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Flag of Italy 2018 Rome E-Prix
Rome Layout 2018
The first ever Rome E-Prix circuit.
Race Information
Date 14 April 2018
E-Prix No. 40
Official Name 2018 CBMM Niobium Rome E-Prix
Location Flag of Rome Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR, Esposizione Universale Roma, Rome, Italy
Format {{{format}}}
Lap length 2.848 km (1.770 mi)
Distance 33 laps / 95.322 km (59.230 mi)
Support Race {{{support}}}
Qualifying Result
Pole Sitter Flag of Sweden Felix Rosenqvist
Team Flag of India Mahindra Racing
Time 1:36.311
Fastest Lap
Driver Flag of Germany Daniel Abt
Team Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Fastest Lap 1:37.910 on lap 30
ePrix Result
First Second Third
Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Germany André Lotterer
Winner Team Flag of the United Kingdom DS Virgin Racing
Time 58:20.656
ePrix Guide
Previous Next
Flag of Uruguay 2018 Punta del Este E-Prix Flag of France 2018 Paris E-Prix
Post-Race Test {{{test}}}

The 2018 Rome E-Prix, otherwise officially known as the 2018 CBMM Niobium Rome E-Prix, was the seventh round of the 2017/18 ABB FIA Formula E Championship, staged at the Circuto Cittadino dell’EUR in the centre of the Italian capital, Rome.[1] The race, which was the first E-Prix to be staged in both Rome and Italy, would be noted for its remarkable conclusion following the retirement of Felix Rosenqvist.[1]

Rosenqvist would start the inaugural Rome E-Prix from pole, the Swede edging out Sam Bird in Super Pole.[2] Mitch Evans was next, just ahead André Lotterer, while Sébastien Buemi threw away his best effort in the shootout, leaving him in fifth.[2]

At the start it was, unsurprisingly, Rosenqvist who led the charge into the first corner, the Swede pulling across the front of Bird off the line to deny the Brit an opportunity into the hairpin.[3] The rest of the field piled in behind them, although it took until the following corner for any major damage to be inflicted, as Alex Lynn smacked into the back of Jean-Éric Vergne.[3]

Lynn and Vergne would carry on with damaged bodywork, slipping a small way down the order during the early stages, while Rosenqvist and Bird pulled clear at the head of the field.[3] Leading the resistance against them was Evans, resisting the attentions of Buemi, while Lucas di Grassi and Daniel Abt completed the peloton at the head of the field.[3]

Rosenqvist's lead would steadily grow before the stops, peaking at almost three seconds as the race became a rather tame affair with the only overtakes coming in the lower end of the field.[3] However, as the pitwindow opened chaos would break out at the hairpin, as José María López went charging up the inside of Oliver Turvey, only to run wide.[3] The Argentine bounced off the side of the Brit, putting the NIO into the barriers.[3]

Nick Heidfeld was also involved, finding himself on the wrong side of the barrier bound Turvey, moments before the Brit's teammate Luca Filippi joined the pile-up by smashing into the back of Turvey's car.[3] Edoardo Mortara followed the Italian in, sliding into the rear of the second NIO, although all four would manage to untangle themselves before a safety car was called.[3]

As that quartet extracted themselves the leaders would make their stops, with Bird making significant ground on Rosenqvist.[3] Buemi had also gained, overtaking Lotterer, while Abt and di Grassi had managed to complete an additional lap.[3] Elsewhere, Lynn's race came to an end after his stop, with a FCY thrown to retrieve the Brit's wounded DS Virgin Racing.[3]

After the restart Bird would put a lot of pressure on Rosenqvist, ultimately causing the Swede to hit a kerb too hard at the wrong angle, breaking his suspension.[3] The Mahindra was out, hand Bird the lead with ten laps to go, while everyone else was queuing up behind Buemi.[3]

Soon, Evans and di Grassi would barge past the Swiss racer's Renault, before both chased down Bird.[3] With five laps to go the Kiwi launched his assault for the lead, although with Bird resisting, and di Grassi attacking him, the Jaguar quickly burned through its energy reserve.[3] Indeed, a couple of laps to go, and with Lotterer now in the fight for victory, the Jaguar was out of energy, meaning he had to cruise to the flag with just 1% of his capacity.[3]

