 2022 Seoul E-Prix I
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|---|---|---|
 The Seoul E-Prix finally made its FE debut in 2022. | ||
| Race Information | ||
| Date | 13 August 2022 | |
| E-Prix No. | 99 (15 of 2021/22) | |
| Official Name | 2022 Hana Bank Seoul E-Prix I[1] | |
| Location |  Seoul Street CircuitJamsil Sports Complex, Seoul, South Korea | |
| Format | 45 min + 1 Lap | |
| Lap length | 2.621 km (1.628 mi) | |
| Distance | 30 laps / 79.002 km (49.090 mi) | |
| Qualifying Result | ||
| Pole Sitter |  Oliver Rowland
| |
| Team |  Mahindra Racing
| |
| Time | 1:35.406 | |
| Fastest Lap | ||
| Driver | Jake Dennis
| |
| Team |  Avalanche Andretti Formula E
| |
| Fastest Lap | 1:25.497 on lap 27 | |
| ePrix Result | ||
| First | Second | Third |
 Mitch Evans
|
Oliver Rowland
|
 Lucas di Grassi
|
| Winner Team | Jaguar TCS Racing
| |
| Time | 1:29:55.478 | |
| ePrix Guide | ||
| Previous | Next | |
| 2022 London E-Prix II
|
2022 Seoul E-Prix II
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The 2022 Seoul E-Prix I, formally known as the 2022 Hana Bank Seoul E-Prix I, was the fifteenth and penultimate E-Prix of the 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, staged at the Seoul Street Circuit in the Jamsil Sports Complex, Seoul, South Korea, on 13 August 2022.[1][2] The race was the first running of the Seoul E-Prix, after it had been postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.[3]
Qualifying had seen Oliver Rowland snatch a surprise pole position in the #30 Mahindra in wet conditions, defeating recently announced future teammate Lucas di Grassi in the final by 0.623s.[4] En-route to the final Rowland would defeat Sérgio Sette Câmara by default and Pascal Wehrlein in the Semis, while di Grassi fended off challenges from Jake Dennis and title pretender Mitch Evans.[4] Champion elect Stoffel Vandoorne, meanwhile, would grab seventh on the grid after being defeated in the Quarter-Finals by Wehrlein.[4]
The circuit was still very damp as the field lined up on the grid for the start, and this would undermine Rowland right from the get go as the #30 Mahindra launched straight onto a painted surface, killing his momentum almost instantly.[5] di Grassi and Evans duly went either side of Rowland to snatch first and second into the first corner, before Evans pulled an audatious move on di Grassi into turn one, slithering down the inside of the #11 ROKiT Venturi to claim the lead for himself.[5]
With that Evans was away, although before the end of the opening lap his lead would be wiped out by a red flag, moments after Rowland had retaliated and grabbed second from di Grassi.[5] The issue was at turn twenty/twenty-one where eight cars had ended up in the barriers, as a combination damp conditions, changing road surfaces and spray had caused chaos for those in the lower half of the field.[5] Norman Nato, the first man to slide into the wall, and Nick Cassidy would both escape and pit for repairs, while Sébastien Buemi found himself on top of Nyck de Vries after the Dutchman had slammed into the back of the #23 Nissan e.Dams and wedged the #17 Mercedes underneath it.[5]
After 45 minutes the accident had been cleared and the order untangled, which was set to how the field had completed the second sector of the opening tour, with Evans hence leading the field as they returned to the circuit behind the Safety Car.[5] After single tour the race resumed with Evans escaping into the lead ahead of Rowland and di Grassi, with status quo reigning behind throughout the early laps.[5]
Indeed, other than drivers taking Attack Mode the action would be rather limited in the first half of the race, the biggest incident of note being when Jean-Éric Vergne punted Edoardo Mortara out of fifth place, a result of the Swiss pilot weaving around in the braking zone in front of the Frenchman.[5] That move would also allow Vandoorne to pass the #48 Venturi as it rejoined the circuit, before Mortara had 5 seconds added to his woes for his overly aggressive defending.[5]
Mortara would make more questionable defensive manoeuvres when trying to hold Wehrlein at bay, before his race came to an end with a right-rear puncture, although Mortara did do a good job of slotting the #48 Venturi behind the barriers without outside assistance.[5] Out front, meanwhile, Evans was still in complete control ahead of Rowland, di Grassi and Jake Dennis, while Vandoorne inherited fifth from Vergne when the #25 DS Techeetah was abnormally slow exiting the penultimate corner.[5]
