- Details
- Category: International Racing
February 9, 2023
- 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix takes place on a street circuit constructed in the heart of the city
- Driver Pascal Wehrlein leads the Drivers’ championship after Porsche power dominated the first three races for the all-new GEN3 race car – the fastest, lightest, most powerful and efficient electric race car ever built
- Lucas di Grassi and Oliver Rowland set for the loudest cheers as Mahindra Racing competes on home soil for the first time in Formula E
Hyderabad, India - Formula E will make history this Saturday (11 February) as the ABB FIA Formula E Championship comes to India for the first time with the 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix, Round 4 of the 16-race season.
The 2.835km street circuit, constructed around the shores of the Hussain Sagar lake by the NTR Gardens, will see the first top-tier FIA World Championship motorsport in the country for a decade and will become India’s first elite electric motor racing event.
Pascal Wehrlein, TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team driver, moved to the top of the Drivers’ standings after winning both races in the double-header in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, thanks to an overtaking masterclass.
But 2016/17 Formula E champion, Lucas di Grassi, and teammate Oliver Rowland are expected to attract the biggest cheers from passionate fans in the grandstand in the first home race for their team, Mahindra Racing. Di Grassi already has silverware to his name this season, sealed on his debut for Mahindra at the Mexico City season-opener, and no driver has been on the podium more than his nine in Asia.
Lucas di Grassi, driver, Mahindra Racing, said:
“It is important for us to have a good race in India – not only for the fans, but for the championship as well. It’s a new track for us, as it is for everyone up and down the grid. It needs to be a good weekend for us. We are going to try very hard and push to the limit to get the best out of the car. We can’t wait to see all the Indian fans out in force to support us and we want to give them a good show.”
Oliver Rowland, driver, Mahindra Racing, said:
“Heading into Hyderabad we know where we need to improve following a difficult weekend in Diriyah. Having the home fans behind us will add to the motivation we have racing on the team’s home ground. We know they will be fully behind us and supporting us, which will give us the extra push to perform well."
AS IT STANDS
If Mahindra Racing are to take to the top step of the podium in Hyderabad, they will have two Porsche-powered teams in TAG Heuer Porsche and Avalanche Andretti to overpower, based on current form. They have dominated Formula E so far in Season 9, with the Stuttgart manufacturer's 99X Electric Gen3 finishing one-two in every race so far.
Andretti's Jake Dennis set the benchmark in Mexico City with the first win of the new GEN3 era, with Pascal Wehrlein following him home. The two fought hard in Rounds 2 and 3 in Diriyah, the last time out, but the German got the better of Dennis in both races to take the top prize and a dominant win-double in Saudi Arabia and the standings lead, while Porsche still narrowly trail customer Andretti in the Teams table by two points.
Jake Hughes (NEOM McLaren Formula E Team) sealed a maiden Julius Baer Pole Position last time out. The rookie has scored in all three rounds so far this season and has the best qualifying record of anyone on the grid. He couldn't quite convert to silverware in the race but experienced teammate René Rast needed no second invitation to seal the team's first podium in Formula E in Round 3.
Jaguar TCS Racing also attracted attention in Diriyah, with a resurgent Sam Bird returning to the podium after an uncharecteristically barren spell for the veteran of more than 100 Formula E races. No driver has won more than the Briton in Asia either, with Bird's four the benchmark - two in Diriyah, one in Putrajaya, Malaysia and another in Hong Kong.
Before the season, some expected overtaking to be tough in the new GEN3 race car, with braking zones shortened thanks to the significant regen boost of the new car's double powertrain. That theory was blown away in Diriyah with some 36 moves outside of ATTACK MODE position changes completed over two races.
Round 2 winner Wehrlein steered from ninth to the top step of the podium and Dennis followed with his own drive through the pack from 11th to second. On just three occasions has a driver won from further down the grid than Wehrlein managed and it was the first time consecutive Formula E races had been won from outside the top four since Zurich and New York City back in Season 4.
WHEN TO WATCH
Free Practice 1 for the 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix Round 4 gets underway at 16:30 IST (11:00 GMT) on Friday 10 February.
Free Practice 2 follows at 08:10 IST on Saturday 11 February with qualifying from 10:40 IST. Round 4 of Season 9 gets underway from 15:00 local (09:30 GMT).
FOLLOW LIVE!
Follow the action on-track as it happens in the brand new Race Centre. Keep across Live Timing – which includes a real-time interactive track map and the ability to follow drivers during every session of every E-Prix – plus highlights, detailed session reports, exclusive interviews, all the standings and results as well as data, insight and reaction from trackside.
WHERE TO WATCH
Find out how to follow the action live in every country by visiting: fiaformulae.com/en/ways-to-watch
AMERICAS
USA: watch the race live on CBS Sports Network. All sessions will be live on CBSSports.com and CBS Sports HQ.