That fact allowed Bird to escape in the closing stages, the Brit duly claiming his seventh career win in Formula E.[3] Evans, meanwhile, was unable to resist either di Grassi or Lotterer, who both completed the podium, and would ultimately plummet to ninth as he limped home.[3] Abt was therefore promoted into fourth, also scoring fastest lap, with Buemi, Vergne, Jérôme d'Ambrosio, Maro Engel and Mortara completing the top ten.[3]

Background[]

The Italian capital city of Rome would make its Formula E bow during the 2017/18 season, having been included on the provisional calendar, released in July 2017.[4] The circuit location and layout was revealed in October 2017, which placed the venue in the Esposizione Universale Roma area, Rome's major financial district, sat in the shadow of the Colosseum.[1] The circuit itself would be one of the longest included on any Formula E calendar, with 21 turns linking 2.848 kilometres of tarmac.[1]

Season VI[]

Arguably the biggest news ahead of the Rome E-Prix, however, would be an FIA press release detailing the eleven manufacturers who submitted entries for the 2019/20 season.[5] The list not only confirmed the imminent arrival of Nissan, set to replace Renault, and German manufacturers Porsche and Mercedes-Benz, but also affirmed that eight of the current manufacturers would continue to support the series.[5] The result would be a minimum eleven team entry for the 2019/20 season, with the potential for a customer team, such as Techeetah, to take up the twelfth and final two car entry.[5]

Monteblanco Marvels[]

Elsewhere, seven of the homologated constructors for the upcoming 2018/19 season conducted a private test at the Monteblanco circuit in Spain, all running the new Spark Gen 2 chassis.[6] Only NIO and BMW failed to appear, the latter citing a failure just before the test, while the former were following a development programme that had meant development was not far ahead enough to test.[6] The test did, however, see the first appearance of the Nissan team, running with e.Dams, the current partners of Renault, although exact times and distance for any of the manufacturers was kept private.[6] A second test was scheduled for mid-April at Calafat, Barcelona, also in Spain.[6]

Following the Monteblanco test there came conformation of the default power-setting to be used in 2018/19, as well as the series' intention to introduce a second, higher, power mode for future E-Prix.[7] The new default was set at 200 kW, with Alejandro Agag also affirming that tests were being conducted with McLaren Applied Technologies to allow higher power modes in the race.[7] The use of two power modes was to keep an element of strategy within the series, with the new McLaren battery for the Gen 2 storing enough potential energy that a mid-race car swap would no longer be required.[7]

The power announcement also included conformation that the series would introduce an "efficiency point", replacing the fastest lap point awarded in the first four seasons.[7] This new sporting rule was designed to promote efficient driving as well as design, with Agag keen to wave away concerns that the new rule would reduce on-track action.[7]

Rosberg Runnings[]

Elsewhere it was announced that 2016 Formula One World Champion Nico Rosberg would complete a demonstration run in the new Spark Gen 2, having invested in the series earlier in the year.[8] The German would be the first driver to complete a public demo in the Gen 2, set to be staged at the Berlin E-Prix in front of his home fans.[8] The news came after Audi unveiled their new "e-tron" concept car, which would complete "taxi" runs at all of the European rounds of the 2017/18 Championship.[9]

=Di-Vergne-ce[]

Into the Championship and pole and victory in Punta del Este for Jean-Éric Vergne meant that he had a commanding lead leaving South America, the Frenchman some 30 points clear of second placed Felix Rosenqvist. The Swede would still be content with his recovery drive from a poor qualifying result, meaning he just stayed ahead of Sam Bird in third. Elsewhere Mitch Evans moved into sixth, while Lucas di Grassi shot up into the top ten for the first time all season.

Techeetah continued to lead the way in the Teams' Championship, their advantage over Mahindra Racing creeping up to 27 points. The Indian squad would have to rediscover their early season form if they wanted any hope of catching the customer Renault team, having been reeled in by the two British teams just behind. This time it was DS Virgin Racing who left an E-Prix in third, moving ahead of Jaguar Racing, while the factory Renault e.Dams team remained in fifth, now just a point ahead of arch-rivals Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler.

