While it is true that Stofel Vandoorne was not the main attraction at the London E-Prix, the Mercedes-EQ driver was able to manage his position in the standings and stay at the top with only two rounds left in season 9.
The Belgian started Sunday’s race from thirteenth position and needed to make a comeback to minimize the consequences of that bad result as much as possible. Gradually, he made progress as best he could and finished the race in fourth place.
Vandoorne’s lead in the standings is 36 points with the Seoul meeting still to come, also in double format. A difference that has Mitch Evans as his closest pursuer. Behind are Mortara (Venturi) at 41 points and Vergne (DS) at 57. All three have a chance of snatching the title, although it seems that the mission of the contenders is very complicated.
A Historical Driver Revived
On Sunday, Lucas di Grassi took his first win for ROKiT Venturi Racing in the SABIC London E-Prix Round 14, beating Saturday’s Round 13 winner Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) in a tight strategic battle.
Di Grassi emerged from the last of three mandatory ATTACK MODE activations with enough in hand to ensure he would make it through. Home crowd favorite Jake Dennis dominated the Julius Bär Pole Position, but the Brazilian stretched his lead in the closing laps in TAG Heuer Add Time to take the checkered flag.
Nyck de Vries came in third. Evans (Jaguar TCS Racing), meanwhile, had moved up to fourth from 14th at the start of the race, but a late technical problem prematurely ended his run in London, dealing a severe blow to his title chances by retiring without points.
Maximum Authority on the Track
The race was graced by the presence of the President of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who attended the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship for the first time since taking over in December 2021.
He met with executives, team principals and drivers from across the ABB FIA Formula E ABB FIA World Championship before being introduced on the podium to present the winner’s trophy to di Grassi.
Dennis Excelled on Saturday
On Saturday, Dennis delivered a dominant performance from the lights to the flag to win the first race in the double header at the SABIC London E-Prix 2022, repeating his exploits from last season on the exclusive street circuit.
The ABB FIA Formula E ABB World Championship returned to ExCeL London following last season’s debut, but was open to full capacity after last year’s COVID-19 restrictions limited access.
Thousands of fans at the east London venue gave the victorious Dennis a standing ovation after he repelled the early advances of World Drivers’ Championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne to win the race and delight the cheering home crowd.
Mercedes-EQ’s Vandoorne was content with a conservative strategy to come second and claim his 17th Formula E podium, with his closest championship rivals dropped in the pack.
