Two years ago, the course of the FIA Formula E Championship campaign took a major turn at the Tempelhof airport circuit in Berlin, as Lucas di Grassi was disqualified for an illegal front wing modification. It eventually brought the championship to Nelson Piquet Jr. in the electric open-wheel series’ first season.
Two years later, the course of the FIA Formula E Championship may be set to take a major turn again at the Tempelhof airport circuit in Berlin, and di Grassi looks to be the beneficiary of it.
Renault e.dams driver Sebastien Buemi has been excluded from the race one results in Berlin owing to illegal tire pressures, FIA Formula E posted only a few hours after the checkered flag.
BREAKING NEWS! @Sebastien_buemi excluded from the Berlin Race 1 results for illegal tyre pressures #BerlinePrix
— ABB FIA Formula E World Championship (@FIAFormulaE) June 10, 2017
Buemi finished sixth on the road after starting 14th, and was promoted to fifth place following Jean-Eric Vergne being assessed a five-second time penalty for an unsafe pit release.
With di Grassi finishing second to first-time winner Felix Rosenqvist of Mahindra Racing, it brought the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport driver to within 32 points of Buemi (142 to 110) unofficially, with Buemi having scored 10 points and di Grassi banking 21 - 18 for second and three for pole.
Now though, with Buemi excluded, that is now a 21 to 0 points gap, and it has halved the margin from 43 points entering race one to 22 points going into Sunday’s race two.
And with Buemi set to miss the New York City ePrix next month, a doubleheader race, owing to his FIA World Endurance Championship commitments with Toyota Gazoo Racing, suddenly what looks like a foregone conclusion that Buemi would waltz to the Formula E season three title has been turned on its head.
More to follow...