Formula E Sanya: Dennis, Drugovich, and Andretti Shine in China
The race took some time to settle before it became a bit chaotic with a red flag. In the end, Jake Dennis emerged victorious and repositioned himself in the championship.
The race took some time to settle before it became a bit chaotic with a red flag. In the end, Jake Dennis emerged victorious and repositioned himself in the championship.
A Thirsty Circuit
The Sanya circuit is the first in China for the season. Urban in nature, it does not present technical difficulties. However, it is very dirty, and any mistake can lead to a slide. The heat is intense, and it features two long straights (on a bridge).
The pole position was secured by Jake Dennis ahead of his teammate Felipe Drugovich. The Andretti team is strong? Watch out for Evans (Jaguar) lurking in the background. A very poor qualifying for Jean-Eric Vergne (JEV) in 15th place, and 18th for Nato.
Start – 37 Laps
Good start for the Andretti team with Drugovich protecting Dennis from Evans' attack. We should see a bit of a train at the start of the race. It will be necessary to be strategic to get into the slipstream. Things should become clearer with the activation of attack modes. Only Di Grassi, who made a mistake on the track, finds himself 16 seconds behind the pack.
The two Andretti cars lead in a slow train. The tactic is to manage their consumption without leaving room for overtaking. The two Andretti cars line up side by side on the straights and then line up in single file for the corners. Smart move.
Ah! Wehrlein (Porsche) manages to pass Drugovich. We are on lap 7, and things might start to heat up. Here we go! Wehrlein takes the lead on lap 8. Evans passes Drugovich. Maloney on Lola activates his first attack mode. This could shake up the race.
Lap 10 / 37
Dennis takes back control, a bit under pressure from Evans. Ticktum has also activated his attack mode. On the GEN3, this is very important with all-wheel drive and more power. With the attack modes, Cassidy (Citroën) takes the lead ahead of Ticktum and Mortara. Mortara has damaged his front wing on the rear of Rowland (Nissan).
Taking the lead is good, but it must be done while conserving (or regenerating) energy. Mortara and Cassidy are consuming too much. At Andretti, they staggered the attack modes, and after slipping down the rankings, both cars are moving back to the front.
And Dan Ticktum does a Ticktum! He crashes into Evans' Jaguar! He lost his front end, and Evans has a damaged rear. And there's a pile-up in turn #9!
Red flag! We are on lap 19. Thanks, Ticktum... In fact, the Cupra driver's crash damaged Evans' wing, who was hit in turn 9 by another driver, went straight, and blocked Di Grassi and others. The wall was hit, and race control preferred to throw the red flag.
Lap 20 / 37
After this red flag, we will restart from a standstill. But some will not restart! This is apparently the case for Mitch Evans, who is still in the pits. They cannot replace the rear wing and are not allowed back on track. Apparently, he will be able to return but starting from the pits.
The Andretti team maintains control of the race despite pressure from Wehrlein. Good start for JEV, who gained a position. It remains packed, and positions are exchanged every lap. Especially since some are activating attack mode. Rowland uses it to take the lead in the race.
It's a disaster for Cassidy on Citroën, who, after being stopped, goes back to the pits. Apparently, an alarm went off on his car. Race ruined. Up front, Da Costa has taken the lead ahead of Rowland and Mueller.
Crash for Nato on the Nissan! With 10 laps to go. Let's see if he can clear quickly. No! So "Full course yellow." It's a bit like a safety car, but we keep the gaps. Nato lost the rear while defending against Wehrlein and crashed into the wall.
Lap 30 / 37
We're back. Da Costa receives a 5-second penalty for causing a collision. He will have to push hard if he doesn't want to drop in the rankings at the finish. Not easy, especially since he has overconsumed. He lets Rowland pass and will try to tuck into his slipstream. Wehrlein also gets a 5-second penalty.
Hey, is Di Grassi in 5th? He was at the bottom of the rankings when the red flag came out. This triggers attack mode in all directions. Hm, Da Costa takes the lead again? Strange since he was said to be consuming too much. JEV passes Di Grassi but shouldn't climb much higher. Dennis, on his side, takes the lead on lap 34. He still has 1 minute 45 of attack mode left and has a bit more battery.
We add two more laps after the full course yellow. 39 laps.
WOW! Dennis has put 2 seconds on Wehrlein. But the German is penalized. We fall below 10% battery. Da Costa dives to #9 and overtakes 2 competitors. For JEV, it's a fall to 10th place. Ouch!
Rowland into the wall! The second Nissan abandons. Total disaster for the team. And full course yellow while we are on lap 38. Will we finish under FCY? Just like Nato, Rowland crashes against a Porsche. We restart quickly. And it's Jake Dennis who wins!
Sanya E-Prix #1 Results
A very well-managed race by Andretti, Jake Dennis, and Felipe Drugovich. We can note the huge comeback of Pepe Marti to the podium starting from 18th. De Vries, probably still at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and his victory, finishes in a solid 4th place.
Evans retains the championship lead thanks to the retirement of Rowland and Mortara, his two direct rivals. Wehrlein, penalized, does not score either. Dennis, on the other hand, is coming back. But he is still 34 points behind!
Next race in early July in Shanghai.
| POS | DRIVER | TEAM | |-----|---------------------------|-----------------------------| | 1 | Jake Dennis | ANDRETTI FORMULA E | | 2 | Felipe Drugovich | ANDRETTI FORMULA E | | 3 | Josep Maria Martí | CUPRA KIRO | | 4 | Nyck De Vries | MAHINDRA RACING | | 5 | António Félix Da Costa | JAGUAR TCS RACING | | 6 | Maximilian Günther | DS PENSKE | | 7 | Nico Müller | PORSCHE FORMULA E TEAM | | 8 | Jean-Éric Vergne | CITROËN RACING | | 9 | Taylor Barnard | DS PENSKE | | 10 | Lucas Di Grassi | LOLA YAMAHA ABT FORMULA E TEAM | | 11 | Zane Maloney | LOLA YAMAHA ABT FORMULA E TEAM | | 12 | Joel Eriksson | ENVISION RACING | | 13 | Sébastien Buemi | ENVISION RACING | | 14 | Pascal Wehrlein | PORSCHE FORMULA E TEAM | | 15 | Dan Ticktum | CUPRA KIRO | | 16 | Mitch Evans | JAGUAR TCS RACING | | 17 | Oliver Rowland | NISSAN FORMULA E TEAM | | 18 | Nick Cassidy | CITROËN RACING | | 19 | Norman Nato | NISSAN FORMULA E TEAM | | 20 | Edoardo Mortara | MAHINDRA RACING |
