France DS Techeetah 1:38.986 +0.015s 4
Quarter Finals
Heat Pos. No. Name Team Time Gap Grid
QF 1 Win 17 Dutch Flag Nyck de Vries Flag of Germany Mercedes 1:38.980 SF
Lose 27 Flag of the United Kingdom Jake Dennis Flag of the United States Avalanche Andretti 1:39.288 +0.308s 6
QF 2 Win 4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Racing 1:38.764 SF
Lose 36 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 1:39.482 +0.718s 8
QF 3 Win 5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne Flag of Germany Mercedes 1:38.596 SF
Lose 25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of France DS Techeetah 1:39.105 +0.509s 5
QF 4 Win 13 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa Flag of France DS Techeetah 1:39.038 SF
Lose 94 Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 1:39.363 +0.325s 7
Group Stage
Pos. No. Name Team Time Gap Grid Group
1st 27 Flag of the United Kingdom Jake Dennis Flag of the United States Avalanche Andretti 1:40.069 QF 1 GA
2nd 4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Racing 1:40.128 +0.059s QF 2 GA
3rd 5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne Flag of Germany Mercedes 1:40.128 +0.059s QF 3 GA
4th 13 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa Flag of France DS Techeetah 1:40.227 +0.158s QF 4 GB
5th 94 Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 1:40.270 +0.201s QF 4 GA
6th 25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of France DS Techeetah 1:40.309 +0.240s QF 3 GB
7th 36 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 1:40.357 +0.288s QF 2 GB
8th 9 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 1:40.375 +0.306s 9 GA
9th 17 Dutch Flag Nyck de Vries Flag of Germany Mercedes 1:40.458 +0.389s QF 1 GB
10th 48 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing 1:40.554 +0.485s 11 GA
11th 30 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland Flag of India Mahindra Racing 1:40.748 +0.679s 10 GB
12th 11 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing 1:40.770 +0.701s 12 GB
13th 37 Flag of New Zealand Nick Cassidy Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Racing 1:40.833 +0.764s 14 GB
14th 10 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 1:40.836 +0.767s 13 GA
15th 29 Flag of the United Kingdom Alexander Sims Flag of India Mahindra Racing 1:40.930 +0.861s 15 GA
16th 23 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 1:40.945 +0.876s 17 GA
17th 28 Flag of the United States Oliver Askew Flag of the United States Avalanche Andretti 1:40.950 +0.881s 19 GA
18th 22 Flag of Germany Maximilian Günther Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 1:40.999 +0.930s 16 GB
19th 3 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team 1:41.304 +1.235s 18 GB
20th 33 Flag of the United Kingdom Dan Ticktum Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team 1:41.410 +1.341s 20 GA
21st* 7 Flag of Brazil Sérgio Sette Câmara Flag of the United States Dragon/Penske Autosport 1:41.570 +1.501s 22* GB
22nd 99 Flag of Italy Antonio Giovinazzi Flag of the United States Dragon/Penske Autosport 1:41.756 +1.687s 21 GB
Group A 110% Time: 1:50.075[8]
Group B 110% Time: 1:50.249[8]
Source:[8]
  • * Sette Câmara served a three place grid penalty for speeding during red flag conditions in FP2.[9]

Race[]

It was overcast in Rome as the field gathered on the dummy grid ahead of the start of the E-Prix, although there was no real threat of rain in the 45 minute window within which the race was scheduled for.[10] In terms of the grid there had only been one change to the order, Sérgio Sette Câmara serving a grid penalty for speeding under red flag conditions during FP2, although that only actually resulted in a one position loss for the #7 Dragon/Penske.[9] In terms of Attack Mode the drivers would have to activate the additional power twice during the race, with each use lasting for four minutes.[11]

Report[]

After everyone had taken their position on the grid proper, set between turns three and four, the race would get underway, with pole sitter Stoffel Vandoorne launching away well enough that he could dictate the run into turn one.[10] The Belgian pilot duly drifted to the inside to deny Robin Frijns an attempt at a lunge into the first corner, while behind Nyck de Vries would take the inside line to keep Jean-Éric Vergne at bay.[10] António Félix da Costa, meanwhile, would run around the outside of his teammate as Vergne harassed the #17 Mercedes in the first corner, and duly snatched third as they began the run up hill for the first time.[10]