With five minutes to go the race was settled, Alexander Sims putting himself into the barriers in the Stadium and out of the race, the SC making its second appearance of the day to lead the field past the chequered flag.[5] Evans hence claimed an impressive victory to keep his slim title hopes alive ahead of Rowland and di Grassi, while Dennis claimed the bonus point for fastest lap in fourth.[5] Vandoorne finished in fifth to maintain a strong 21 point lead over Evans in the Championship heading into the final day of the season, with Vergne, Wehrlein, Robin Frijns, António Félix da Costa and Cassidy securing the remaining points.[5]
Background[]
After fourteen races in nine cities the 2021/22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship arrived in Seoul, South Korea, for its season finale, to be held across two races centred upon a former Olympic stadium.[2] Inedd, the Jamsil Sports Complex in the South Korean capital would play host to the Seoul Street Circuit, which was to stage both the inaugural Seoul E-Prix as well as the 99th and 100th FE races, a significant milestone in FE's history.[2] The races would also be the last of the Generation 2 era for FE, with the Spark SRT05e to be retired at the end of the race weekend having served as the Series' base chassis since 2018/19.[6]
Korean Captivation[]
The 2022 Seoul E-Prix I would be the first staging of the Seoul E-Prix, which had first been touted to join the FE Championship during the 2019/20 season after being included on that season's calendar.[7] That attempt at hosting the race had to be abandoned due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, while ongoing issues with the virus and in Seoul meant that the race was skipped over for 2020/21.[3] Regardless, the Seoul E-Prix would feature on the calendar for 2021/22, and with the virus in relative retreat in Korea, the Seoul E-Prix would finally debut, over two years after its originally planned date.[2]
Bird's Blight[]
Elsewhere, Sam Bird would be a no-show for the season finale, after the Brit was found to have broken his hand at the 2022 London E-Prix II, an injury he would carry throughout that race.[8] The British racer was taken to hospital for scans after complaining of a pain in his hand, with the Jaguar Racing squad later confirming that Bird had suffered a "displaced mid-shaft fracture on his left hand", which he had sustained on the opening lap of the second battle of London.[8] Ultimately Bird was required to have surgery on his hand, meaning he would have to miss the Seoul round despite initial optimism he would be able take part in what would be his 99th and 100th FE races,[8] therefore ending his streak of winning at least one race in every season entered.
On 5 August, the same date that Bird and Jaguar confirmed that the Brit would not take part in the Seoul E-Prix, it was revealed that Norman Nato would sub in for the British ace, having served as Jaguar's reserve driver throughout Season Eight.[9] It would hence be Nato's first appearance since the 2021 Berlin E-Prix II, a race that the Frenchman had won in the hands of a ROKiT Venturi to conclude the 2020/21 season.[9]
Mahindra Motivation[]
Ahead of the Seoul E-Prix one of the first driver line-up announcements for 2022/23 would be unveiled, as Mahindra Racing announced their capture of Lucas di Grassi for the campaign.[10] The move, which would see di Grassi join Oliver Rowland at the squad for Season 9, meant that di Grassi returned to being a factory driver for an FE team, and would arguably be the biggest driver deal Mahindra had made since securing Nick Heidfeld's signature in 2015.[10] The announcement was expected to set off a chain of other driver announcements during the Seoul weekend, while Alexander Sims, the man di Grassi would replace at Mahindra, was set to leave FE to reignite his sportscar career.[10]
Londinium Lunge[]
The title would be Stoffel Vandoorne's to lose heading into the final two races in Seoul, with the Belgian pilot holding a 36 point lead after his title rivals all failed to score in the second London race. Indeed, victory for Vandoorne in the first race in Seoul would earn him the title, with Mitch Evans needing to outscore the Belgian by at least seven points in the first Seoul race in order to keep his title hopes alive. For Edoardo Mortara the target in the first Seoul E-Prix would be to outscore Vandoorne by eleven, while Jean-Éric Vergne was still mathematically in the hunt, but faced a huge 57 point gap with only 58 left to fight for.