Entry List[]

The full entry list for the 2018 Rome E-Prix is displayed below:

2018 Rome E-Prix Entry List
No. Name Entrant Constructor Car
1 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Audi e-tron FE04
2 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom DS Virgin Racing DS Virgin DSV-03
3 Flag of Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr. Flag of the United Kingdom Panasonic Jaguar Racing Jaguar I-Type II
4 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team Venturi VM200-FE-03
5 Flag of Germany Maro Engel Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team Venturi VM200-FE-03
6 Flag of Argentina José María López Flag of the United States Dragon Racing Penske EV-2
7 Flag of Belgium Jérôme d'Ambrosio Flag of the United States Dragon Racing Penske EV-2
8 Flag of France Nicolas Prost Flag of France Renault e.Dams Renault Z.E. 17
9 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi Flag of France Renault e.Dams Renault Z.E. 17
16 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team NextEV NIO 003
18 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of China Techeetah Renault Z.E. 17
19 Flag of Sweden Felix Rosenqvist Flag of India Mahindra Racing Mahindra M4 Electro
20 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Panasonic Jaguar Racing Jaguar I-Type II
23 Flag of Germany Nick Heidfeld Flag of India Mahindra Racing Mahindra M4 Electro
25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of China Techeetah Renault Z.E. 17
27 Flag of the United Kingdom Tom Blomqvist Flag of the United States MS&AD Andretti Formula E Andretti ATEC-04
28 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa Flag of the United States MS&AD Andretti Formula E Andretti ATEC-04
36 Flag of the United Kingdom Alex Lynn Flag of the United Kingdom DS Virgin Racing DS Virgin DSV-03
66 Flag of Germany Daniel Abt Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Audi e-tron FE04
68 Flag of Italy Luca Filippi Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team NextEV NIO 003
Source:[10]

Practice[]

FP1[]

FP2[]

Qualifying[]

It was a relatively warm 24°C as the qualifying hour approached, with the four groups drawn up based on Championship position.[11] The procedure would be unchanged, with each of the four groups getting six minutes on circuit, allowing each driver amble time to set a single full power lap.[12] The top five overall would then progress into the Super Pole shootout, where each of lead quintet would have to set another full power lap on a completely empty circuit.[12]

Group 1[]

Group one would feature the bottom five in the Championship, headlined by Nicolas Prost in the Renault e.Dams.[12] Home hero Luca Filippi would also be in action in the first of the NIOs, while Maro Engel hit the circuit for Venturi.[12] Tom Blomqvist and Jérôme d'Ambrosio would also head out in their American built machines.[12]

It was to be an agonising wait for the drivers to hit the circuit for the first group of the day, so much so that neither Filippi nor d'Ambrosio would get their full-power laps in.[2] They were therefore resigned to finish at the bottom of the field, with Filippi even slapping the wall in his desperate attempts to make it around.[13] Out front, meanwhile, Prost would head out earliest but end up behind Engel, while Blomqvist set the fastest time with a 1:37.561.[13]

Group 2[]

In contrast it would be the aces of 2017/18 that headed out for the second group of the day, with Championship leader Jean-Éric Vergne the favourite for Techeetah.[12] The sister car of Sébastien Buemi would also be in action, while practice pace setter Nelson Piquet Jr. was also a contender.[12] Sam Bird and Felix Rosenqvist completed the quintet, both opting against showing their hands in practice.[12]

Rosenqvist headed out first, and early, to set his flying lap, with the Swede's Mahindra dancing on the brakes throughout to record a 1:36.683.[13] Buemi was also strong but half a tenth shy in second, while Bird also ran well having joined the fray alongside Vergne.[13] Vergne, however, would make a minor mistake and so lose two tenths to the Brit, while Piquet cut a frustrated figure after a mistake ridden run.[2]

Group 3[]