CANADA: TVA Sports and TSN 5 will show all the race action from Hyderabad in French and English respectively.
- Details
- Category: International Racing
June 20 2021
FAST FACTS
- ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Edo Mortara went top of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship after winning the second CBMM Niobium Puebla E-Prix
- Mortara went two better than his third-placed finish on the previous day with a second career E-Prix victory to complete a stunning weekend for the Monaco based team as fans made their return to Formula E’s grandstands
- TAG Heuer Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein secured a second-placed finish on-track but was later penalised by the addition of five seconds to his race time for improper use of FANBOOST, which saw him demoted to fourth spot
- Nick Cassidy achieved a maiden podium following a herculean effort by the Envision Virgin Racing team to rebuild his car late into the night – their rewards, second place following that Wehrlein penalty
- Nissan e.dams’ Oliver Rowland led away from Julius Baer Pole Position though contact with a wall late on in the contest compromised his race but the Brit still sealed silverware, coming home a net third
- The result sees Mortara become the eighth different winner in nine races and leave Mexico with a 10-point lead at the summit of the Drivers’ World Championship with Mercedes-EQ leading the Teams' World Championship by three points
- Next up, The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship heads to New York City for Rounds 10 and 11 on July 10 and July 11
ADDITIONAL POINTS
Fastest Lap Group in Qualifying (1 point)
Jake Dennis - 1:22.816s
BMW i Andretti Motorsport
Julius Baer Pole Position (3 points)
Oliver Rowland - 1:23.370s
Nissan e.dams
TAG Heuer Fastest Lap (1 point)
René Rast - 1:25.370s
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
ROKiT Venturi Racing - Edoardo Mortara (CHE)
"What a weekend for us - 40 points in two days! This win today is fantastic. Pascal was very strong today, it was hard to keep him behind. We used more energy in the first part of the race to build a gap and in the latter I had to save more energy. I am glad to be here, the car was very competitive, the team put on a great strategy. We try to maximise our potential every time we race, and we do our very best all the time. I am happy with our season so far."
ENVISION VIRGIN RACING - NICK CASSIDY (NZL)
"My first podium finish feels like a relief I feel this should’ve come earlier. I made a mistake yesterday in the race and the team had plenty of work to do last night and I am glad I could re-pay them today with the podium finish. I am pleased with the communication with the team, we were the fastest car in the race, and we had the pace to make risky moves and it paid off. Looking forward to next race in New York City."
Race Results - Final Classification
1 | Edoardo Mortara | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 46:41.685 |
2 | Nick Cassidy | Envision Virgin Racing | +4.169s |
3 | Oliver Rowland | Nissan e.dams | +6.912s |
4 | Pascal Wehrlein | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | +7.296s |
5 | Jake Dennis | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | +9.986s |
6 | Alex Lynn | Mahindra Racing | +10.630s |
7 | Maximilian Günther | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | +10.968s |
8 | Jean-Éric Vergne | DS TECHEETAH | +21.111s |
9 | Mitch Evans | Jaguar Racing | +21.261s |
10 | René Rast | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | +21.896s |
11 | Robin Frijns | Envision Virgin Racing | +22.216s |
12 | Sam Bird | Jaguar Racing | +27.945s |
13 | Stoffel Vandoorne | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | +28.578s |
14 | Sébastien Buemi | Nissan e.dams | +35.720s |
15 | Joel Eriksson | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | +41.027s |
16 | Sérgio Sette Câmara | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | +41.029s |
17 | André Lotterer | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | +46.250s |
18 | Lucas di Grassi | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | +1:26.473s |
DNF | Tom Blomqvist | NIO 333 FE Team | 28 Laps |
DNF | António Félix da Costa | DS TECHEETAH | 7 Laps |
DNF | Alexander Sims | Mahindra Racing | 19 Laps |
DNF | Oliver Turvey | NIO 333 FE Team | 16 Laps |
DNF | Norman Nato | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 11 Laps |
DNF | Nyck de Vries | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | 5 Laps |
Driver Standings
Edoardo Mortara | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 72 |
Robin Frijns | Envision Virgin Racing | 62 |
António Félix da Costa | DS TECHEETAH | 60 |
René Rast | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 60 |
Mitch Evans | Jaguar Racing | 60 |
Nyck de Vries | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | 59 |
Stoffel Vandoorne | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | 54 |
Jake Dennis | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | 54 |
Oliver Rowland | Nissan e.dams | 53 |
Jean-Éric Vergne | DS TECHEETAH | 50 |
Sam Bird | Jaguar Racing | 49 |
Pascal Wehrlein | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team | 48 |
Lucas di Grassi | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 39 |
Alexander Sims | Mahindra Racing | 36 |
Nick Cassidy | Envision Virgin Racing | 34 |
Alex Lynn | Mahidnra Racing | 32 |
Nico Müller | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | 30 |
Maximilian Günther | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | 28 |
André Lotterer | TAG Heuer Porsche | 18 |
Oliver Turvey | NIO 333 FE Team | 13 |
Sérgio Sette Câmara | DRAGON / PESNKE AUTOSPORT | 12 |
Sébastien Buemi | Nissan e.dams | 11 |
Norman Nato | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 11 |
Tom Blomqvist | NIO 333 FE Team | 5 |
Joel Eriksson | DRAGON / PESNKE AUTOSPORT | 0 |
- Details
- Category: International Racing
June 19 2021
FAST FACTS
- Lucas di Grassi took the race win in the CBMM Niobium Puebla E-Prix Round 8, leading home a one-two for Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler, ahead of teammate Rene Rast - both Audi drivers having driven coolly through the upper order to the front of the pack.