In the Teams' Championship it was likewise all in Mercedes' hands heading to South Korea, with the German squad holding a healthy 36 point lead over their closest challengers. Those challengers were in the form of customer team ROKiT Venturi, who would have to score at least nine points more than the factory Mercedes squad to remain in the hunt, while DS Techeetah had to best the factory Mercedes team by twenty in the first Korean bout to retain their hopes. Jaguar Racing in fourth, meanwhile, were 91 points behind and hence were still mathematical contenders, but would need a maximum score in both races and see Mercedes claim less than 3 points across the final two races.
Entry List[]
The full entry list for the 2022 Seoul E-Prix I is displayed below:
Practice[]
FP1[]
FP2[]
Qualifying[]
Qualifying for the 2022 Seoul E-Prix I would be conducted according to the knockout format, introduced ahead of season eight.[12] 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.[12] 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.[12]
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.[12] 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.[12]
Group A[]
Group B[]
Knockouts[]
Quarter Finals[]
Semi Finals[]
Final[]
Post Qualifying[]
The final qualifying result for the 2022 Seoul E-Prix I are outlined below:
| 2022 Seoul E-Prix I Qualifying Results | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final | |||||||
| Heat | Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Time | Gap | Grid |
| I | Win | 30 | Oliver Rowland
|
Mahindra Racing
|
1:35.406 | — | 1 |
| Lose | 11 | Lucas di Grassi
|
 ROKiT Venturi Racing
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1:36.029 | +0.623s | 2 | |
| Semi-Finals | |||||||
| Heat | Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Time | Gap | Grid |
| I | Win | 11 | Lucas di Grassi
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
1:35.692 | — | F |
| Lose | 9 | Mitch Evans
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Jaguar Racing
|
1:35.884 | +0.192s | 3 | |
| II | Win | 30 | Oliver Rowland
|
Mahindra Racing
|
1:34.880 | — | F |
| Lose | 94 |  Pascal Wehrlein
|
Porsche Formula E Team
|
1:36.517 | +1.637s | 4 | |
| Quarter Finals | |||||||
| Heat | Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Time | Gap | Grid |
| QF 1 | Win | 9 | Mitch Evans
|
Jaguar Racing
|
1:31.293 | — | SF |
| Lose | 48 |  Edoardo Mortara
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
1:32.442 | +1.149s | 6 | |
| QF 2 | Win | 11 | Lucas di Grassi
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
1:31.735 | — | SF |
| Lose | 27 | Jake Dennis
|
Avalanche Andretti
|
1:32.424 | +0.689s | 5 | |
| QF 3 | Win | 30 | Oliver Rowland
|
Mahindra Racing
|
1:32.590 | — | SF |
| Lose | 7 | Sérgio Sette Câmara
|
Dragon/Penske Autosport
|
— | 8 | ||
| QF 4 | Win | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein
|
Porsche Formula E Team
|
1:35.117 | — | SF |
| Lose | 5 |  Stoffel Vandoorne
|
Mercedes
|
1:35.401 | +0.284s | 7 | |
| Group Stage | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Time | Gap | Grid | Group |
| 1st | 48 | Edoardo Mortara
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
1:22.397 | — | QF 1 | GA |
| 2nd | 27 | Jake Dennis
|
Avalanche Andretti
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1:22.441 | +0.044s | QF 2 | GA |
| 3rd | 7 | Sérgio Sette Câmara
|
Dragon/Penske Autosport
|
1:22.477 | +0.080s | QF 3 | GA |
| 4th | 5 | Stoffel Vandoorne
|
Mercedes
|
1:22.542 | +0.145s | QF 4 | GA |
| 5th | 23 | Sébastien Buemi
|
 Nissan e.Dams
|
1:22.732 | +0.335s | 10 | GA |
| 6th | 13 |  António Félix da Costa
|
DS Techeetah
|
1:22.793 | +0.396s | 12 | GA |
| 7th | 99 |  Antonio Giovinazzi
|
Dragon/Penske Autosport
|
1:22.837 | +0.440s | 14 | GA |
