Despite sustaining damage on the first lap, taking an extra pit stop and almost falling a lap down on the field, Lucas di Grassi struck gold in Mexico City to win one of the most memorable races in Formula E’s short history.
Di Grassi arrived in Mexico some 29 points behind championship leader Sebastien Buemi, who won all three of the opening rounds and, even after a red-eye flight, was in the mix for a fourth straight victory on Saturday.
Both title protagonists struggled in qualifying, with di Grassi starting down in 17th. The Brazilian was hit on the opening lap, suffering rear wing damage that left the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team with no choice but to bring di Grassi in under the safety car early on. Di Grassi squeezed back out still on the lead lap, ensuring he still had a chance of points; anything more seemed unrealistic.
Pole-sitter Oliver Turvey saw his hopes of a maiden victory end early when his NextEV car lost power, handing the lead to DS Virgin Racing’s Jose Maria Lopez. Despite having Nick Heidfeld and Jean-Eric Vergne for close company, Lopez was able to sustain his lead through to the first round of pit stops.
A safety car called in reaction to Turvey’s stoppage prompted di Grassi and Dragon’s Jerome d’Ambrosio to both pit early, with both drivers favoring track position over an energy advantage. The pair ran first and second respectively when the leaders pitted, but with significantly more energy, it seemed a matter of time until they were passed.
A spin for Lopez while in pursuit of d’Ambrosio gave third to Vergne, who had leap-frogged Heidfeld in the pits. Buemi also had an off-track excursion that ended his hopes of points, prompting Renault e.dams to push for the fastest lap instead, something the Swiss driver successfully captured.
When a third safety car period was called, di Grassi’s lead was slashed, appearing to scupper his hopes of hanging on for victory. However, with d’Ambrosio putting up a mighty defence to keep Vergne back, the Brazilian was slowly able to peel away. By the time Vergne made it up to second, di Grassi had already set off into the distance, allowing him to take a remarkable win by two seconds.
Vergne came home frustrated in second place, while Bird rounded out the podium. Mitch Evans took Jaguar’s first Formula E points in fourth, rising up the order after a late crash involving both Mahindra drivers. Teammate Adam Carroll also boosted Jaguar’s points haul in eighth.
Nicolas Prost also recovered from an early pit stop to finish fifth for Renault, with Lopez recovering to sixth. Daniel Abt finished the race seventh, having lost pole earlier in the day due to a tire infringement, with Carroll and Nelson Piquet Jr. following close behind.
Esteban Gutierrez got his Formula E career off to a good start by finishing 10th, meaning he now has as many top-10 results in Formula E as in Formula 1, where he made 59 starts.
The next round of the Formula E championship takes place in Monaco on May 13.