ABB Formula E Championship, third round Santiago - Chile
Sam Bird driving the Envision Virgin privately entered Audi e-tron FE05 racer stormed to a great win in a sizzlingly hot Formula E Santiago race. The Silverstone based team was rightly proud to beat the Audi factory team, which came third.
With air and track temperatures pushing 37°C and 44°C respectively – officially the championship’s hottest ever race – Bird, 32, drove superbly from fourth on the grid to take his eighth career victory and the first win of the new Gen2 era for the team and its Audi e-tron FE05. The result also means Bird has had victories in every Formula E season to date.
Bird had to keep a close eye on his mirrors with both drivers on alternative ATTACK MODE ** strategies. Without any activations left, Bird found himself vulnerable from behind - as Wehrlein saved his final burst of energy in a bid to vault ahead with only minutes to spare.
Despite his best efforts and clawing Bird in, Wehrlein couldn’t make a move and had to settle for second as his hopes of victory faded with rising temperatures.
Fellow countryman Daniel Abt rounded out the podium places, inheriting a position from Alexander Sims after the BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver incurred a penalty for causing a collision with Edoardo Mortara.
** Attack Mode in Formula E as explained by the FIA …..
To fire up ATTACK MODE, drivers need to arm their car, drive off the racing line, and through the Activation Zone. It’s only here that they’ll be able to collect an extra 25 kW of power. Drivers that secure the extra speed, can use it for a few laps when they want to race harder, giving them the edge to keep ahead of the competition.
The details of ATTACK MODE (the number, duration and the minimum amount of times drivers can arm it) are decided by the FIA one hour before the race, meaning the teams and drivers only have 60 minutes to decide the race strategy, ushering in more uncertainty and unexpected action.
2019 ANTOFAGASTA MINERALS SANTIAGO E-PRIX (RD 3)
| 1 | Sam Bird | Envision Virgin Racing | 47:02.511s |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Pascal Wehrlein | MAHINDRA RACING | +6.489s |
| 3 | Daniel Abt | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | +14.529s |
| 4 | Edoardo Mortara | VENTURI Formula E Team | +17.056s |
| 5 | Robin Frijns | Envision Virgin Racing | +20.276s |
| 6 | Mitch Evans | Panasonic Jaguar Racing | +23.755s |
| 7 | Alexander Sims | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | +27.590s |
| 8 | Oliver Turvey | NIO Formula E Team | +45.059s |
| 9 | Jose Maria Lopez | GEOX DRAGON | +45.376s |
| 10 | Jerome D’Ambrosio | MAHINDRA RACING | +46.984s |
| 11 | Nelson Piquet Jr. | Panasonic Jaguar Racing | +48.635s |
| 12 | Lucas di Grassi | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | +1:03.552s |
| 13 | Andre Lotterer | DS TECHEETAH | +1:19.706s |
| 14 | Gary Paffett | HWA RACELAB |