An eventful opening lap, which saw the field technically complete one and a half tours of the Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR due to the position of the start line, would then see Jake Dennis try and take both DS Techeetahs in one go at turn seven, although he had to back out of the lunge.[10] Behind them, meanwhile, Edoardo Mortara mistimed a jink to the inside of Oliver Rowland into the very same corner, and instead managed to shove the #30 Mahindra straight into the outside wall, which partially blocked the circuit.[10] Several drivers, including Sam Bird would benefit from the accident and gain a bunch of places, although Lucas di Grassi, Maximilian Günther, Oliver Turvey, Dan Ticktum and Antonio Giovinazzi all got caught behind the stuck Rowland.[10]

Rowland would eventually untangle himself from the barriers without outside assistance to release di Grassi and co., only for Günther to lose it all on his own at turn nine and crash heavily into the barriers.[10] A Virtual Safety Car was duly thrown to allow the #22 Nissan e.Dams to be dragged from the circuit, although after a minute and with debris throughout the first and second sectors it was upgraded to a full Safety Car.[10] The SC would then stay out for six minutes before the race got back underway, Vandoorne making his bid for freedom exiting turn seventeen at the end of lap four.[10]

Frijns was slow to react to the #5 Mercedes' breakaway, and would instead work to deny de Vries a look at claiming second into turn three, before easing away from the #17 Mercedes over the rest of the restart lap.[10] He duly dragged de Vries and da Costa back onto Vandoorne's tail over the next lap, while those four opened up a gap back to the next group featuring Vergne, Dennis, Mitch Evans and the two Porsches.[10] Elsewhere, Nick Cassidy and Oliver Askew became the first drivers to arm Attack Mode as they circulated in thirteenth and fourteenth, while Mortara was handed a 5 second time penalty for his part in elbowing Rowland into the barriers.[10]

Back with the leaders and da Costa was the first to arm AM on lap seven, dropping behind teammate Vergne as Pascal Wehrlein led teammate André Lotterer into the activation zone, allowing Bird to sneak past the pair of them.[10] Up front, meanwhile, Frijns was lining up a move on Vandoorne for the lead, and duly sent the #4 Envision down the inside of the #5 Mercedes into turn four on lap eight, prompting Vandoorne to take AM later in the lap.[10] He and teammate de Vries duly dropped back behind da Costa, who had passed Vergne without issue into turn seven earlier on during the lap, with the Frenchman himself just managing to remain ahead of Evans as he too took the boost.[10]

Frijns waited until the following tour to take AM for himself, with a strong but energy burning run seeing the #4 Envision successfully arm the boost without losing the lead, just managing to beat da Costa out of the hairpin.[10] da Costa, meanwhile, would lose his AM boost a few seconds later, and duly came under attack from Vandoorne at the start of lap ten, who duly danced around the outside of the #13 Techeetah to grab seocnd on the brakes for turn seven.[10] de Vries subsequently followed his teammate past da Costa with a robust lunge into turn fourteen, with a minor hipcheck seeing da Costa pushed wide and lose out Vergne on the exit.[10]

After passing his teammate Vergne would move up to challenge de Vries for third, while da Costa was left to fend off the attentions of Dennis and Evans, the latter having taken AM in the wake of de Vries' lunge at the Portuguese ace.[10] Dennis, in his efforts to block Evans into turn four, would inadvertantly lunge down the inside of da Costa, with contact between the two at the apex seeing da Costa get shoved wide and lose out to both the Brit and the New Zealander.[10] Evans then tried to get inside the #27 Andretti into turn seven but was blocked, with da Costa slipping back into the sights of the two Porsches rather than getting involved in their fight.[10]

Lap thirteen and this time it was Frijns who started the second AM phase, dropping to second behind Vandoorne after taking his second AM boost, while behind Vergne did the same from fourth.[10] The #25 Techeetah would rejoin alongside Dennis just as he was trying to fend off a look to the inside of the hairpin from Evans, resulting in contact between the Andretti and the Techeetah as they tried to take the same piece of tarmac on the exit.[10] Evans duly powered past the pair of them as they lost momentum from the contact, although Vergne would at least remain ahead of Dennis as the Brit lost time too.[10]