The third quintet of the afternoon would feature those ranked sixth through tenth in the Championship take to the circuit, headlined by defending Champion Lucas di Grassi.[12] His teammate Daniel Abt would also enter the fray, while Mitch Evans would hope to use Piquet's practice pace to his advantage for Jaguar.[12] Edoardo Mortara was an outside shot for Super Pole at his semi-home race, while Oliver Turvey had a much stronger record in qualifying than racing.[12]

It was indeed Evans who topped the times for the group, with both himself and di Grassi getting into the Super Pole placings overall.[13] Di Grassi would slap the wall at the Bus-stop but escaped without damage, unlike Mortara who smashed his suspension at the Obelisk Chicane.[13] The Swiss-Italian would still limp around to complete his lap, albeit ten seconds off the ultimate pace, while Turvey and Abt got themselves into the top ten.[13]

Group 4[]

The fourth and final group would see the third quintet in the Championship hit the circuit, with several strong qualifiers among them.[12] Of the quintet it was André Lotterer who was deemed favourite to challenge, although both José María López and Alex Lynn had featured in the shootout in earlier rounds.[12] Nick Heidfeld and António Félix da Costa would complete the group, neither looking confident after quiet practice runs.[12]

Ultimately da Costa would never get the chance to head onto the circuit, the Andretti team making a horrendous error when the Portuguese was released from the garage, straight into the side of an innocent López.[2] Both were left which heavy front suspension damage, although the furious Argentine was quick to bat away an apologies from da Costa, who was later slapped with a ten place grid penalty.[13] On track, meanwhile, Heidfeld and Lynn would make errors on their laps, while a massive final sector from Lotterer saw the German set the fastest time of the session with a 1:36.593.[13]

Super Pole[]

First out onto an empty Rome E-Prix circuit would be Evans, although the Jaguar racer's lap would be overshadowed by two lock-ups.[13] As such his time was to be immediately beaten by Bird, although only after the Brit managed to ace the final sector, beating the Kiwi by a tenth.[13] Buemi went next and was up on both of them in the first half of the lap, until a huge lock-up into the turn thirteen hairpin ended the Swiss racer's chance of pole.[13]

Next out was Rosenqvist, who produced two excellent opening sectors, in spite of a brush with the wall at the Obelisk Chicane, to claim provisional pole, a 1:36.311 his time.[13] Lotterer went next but the Techeetah could not match the Mahindra, although he was up on Bird heading into the final sector.[13] That would change when the German made a mess of the Bus-stop chicane, bouncing his way over the kerbs to finish fourth.[13]

Post Qualifying[]

The final qualifying results for the 2018 Rome E-Prix are outlined below:

2018 Rome E-Prix Qualifying Result
Pos. No. Name Team Time Gap Grid Group
1st 19 Flag of Sweden Felix Rosenqvist Flag of India Mahindra Racing 1:36.311 1 G2
2nd 2 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom DS Virgin Racing 1:36.987 +0.676s 2 G2
3rd 20 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 1:37.199 +0.888s 3 G3
4th 18 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of China Techeetah 1:37.235 +0.924s 4 G4
5th 9 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi Flag of France Renault e.Dams 1:37.817 +1.506s 5 G2
Super Pole
1st 18 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of China Techeetah 1:36.593 SP G4
2nd 19 Flag of Sweden Felix Rosenqvist Flag of India Mahindra Racing 1:36.683 +0.090s SP G2
3rd 9 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi Flag of France Renault e.Dams 1:36.732 +0.139s SP G2
4th 2 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom DS Virgin Racing 1:36.901 +0.308s SP G2
5th 20 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 1:36.911 +0.318s SP G3
6th 1 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 1:36.973 +0.380s 6 G3
7th 16 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team 1:37.045 +0.452s 7 G3
8th 25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of China Techeetah 1:37.055 +0.462s 8 G2
9th 66 Flag of Germany Daniel Abt Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 1:37.117 +0.524s 9 G3
10th 23 Flag of Germany Nick Heidfeld Flag of India Mahindra Racing 1:37.365 +0.772s 10 G4
11th 36 Flag of the United Kingdom Alex Lynn Flag of the United Kingdom DS Virgin Racing 1:37.546 +0.953s 11 G4
12th 27 Flag of the United Kingdom Tom Blomqvist Flag of the United States Andretti Formula E 1:37.561 +0.968s 12 G1
13th 3 Flag of Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr. Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 1:38.066 +1.473s 13 G2
14th 5 Flag of Germany Maro Engel Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team 1:38.212 +1.619s 14 G1
15th 8 Flag of France Nicolas Prost Flag of France Renault e.Dams 1:38.410 +1.817s 15 G1
16th* 7 Flag of Belgium Jérôme d'Ambrosio Flag of the United States Dragon Racing 1:42.003 +5.410s 18 G1
110% Time: 1:46.252[11]
NC 4 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team 1:47.802 +11.209s 16 G3
NC 68 Flag of Italy Luca Filippi Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team 2:09.829 +33.236s 17 G1
NC 6 Flag of Argentina José María López Flag of the United States Dragon Racing 19 G4
NC§ 28 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa Flag of the United States Andretti Formula E 20 G4
Source:[11]
  • * d'Ambrosio handed a two place grid penalty for passing the chequered flag twice.[14]
  • Mortara and Filippi were both permitted to start despite failing to set times within 107% of the fastest time.[14]
  • López allowed to start at the steward's discretion.[14]
  • § da Costa was allowed to start at the steward's discretion. The Portuguese was also hit with a ten place grid penalty.[14]