| 8th | 4 |  Robin Frijns
|
Envision Racing
|
1:23.057 | +0.660s | 16 | GA |
| 9th | 3 | Oliver Turvey
|
 NIO 333 FE Team
|
1:23.214 | +0.817s | 18 | GA |
| 10th | 36 | André Lotterer
|
Porsche Formula E Team
|
1:23.331 | +0.934s | 20 | GA |
| 11th | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein
|
Porsche Formula E Team
|
1:30.321 | +7.924s | QF 4 | GB |
| 12th | 30 | Oliver Rowland
|
Mahindra Racing
|
1:30.345 | +7.948s | QF 3 | GB |
| 13th | 11 | Lucas di Grassi
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
1:30.726 | +8.329s | QF 2 | GB |
| 14th | 9 | Mitch Evans
|
Jaguar Racing
|
1:30.755 | +8.358s | QF 1 | GB |
| 15th | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne
|
DS Techeetah
|
1:30.811 | +8.414s | 9 | GB |
| 16th | 10 | Norman Nato
|
Jaguar Racing
|
1:30.943 | +8.546s | 11 | GB |
| 17th | 33 | Dan Ticktum
|
NIO 333 FE Team
|
1:31.577 | +9.180s | 13 | GB |
| 18th | 17 | Nyck de Vries
|
Mercedes
|
1:31.704 | +9.307s | 15 | GB |
| 19th | 22 | Maximilian Günther
|
Nissan e.Dams
|
1:31.840 | +9.443s | 17 | GB |
| 20th | 37 | Nick Cassidy
|
Envision Racing
|
1:32.387 | +9.990s | 19 | GB |
| 21st | 29 | Alexander Sims
|
Mahindra Racing
|
1:33.592 | +11.195s | 21 | GB |
| Group A 110% Time: 1:30.636[13] | |||||||
| NC | 28 | Oliver Askew
|
Avalanche Andretti
|
1:50.546 | +28.149s | 22 | GA |
| Group B 110% Time: 1:39.353[13] | |||||||
| Source:[13] | |||||||
Race[]
Report[]
Result[]
The final classification of the 2022 Seoul E-Prix I is displayed below, with the fastest lap setter indicated in italics, and the pole sitter shown in bold:
| 2022 Seoul E-Prix I Race Result | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | No. | Name | Team | Laps | Race Time | Fastest lap | Pts. |
| 1st | 9 | Mitch Evans 
|
Jaguar Racing
|
30 | 1:29:55.478 | 1:25.919 | 25 |
| 2nd | 30 | Oliver Rowland
|
Mahindra Racing
|
30 | +0.820s | 1:25.901 | 21 |
| 3rd | 11 | Lucas di Grassi
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
30 | +1.393s | 1:26.129 | 15 |
| 4th | 27 | Jake Dennis
|
Avalanche Andretti
|
30 | +1.902s | 1:25.497 | 13 |
| 5th | 5 | Stoffel Vandoorne
|
Mercedes
|
30 | +2.470s | 1:25.863 | 10 |
| 6th | 25 | Jean-Éric Vergne
|
DS Techeetah
|
30 | +3.957s | 1:26.182 | 8 |
| 7th | 94 | Pascal Wehrlein
|
Porsche Formula E Team
|
30 | +4.149s | 1:25.576 | 6 |
| 8th | 4 | Robin Frijns
|
Envision Racing
|
30 | +4.508s | 1:25.935 | 4 |
| 9th | 13 | António Félix da Costa
|
DS Techeetah
|
30 | +4.970s | 1:26.219 | 2 |
| 10th | 37 | Nick Cassidy
|
Envision Racing
|
30 | +5.325s | 1:25.947 | 1 |
| 11th | 22 | Maximilian Günther
|
Nissan e.Dams
|
30 | +5.610s | 1:26.402 | |
| 12th | 7 | Sérgio Sette Câmara
|
Dragon/Penske Autosport
|
30 | +6.121s | 1:28.055 | |
| 13th* | 10 | Norman Nato
|
Jaguar Racing
|
30 | +57.545s | 1:28.371 | |
| Ret | 29 | Alexander Sims
|
Mahindra Racing
|
26 | Accident | 1:25.780 | |
| Ret | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi
|
Dragon/Penske Autosport
|
24 | Retired | 1:27.784 | |
| Ret | 48 | Edoardo Mortara
|
ROKiT Venturi Racing
|
20 | Puncture | 1:28.268 | |
| Ret | 23 | Sébastien Buemi
|
Nissan e.Dams
|
0 | Accident | — | |
| Ret | 33 | Dan Ticktum
|
NIO 333 FE Team
|
0 | Accident | — | |
| Ret | 17 | Nyck de Vries
|
Mercedes
|
0 | Accident | — | |
| Ret | 33 | Oliver Turvey
|
NIO 333 FE Team
|
0 | Accident | — | |
| Ret | 36 | André Lotterer
|
Porsche Formula E Team
|
0 | Accident | — | |
| Ret | 28 | Oliver Askew
|
Avalanche Andretti
|
0 | Accident | — | |
| Source:[13] | |||||||
Indicates a driver was awarded FanBoost during the race.- * Nato served a five second time penalty for falling more than ten car lengths behind the car ahead during a Safety Car period.[14] The penalty made no difference as he finished the race last.