Back with the leaders and Frijns was on the warpath, lunging down the inside of Vandoorne into turn four to reclaim the lead, with Vandoorne having to work to also keep teammate de Vries at bay.[10] Vandoorne duly took his second AM in response and dropped back behind his teammate, only for de Vries to allow him to pass without a struggle on the following tour into turn four, releasing the Belgian to chase after Frijns.[10] That would, however, also allow Evans to close the remaining gap he had to the #17 Mercedes, and a few moments later the New Zealander sent the #9 Jaguar lunging down the inside of de Vries into turn seven to claim third.[10]

Momentum truly was with Evans at that moment, the Jaguar breaking away from de Vries at rapid pace and catching onto the back of Vandoorne, before taking his second AM boost the moment his first one had finished.[10] He would retain third, aided by the fact that Vergne had sent a lunge at de Vries into turn seven that had cost both of them time, and by the start of the following lap the #9 Jaguar was in striking position behind the lead duo.[10] Indeed, Vandoorne and Frijns had held each other up while squabbling over the lead, Vandoorne having danced the #5 Mercedes down the outside of turn seven on the brakes to gain the lead, but in doing so had forefitted most of their advantage over the boosted Evans.[10]

Into turn four on lap eighteen and Frijns would try a lunge to the inside, which Vandoorne tried to block but hit a bump which spat the back of the #5 Mercedes to the side, meaning he had to back out in order to keep control.[10] That hence allowed Frijns to move back into the lead, while Evans pulled ahead of Vandoorne on the exit having sneaked inside Vandoorne as the Belgian racer continued his battle to retame his Mercedes.[10] Behind them, meanwhile, de Vries appeared to have an issue as he came through turn three, the #17 Mercedes losing out to da Costa, Mortara, Bird and Wehrlein down the start straight without so much as an attempt to block them.[10]

Back with Evans and the #9 Jaguar was in striking position at the start of lap nineteen, and after forcing Frijns to defend into turn three, Evans was able to drive around the outside of the #4 Envision into turn four to claim the lead.[10] With that Evans was away, quickly using the c.1% energy advantage he had over Frijns to build a lead, and leave Frijns to instead watch his mirrors for Vandoorne with seven minutes of normal time remaining.[10] It was not Vandoorne, however, that Frijns who needed to look out for, as Dennis would streak through from sixth to second over the next three laps, first taking Mortara at turn four and Vergne at turn seven on lap nineteen, lunging down the inside of Vandoorne at turn fourteen on lap twenty, before completing his charge by diving inside Frijns at turn seven on lap 21.[10]

The race seemed to settle after Dennis' charge, with the field informed that there would be an extra 5 minutes and 15 seconds of time added to the clock after the SC period earlier in the race.[10] In the final minute of the original 45 minutes, however, the race would spark back into life, starting with Vandoorne using FanBoost to draw inside Frijns into turn four, just as the #4 Envision had caught back up to Dennis.[10] Vandoorne duly went on to send the #5 Mercedes lunging inside the #27 Andretti into turn seven a few moments later, a move that Frijns would also benefit from to snatch third, with Dennis now in something of an energy debt and having to conserve his remaining energy.[10]

Into added time and Dennis' challenge was done, with Vergne having already passed at turn fourteen before Mortara and Bird went lunging past with identical moves on the #27 Andretti into turns four and seven on lap 24.[10] Vergne, meanwhile, would use his FanBoost to try and attack Frijns for third, although the Dutchman was able to resist the attentions of the #25 Techeetah and retain the final podium spot.[10] Indeed, that successful defence seemed to be a rallying call for the #4 Envision pilot, as Frijns duly managed to escape from Vergne in the following laps and move back onto Vandoorne's tail, moving into striking position at the start of the penultimate lap.[10]