Race[]

Saturday afternoon in Rome proved to be a warm 26°C, with the clouds that had overshadowed practice drifting away.[11] However, with high towers lining the circuit there was a fair amount of shade over the circuit, meaning the track temperature was only a degree or so higher on average.[11] Regardless, all twenty of the drivers would start the E-Prix, crawling around the back streets from the dummy grid to the full grid for the start without issue.[15]

Report[]

Pole sitter Felix Rosenqvist made the best getaway off the line, immediately sweeping across in front of Sam Bird to deny the Brit a move into the hairpin.[15] That move allowed Mitch Evans to try a run around the outside of the duo, only to slide wide and slip back to third, with Oliver Turvey trying the same move.[15] Likewise, the NIO was to run wide and therefore slip back down the order, rejoining in fifth having started from seventh.[15]

The rest of the opening lap was no less dramatic, with Alex Lynn slamming into the back of Jean-Éric Vergne as the field compressed in the second corner.[15] The Techeetah of Vergne was left with rear damage, and would struggle for the rest of the lap, while Lynn's front wing was left in tatters.[15] The Brit would continue, however, dropping more bodywork as he went, while the field steadily sorted itself out during the first tour of Rome.[15]

Indeed, the nature of the Rome circuit meant that the opening tour would actually cover one and a half laps, part of the reason why the field had had to use a back alley to get onto the starting grid.[15] Regardless, it was still Rosenqvist leading from Bird at the head of the field, while André Lotterer fought with Evans for third.[15] Turvey was next, under attack from Sébastien Buemi, followed by the two Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler duo, before a gap back to the wounded Vergne.[15]

The second lap would see Rosenqvist and Bird pull out a gap to the rest of the leading peloton, meaning the action was to be found lower in the field.[15] Indeed, a four-way scrap for fifteenth would cause a stir, as António Félix da Costa passed Luca Filippi, with Edoardo Mortara trying to follow the Portuguese racer through.[15] Yet, the Swiss-Italian racer would abandon the attempt and pull back onto the racing line, only to find that José María López was occupying that space.[15] The Venturi was briefly running sideways as López had no where to go, although they would untangle themselves without issue before they entered the hairpin.[15]

The following laps were much the same for the leaders, Rosenqvist and Bird pulling clear, while Buemi picked up damage after a close encounter with Daniel Abt.[15] Lynn, meanwhile, was forced to stop for a new nose after getting shown a mechanical flag, while López almost completed an excellent double dive on Filippi and Nicolas Prost.[15] Indeed, the Argentine would have his rear axle totally locked as he slithered past the Italian, but made it to the apex, allowing Prost to just hold on to fourteenth for the time being.[15]