Milestones[]
- First Seoul E-Prix to be staged.
- Sixth victory for Mitch Evans.
- Jaguar Racing claimed their eighth win as an entrant.
- Also the eighth win for Jaguar as a powertrain supplier.
- Lucas di Grassi became the first driver in FE history to pass 1,000 career points.
- Fifth fastest lap recorded by Andretti Formula E as an entrant.
Standings[]
Stoffel Vandoorne had failed to secure the Championship at the first time of asking in the first Seoul E-Prix, although the Belgian pilot remained the overwhelming favourite heading into the final day of the season. Indeed, only a victory with Vandoorne retiring would realistically hand Mitch Evans the title, while sixth, regardless of what Evans did, would be enough for Vandoorne to claim the crown. Evans could also win the Championship with Vandoorne failing to score and him finishing in second with pole position, which would leave the New Zealander as the Champion on countback by holding four wins to Vandoorne's two.
Like their lead driver it was Mercedes' title to lose in the Teams' Championship ahead of the final race of the season, the German manufacturer's factory team holding a 31 point lead over their closest challengers. Indeed, only their customers ROKiT Venturi Racing could overhaul them on the final day, and would require a double podium, and likely need see their sister team fail to score at all, in order to secure the title for themselves. DS Techeetah could theoretically tie with Mercedes on 301 points with a maximum score on the final day, but the title would still head to Mercedes on countback, as they would hold three victories to DS Techeetah's theoretical two.
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References[]
Videos and Images:
References:
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 'Hana Bank sponsoring the Seoul E-Prix 2022', koreajoongangdaily.joins.com, (Korea JoongAng Daily, 07/07/2022), https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/2022/07/07/business/finance/korea-seoul-eprix-hana-bank/20220707175725558.html, (Accessed 01/08/2022)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 '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)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 'Formula E and FIA take decision to temporarily suspend season', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 13/03/2020), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2020/march/formula-e-season-suspended, (Accessed 13/03/2020)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 'Rowland seals pole in rain-soaked qualifying for Seoul E-Prix Round 15', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 13/08/2022), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2022/august/seoul-qualifying-round-15-report, (Accessed 13/08/2022)
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 'Evans cuts Vandoorne's points lead with Round 15 win in Seoul', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 13/08/2022), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2022/august/seoul-e-prix-round-15-report, (Accessed 13/08/2022)
- ↑ Alex Kalinauckas, 'Fast-charging idea could bring back Formula E pitstops', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 31/10/2019), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/fast-charging-pitstop-return-gen3/4589738/, (Accessed 18/06/2020)
- ↑ '2019/20 calendar revealed: London and Seoul star in sixth Formula E campaign', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 14/06/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/june/2019-20-season-calendar-revealed, (Accessed 14/06/2019)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Jake Boxall-Legge, 'Bird drove in London Formula E race with broken hand', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 31/07/2022), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/bird-drove-in-london-formula-e-race-with-broken-hand/10346938/, (Accessed 01/08/2022)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 'Nato to step in for injured Bird at Jaguar in Seoul', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 04/05/2022), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2022/august/nato-bird-jaguar-seoul, (Accessed 05/08/2022)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Jake Boxall-Legge, 'Di Grassi joins Mahindra for 2022-23 Formula E season', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 12/08/2022), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/di-grassi-joins-mahindra-for-2022-23-formula-e-season/10351962/, (Accessed 12/08/2022)
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedEL - ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 '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)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Cite error: Invalid
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