Advertisement

Formula E: Buemi dominates in Paris as di Grassi crashes twice

Sébastien Buemi (pictured) looked untouchable in the Paris ePrix but, for his championship rival Lucas di Grassi, race day was a series of disasters.

There was plenty for the huge Parisian crowd to discuss but what was not in doubt was Buemi’s utter dominance.

So, what were the highlights of the 2017 Paris ePrix?

Buemi can afford to miss a race or two…

At the front, Buemi (pictured) did everything right in the Renault e.dams.

He qualified on pole, he held his lead at the start and he managed his race flawlessly.

Buemi started in the car he likes least – each of a driver’s two race cars feels a little different even though they are, in theory, identical.

That meant that, if he could have a good first stint, he knew he could control the second part of the race, after the car changeover.

Job done.

Buemi now leads di Grassi by 43 points – almost enough for him to not turn up to a couple of races and still lead the championship.

Which is just as well because that’s exactly what is going to happen in July, when Buemi misses the two-race New York event, as he goes endurance racing instead.

Buemi’s next-nearest rival after di Grassi in the championship is Nicolas Prost who, on 58 points, has less than half the tally of the Swiss driver, on 132 points.

Lucas di Crashi

He may have started in a lowly thirteenth spot, but Lucas di Grassi (pictured) and his two battered ABT Schaeffler Audi Sports provided no end of entertainment at the Circuit des Invalides, in the centre of Paris.

Starting that far back, di Grassi was in damage-limitation mode – though you’d never have guessed.

He slipped back to 15th by lap 7 but was fighting all the way, harrying Formula E new boy Tom Dillmann lap after lap yet, somehow, managing to conserve energy more effectively than anyone else.

‘I can’t overtake,’ he radioed in frustration. But there was worse to come for the Brazilian driver.

He looked to have pulled off an audacious outside pass on the Andretti of Félix da Costa but, as di Grassi turned in, he squeezed da Costa’s nose – and his own car – into the barriers.

That was the end of da Costa’s race and, even though di Grassi managed to continue, this may be the moment his chance of a 2017 championship slipped away.

But the di Grassi show was far from over and, with a full-course yellow activated because of his crash, di Grassi pitted along with most of the field.

In he came, out of his damaged car he jumped, into his second car and back out, in a remarkably rapid 62 seconds.

Too rapid, as it happened – the minimum pitstop time was 70seconds (to avoid teams taking safety risks during the car swap) and di Grassi was handed a drive-through penalty to add to his troubles.

But the di Grassi show had yet more to offer.

Formula E’s fastest lap conundrum

With no chance of a top-ten finish, di Grassi was one of a handful of drivers using the closing laps to try to set the fastest lap, and snatch the single-point prize.

With just two laps remaining, he locked up his right front and speared into the safety barriers, causing the Paris ePrix to finish under a Safety Car for the second year in a row.

Exciting though the battle for fastest lap was, there is a real questionmark over the fastest lap rules at the moment because of just this sort of incident, in which a driver at the back of the field pushes for fastest lap but then crashes, destroying the end of the race and denying spectators a grandstand finish.

Di Grassi was not the only driver pushing for fastest lap – Jérôme d’Ambrosio and Briton Sam Bird (pictured) were also trying hard, in cars that had more-than-likely been tweaked in the pits for a bit of extra one-lap performance.

In the end, Bird’s Virgin Racing entry was awarded that single point for fastest lap – with the last couple of laps destroyed by the Safety Car, no one else could mount a challenge.

Vergne’s scary moment

Jean-Éric Vergne’s race day ended with a bit of a shocker and, while he was also in the wall, it looked like the accident was not his fault.

On lap 34, with a big haul of points looking to be certain, Vergne (pictured) inexplicably understeered into the barriers at Turn 13. Initially, it looked like adrenaline had got the better of the Frenchman at his home eprix.

Shortly after, his team broadcast a message that hinted at a technical problem.

Later, on replays, it was clear that Vergne had turned his steering wheel as normal but his car had kept going straight.

Vergne was not hurt, just deeply disappointed, but that accident could have ended so much more badly for him … and for Formula E.

Mahindra flex their muscles

The best team performance of the day came from Mahindra.

They managed an impressive third and fourth – and it was no flash-in-the-pan, being Nick Heidfeld’s (pictured) second straight podium appearance for the team.

They may be lagging the top two teams but Mahindra have established themselves as the real deal and are looking stronger by the race.

Another notable performance was that of Formula E rookie Tom Dillmann.

His top-ten finish was all the more impressive given that more experienced hands – di Grassi, inevitably – were struggling to pass him and sticking it in the barriers with abandon.

One of four Frenchmen on the Paris grid, Dillmann has plenty of single-seater experience but, in recent times, most of that has been in the Formula V8 3.5 series – with cars and power units a world away from Formula E.

Dillmann’s rapid adjustment to the very different challenges of Formula E is in marked contrast to some other drivers, in particular ex-F1 star Esteban Gutiérrez.

As early as lap 13, Gutiérrez looked to be struggling to manage his power usage, something that will seriously hinder his progress in the Techeetah.

Credit where it’s due, though, as the race crumbled to a halt, Gutiérrez brought his car home in seventh place, for a welcome six points.

Rise of the robots

Away from the main race, a little bit of motorsport history was being made.

After first practice, the unmistakeable shape of a Roboracer (pictured) appeared on track.

Although we have seen a development Roborace car, with a human on board, at circuits already, this was the first time a completely driverless Roborace vehicle had been showcased to the public.

It travelled around the circuit slowly, very slowly – not surprisingly, as it was still ‘learning’ the track – and, at one point, parked up.

It turned out that was because it was getting too close to the barriers at some points. Just like di Grassi then.

Roborace is a Russian-backed partnership with Formula E which aims to have driverless cars hammering around circuits at some point.

Fast? Not yet. Ready to race? No. Impressive? Yes, seriously.

If Formula E represents the next generation of motorsport, then Roborace is already looking like a contender for the generation after that.

Until then, we’ve three weeks until Formula E returns, with a double-header in Berlin.