SANYA, China – Reigning Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne clinched his first victory of the season Saturday at the Haitang Bay Circuit in China.
The Frenchman was followed by Nissan e.dams’ rookie Oliver Rowland and BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s Antonio Felix da Costa in third, who moved to the top of the championship standings.
Rowland was quick off the line from the pole with DS Techeetah’s Vergne chasing him in second and BMW i Andretti Motorsport’s Felix da Costa in third.
Within the opening minutes, Envision Virgin Racing’s Sam Bird came off the track at turn five, ending his race. Shortly after Bird’s retirement, HWA Racelab’s Stoffel Vandoorne also retired from the race, reporting damage to the car.
Once the Attack Mode Activation Zone was in action, the drivers started filing through. Each driver must arm Attack Mode at least twice, with each activation giving them an additional 25kWh for four minutes.
Rowland, still out in front, led the pack with 30 minutes left in the race. Meanwhile, both Geox Dragon drivers retired from the race, bringing the number of drivers who succumbed to the testing 2.236 km Sanya street circuit to four.
Hungry for his first win of the season, reigning champ Vergne made a break for the lead in turn 11, sending Rowland down to second. With Vergne in the lead, rookie Rowland battled with the seasoned Formula E driver for the lead. Further down the pack, BMW i’s Alex Sims clipped the wall, causing damage to the rear of his car which left him stranded on track. With the red flag out, the clock was stopped with 12 minutes left while Sims’ BMW was retrieved.
Once the racing restarted, the battle for first between Rowland and Vergne continued. Race leader Vergne came under investigation for not respecting the Safety Car procedure, putting the Frenchman’s chances of a much-needed win in jeopardy.
With two minutes left, Techeetah’s Andre Lotterer had made his way up to fourth, hunting down da Costa in third. The final minute of the race saw chaos unfold as di Grassi, running in sixth, was taken out as Frijns careered into the Brazilian driver in turn eight.
With di Grassi stranded, the race finished under a full-course yellow, as Vergne took the checkered flag, followed by Rowland in second and da Costa in third.
“This is our first win as a new team, and I feel very proud and happy to have been able to bring this victory to DS,” said Vergne. “It’s a new relationship and it’s always difficult when you start. But after 20 races in a row with points, the last three races not being able to score any points was extremely hard – I didn’t sleep very well between Hong Kong. It was a big day for us – we’re a Chinese team and winning here was absolutely amazing. On the podium, when we had the Chinese anthem and all the fans were singing… it was actually quite emotional.”