The penultimate lap of the race would prove to be an eventful one, with Bird starting the lap with a look at Mortara into turn three for sixth, as ahead Frijns plotted his attack on Vandoorne for second.[10] As they braked for turn four the #4 Envision pounced, Frijns sending his car skating down the inside of the #5 Mercedes for third time during the race to claim second, before scampering away on the exit to secure the position.[10] Vergne moved up to challenge the Mercedes into turn seven but found Vandoorne to be stubborn in defence, prompting Mortara to try and run around the outside of the corner to relieve Vergne of fourth, although instead the #48 ROKiT Venturi would lose fifth to Bird as he dived inside the Swiss pilot through turn eight.[10]

With that the race was run, with Evans able to cruise through the final tour with a handsome five second lead to claim victory ahead of Frijns.[10] Vandoorne chased them across the line to complete the podium, while Vergne did just enough to deny Bird as the Brit completed his late charge which had seen him climb from ninth to fifth in the final few minutes.[10] Mortara was next across the line but his earlier time penalty pushed him back to seventh behind da Costa, Wehrlein secured eight ahead of Cassidy, while Lotterer secured the final point in tenth.[10]

Result[]

The final classification of the 2022 Rome E-Prix I is displayed below, with the fastest lap setter indicated in italics, and the pole sitter shown in bold:

2022 Rome E-Prix I Race Result
Pos. No. Name Team Laps Race Time Fastest lap Pts.
1st 9 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 27 51:59.632 1:42.340 25
2nd 4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Racing 27 +5.703s 1:42.500 18
3rd 5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne FanBoost Flag of Germany Mercedes 27 +6.966s 1:42.065 18
4th 25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne FanBoost Flag of France DS Techeetah 27 +7.553s 1:41.914 12
5th 10 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 27 +7.877s 1:41.826 10
6th 13 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa FanBoost Flag of France DS Techeetah 27 +8.971s 1:41.771 8
7th* 48 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing 27 +13.356s 1:41.766 6
8th 94 Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 27 +14.216s 1:42.605 4
9th 37 Flag of New Zealand Nick Cassidy Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Racing 27 +14.543s 1:41.729 3
10th 36 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 27 +19.339s 1:42.814 1
11th 11 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing 27 +19.731s 1:41.653
12th 29 Flag of the United Kingdom Alexander Sims Flag of India Mahindra Racing 27 +24.758s 1:42.541
13th 27 Flag of the United Kingdom Jake Dennis Flag of the United States Avalanche Andretti 27 +25.029s 1:42.375
14th 28 Flag of the United States Oliver Askew Flag of the United States Avalanche Andretti 27 +28.039s 1:42.908
15th§ 7 Flag of Brazil Sérgio Sette Câmara Flag of the United States Dragon/Penske Autosport 27 +28.645s 1:42.139
16th 23 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 27 +28.865s 1:41.982
17th 3 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team 27 +58.372s 1:41.931
18th§ 33 Flag of the United Kingdom Dan Ticktum Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team 27 +1:19.306 1:42.661
19thƒ 99 Flag of Italy Antonio Giovinazzi FanBoost Flag of the United States Dragon/Penske Autosport 27 +1:37.231 1:42.309
Ret 17 Dutch Flag Nyck de Vries FanBoost Flag of Germany Mercedes 25 Retired 1:42.643
Ret 30 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland Flag of India Mahindra Racing 17 Damage 1:43.313
Ret 22 Flag of Germany Maximilian Günther Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 0 Accident
Source:[8]
  • FanBoost Indicates a driver was awarded FanBoost during the race.[12]
  • * Mortara served a five second time penalty for causing a collision with Rowland.[13]
  • di Grassi set the fastest lap of the race, 1:41.653, but was ineligible to claim the bonus point as he failed to finish in the top ten.
  • Dennis served a five second time penalty for causing a collision with da Costa.[14]
  • § Sette Câmara and Ticktum served five second time penalties for dropping too far behind the car in front during the Safety Car period.[15][16]
  • ƒ Giovinazzi served a five second time penalty for dropping too far the car in front during the SC period.[17] Giovinazzi was also handed a 30 second time penalty for exceeding the maximum speed during the Full Course Yellow period.[18]
  • de Vries was handed a three place grid penalty for the 2022 Rome E-Prix II for causing a collision with Wehrlein.[19]

Milestones[]

Standings[]

In-spite of the post-race time penalty Edoardo Mortara had retained the lead in the Championship after the fourth race of the season, with his lead having been reduced to three points. Stoffel Vandoorne, meanwhile, had climbed to second to be the Swiss racer's closest challenger, with Robin Frijns also moving up to claim third. Jean-Éric Vergne and Nyck de Vries then completed the top five, with no new names on the scoresheet after the opening bout in Rome.