- It had looked like a maiden victory was on the cards for TAG Heuer Porsche, with Julius Baer Pole Position sitter Pascal Wehrlein leading the contest from the off, only for the Porsches to be disqualified for failing to declare their tyres which left di Grassi and Rast one and two, with ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Edoardo Mortara rounding out the podium.
- The result ensured Envision Virgin Racing’s Robin Frijns retained top spot in the Drivers’ World Championship but reigning champion Antonio Felix da Costa moved within two points after a sixth-place finish while just four points separate the top five.
- Championship front-runner Frijns came into contact with compatriot Nyck de Vries mid-way through the contest (Mercedes-EQ), which ensured neither would end the day with points - Frijns being slapped with a 10-second penalty.
- Racing action returns tomorrow, June 20 the 2021 CBMM Niobium Puebla E-Prix Round 9 of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
ADDITIONAL POINTS
Fastest Lap in Group Qualifying (1 point)
Pascal Wehrlein - 1:23.505s
TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
Julius Baer Pole Position (3 points)
Pascal Wehrlein - 1:23.780s
TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team
TAG Heuer Fastest Lap (1 point)
René Rast - 1:25.531s
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler - Lucas Di Grassi (BRA)
"Mexico feels like a second home to me, I love being here. This was a completely different track from the one in Mexico City but it is great that we managed to make this event happen here during a pandemic. My team worked relentlessly to come here and turn this season around. This track doesn’t make overtaking easy, you have to take every chance to overtake without losing energy. I feel sorry for Pascal, he did a fantastic race. It happened to me in Rome, so I know how it feels. From now on we need to keep doing our work and try to test the car as much as we can."
Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler - René Rast (DEU)
"We had the pace all along despite not having an ideal start to the season, but we are back. We need to keep our head down and continue to work hard to turn this season around. We deserved the 1-2 today. In Qualifying we didn’t look very competitive, but that changed during the race. Tomorrow we need to improve our performance in Qualifying and aim to score some points for the team."
ROKIT Venturi Racing - Edoardo Mortara (CHE)
"I am extremely happy to be back on the podium today. During the break we studied all the data gathered from the first half of the season and learnt from our mistakes. The team is putting everything in place. In the championship we have to face big manufacturers, but we have a good engineering team and a good powertrain and we can be just as competitive."
Race Results - Final Classification
|
Driver Standings
Robin Frijns | Envision Virgin Racing | 62 |
António Félix da Costa | DS TECHEETAH | 60 |
Nyck de Vries | Mercedes-EQ | 59 |
René Rast | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 58 |
Mitch Evans | Jaguar Racing | 58 |
Stoffel Vandoorne | Mercedes-EQ | 54 |
Sam Bird | Jaguar Racing | 49 |
Edoardo Mortara | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 47 |
Jean-Èric Vergne | DS TECHEETAH | 46 |
Jake Dennis | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | 43 |
Lucas di Grassi | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | 39 |
Alexander Sims | Mahidra Racing | 36 |
Pascal Wehrlein | TAG Heuer Porsche | 36 |
Oliver Rowland | Nissan e.dams | 35 |
Nico Müller | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | 30 |
Alex Lynn | Mahidnra Racing | 24 |
Maximilian Günther | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | 22 |
Nick Cassidy | Envision Virgin Racing | 19 |
André Lotterer | TAG Heuer Porsche | 18 |
Oliver Turvey | NIO 333 FE Team | 13 |
Sérgio Sette Câmara | DRAGON / PESNKE AUTOSPORT | 12 |
Sébastien Buemi | Nissan e.dams | 11 |
Norman Nato | ROKiT Venturi Racing | 11 |
Tom Blomqvist | NIO 333 FE Team | 5 |
Joel Eriksson | DRAGON / PESNKE AUTOSPORT | 0 |