In the Teams' Championship Mercedes had moved to the top of the table, the German squad having secured 84 points after the opening four races. ROKiT Venturi, their customer team, had made way for them and slipped to second, ten behind, while Porsche were a further nine behind in third. DS Techeetah were next up ahead of Envision Racing, while Jaguar Racing had moved up to sixth after their first win of the season.

2021/22 Drivers Championship
Pos. Name Pts. +/-
1st Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara 49 ◄0
2nd Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne 46 ▲3
3rd Dutch Flag Robin Frijns 42 ▲6
4th Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne 39 ▲2
5th Dutch Flag Nyck de Vries 38 ▼3
6th Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein 34 ▼3
7th Flag of Germany André Lotterer 31 ▼3
8th Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans 26 ▲8
9th Flag of the United Kingdom Jake Dennis 26 ▼2
10th Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi 25 ▼2
11th Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird 22 ◄0
12th Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa 20 ▼2
13th Flag of New Zealand Nick Cassidy 10 ▼1
14th Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi 4 ▼1
15th Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland 4 ▼1
16th Flag of Germany Maximilian Günther 2 ▼1
17th Flag of the United States Oliver Askew 2 ▼1
2021/22 Teams Championship
Pos. Name Pts. +/-
1st Flag of Germany Mercedes 84 ▲1
2nd Flag of Monaco ROKiT Venturi Racing 74 ▼1
3rd Flag of Germany Porsche Formula E Team 65 ◄0
4th Flag of France DS Techeetah 59 ◄0
5th Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Racing 52 ◄0
6th Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 48 ▲1
7th Flag of the United States Avalanche Andretti 28 ▼1
8th Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 6 ◄0
9th Flag of India Mahindra Racing 4 ◄0
10th Flag of China NIO 333 FE Team 0 ◄0
11th Flag of the United States Dragon/Penske Autosport 0 ◄0

Only point scoring drivers are shown.

References[]

Videos and Images:

References:

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 'SEASON 8 CALENDAR: Cape Town, Vancouver and Seoul feature on most expansive Formula E schedule yet', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 08/07/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/july/season-8-calendar-announcement, (Accessed 08/07/2021)
  2. 2.0 2.1 'QUALIFYING: VANDOORNE PINCHES POLE AHEAD OF FIRST RACE IN ROME', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 09/04/2022), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2022/april/qualifying-rome-report, (Accessed 10/04/2022)
  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 'RACE REPORT: EVANS STORMS TO VICTORY ON THE STREETS OF ROME', fiaformula2.com, (FIA Formula 2, 09/04/2022), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2022/april/race-report-rome-round-four, (Accessed 10/04/2022)
  4. 'UPDATED SEASON 8 CALENDAR AND SPORTING REGULATIONS RATIFIED', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 15/12/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/december/fia-world-motorsport-council-calendar-update, (Accessed 15/12/2021)
  5. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named EL
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 'Updated calendar, faster racing and knockout qualifying for Season 8', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 15/10/2021), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2021/october/season-8-sporting-update, (Accessed 16/10/2021)
  7. 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 7.15 7.16 7.17 7.18 7.19 7.20 7.21 7.22 7.23 7.24 7.25 7.26 7.27 7.28 7.29 7.30 7.31 7.32 7.33 7.34 7.35 7.36 7.37 7.38 7.39 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named QH
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Results
  9. 9.0 9.1 'ROUND 4 & 5 - ROME E-PRIX - 8 - 10 APRIL 2022: Decision No. 9', results.fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 09/04/2022), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/07_2021-22/04_R04%20Rome/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/036_Doc%2036%20-%20Decision%20No.%209.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 10/04/2022)
  10. 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 10.16 10.17 10.18 10.19 10.20 10.21 10.22 10.23 10.24 10.25 10.26 10.27 10.28 10.29 10.30 10.31 10.32 10.33 10.34 10.35 10.36 10.37 10.38 10.39 10.40 10.41 10.42 10.43 10.44 10.45 10.46 10.47 10.48 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RH
  11. 'ROUND 4 & 5 - ROME E-PRIX - 8 - 10 APRIL 2022: Attack Mode - Round 4', results.fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 08/04/2022), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/07_2021-22/04_R04%20Rome/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/041_Doc%2041%20-%20Bulletin%20No.%204.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 06/08/2022)
  12. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named FBA
  13. 'ROUND 4 & 5 - ROME E-PRIX - 8 - 10 APRIL 2022: Decision No. 10', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 09/04/2022), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/07_2021-22/04_R04%20Rome/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/042_Doc%2042%20-%20Decision%20No.%2010.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 10/04/2022)
  14. 'ROUND 4 & 5 - ROME E-PRIX - 8 - 10 APRIL 2022: Decision No. 11', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 09/04/2022), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/07_2021-22/04_R04%20Rome/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/044_Doc%2044%20-%20Decision%20No.%2011.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 10/04/2022)
  15. 'ROUND 4 & 5 - ROME E-PRIX - 8 - 10 APRIL 2022: Decision No. 12', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 09/04/2022), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/07_2021-22/04_R04%20Rome/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/046_Doc%2046%20-%20Decision%20No.%2012.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 10/04/2022)
  16. 'ROUND 4 & 5 - ROME E-PRIX - 8 - 10 APRIL 2022: Decision No. 13', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 09/04/2022), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/07_2021-22/04_R04%20Rome/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/047_Doc%2047%20-%20Decision%20No.%2013.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 10/04/2022)
  17. 'ROUND 4 & 5 - ROME E-PRIX - 8 - 10 APRIL 2022: Decision No. 14', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 09/04/2022), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/07_2021-22/04_R04%20Rome/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/048_Doc%2048%20-%20Decision%20No.%2014.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 10/04/2022)
  18. 'ROUND 4 & 5 - ROME E-PRIX - 8 - 10 APRIL 2022: Decision No. 16', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 09/04/2022), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/07_2021-22/04_R04%20Rome/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/052_Doc%2052%20-%20Decision%20No.%2016.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 10/04/2022)
  19. 'ROUND 4 & 5 - ROME E-PRIX - 8 - 10 APRIL 2022: Decision No. 15', results.fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 10/04/2022), https://fe-noticeboard.s3.amazonaws.com/07_2021-22/04_R04%20Rome/ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20World%20Championship/050_Doc%2050%20-%20Decision%20No.%2015.pdf#pdfjs.action=download, (Accessed 10/04/2022)
2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship
Entrants
Avalanche Andretti Formula EDragon/Penske AutosportDS TecheetahEnvision RacingJaguar TCS RacingMahindra RacingMercedes-EQ Formula E TeamNIO 333 FE TeamNissan e.DamsROKiT Venturi RacingTAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
Manufacturers
BMWDSJaguarMahindra & MahindraMercedes-BenzNIONissanPenskePorsche
Cars
Spark SRT05e
Audi e-tron FE07BMW iFE.21DS E-Tense FE21Jaguar I-Type VMahindra M7ElectroMercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02NIO 333 FE 001Nissan IM03Penske EV-5Porsche 99X Electric
Drivers
3 Oliver Turvey4 Robin Frijns5 Stoffel Vandoorne7 Sérgio Sette Câmara9 Mitch Evans10 Sam Bird11 Lucas di Grassi13 António Félix da Costa17 Nyck de Vries22 Maximilian Günther23 Sébastien Buemi25 Jean-Éric Vergne27 Jake Dennis28 Oliver Askew29 Alexander Sims30 Oliver Rowland33 Dan Ticktum36 André Lotterer37 Nick Cassidy48 Edoardo Mortara94 Pascal Wehrlein99 Antonio Giovinazzi
E-Prix
Diriyah IDiriyah IIMexico CityRome IRome IIMonacoBerlin IBerlin IIJakartaMarrakeshNew York City INew York City IILondon ILondon IISeoul ISeoul II
Cancelled E-Prix
Cape Town E-Prix • Vancouver E-Prix
Tests
Valencia
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