Indeed, there would be no real action on track until the pit-window opened, with Rosenqvist briefly establishing a three second lead over Bird, only for the Brit to reel him back in.[15] Buemi, meanwhile, would take until lap fourteen to pass Turvey, while Nelson Piquet Jr. glanced off the barriers at the back of the field.[15] Elsewhere, António Félix da Costa was forced to stop early having burned through his energy, the result of a fantastic climb from last to ninth, with López barging his way into the top ten too.[15]

However, as the leaders contemplated heading into the pits on lap sixteen the action would suddenly kick off in the middle of the field.[15] Coming into the turn thirteen hairpin López had sent a dive up the inside of Turvey, knocking the NIO into the barriers as the pair ran out of room.[15] Heidfeld, who had gone to the outside of Turvey, was left with nowhere to go, and so also slithered into the barrier, moments before Filippi smashed into the back of his teammate's car.[15] Mortara was next on the scene, duly slithering into the back of the Italian, although all four were quick to untangle themselves and return to the fray.[15]

Fortunately for Rosenqvist and Bird, who had scraped the wall as the dramas unfolded at the hairpin, the accident came right as they were scheduled to stop, with the majority of the field following them in.[15] Others decided to gamble, including Evans, Lotterer, Lucas di Grassi, Abt, Vergne and d'Ambrosio all staying out, while the casualties from turn thirteen limped in for their changes.[15] Furthermore, the lack of cars on track allowed the bigger pieces to be removed from the hairpin, meaning there was no need for a safety car.[15]

Indeed, without the need for a safety car, the rest of the pitstop window passed without issue, although Piquet's race would come to an end at the end of the pitlane as his belts were not fastened.[15] Elsewhere, d'Ambrosio gambled on completing an additional lap, and was duly overtaken on circuit by Rosenqvist and Bird.[15] However, as d'Ambrosio's Dragon screamed out of the pits Lynn's race came to an end, the Brit having to pull off to the side of the circuit with an issue.[15]

The stranded DS Virgin would have to be removed under a full course yellow, which would last long enough for the marshals to also sweep up at the hairpin.[15] Once retracted there was to be a drastic change out front, with Bird closing right onto the back of Rosenqvist, having gradually closed the gap before the stops.[15] Behind, Buemi was under attack from Evans, having jumped the Jaguar at the stops, while di Grassi was rather rudely blocked by Lotterer as they fought for fifth into turn nine.[15]

The following lap would see Evans and di Grassi pull identical moves on their targets, although Lotterer would still try to weave around ahead of the Brazilian to deny him a move.[15] The German racer would try the same tactic to deny his compatriot Abt into the hairpin, a move he tried again on the subsequent lap, although that was overshadowed by the sudden disappearance of Rosenqvist from the head of the field.[15] Indeed, the Swede was seen to have stopped just a few yards on from the finish line, having smashed his suspension on a kerb in the Bus-stop complex.[15]

That handed Bird a fairly comfortable lead, with the Brit duly entering a cruise to the flag.[15] Behind, meanwhile, Buemi would use his FanBoost to defend from the charging di Grassi into turn nine, only for the Brazilian to use his boost on the following lap to dive past the Swiss on the brakes into the very same corner.[15] Indeed, it was a stunning move by di Grassi, who was airborne at the crest of turn eight as he pulled alongside the Renault e.Dams.[15]

Lotterer was the next man to attack the Swiss racer, although the action would be briefly halted by a FCY, thrown to recover Rosenqvist's ruined Mahindra.[15] Once that was cleared away the race was back on, with Evans and di Grassi beginning to close in on race leader Bird.[15] Indeed, within three laps the Jaguar had closed right onto the back of the Virgin, sizing up a potential move, with di Grassi hanging back to conserve energy.[15]

As the fight for the lead brewed, Buemi was having to put up a stellar defence in fourth, with Lotterer, Abt and Vergne all queued up behind him.[15] Yet, after several laps of intense pressure the Swiss racer could resist no more, with Lotterer barging past at turn nine.[15] Abt was the next man to throw a move at the Swiss racer, but his attempt around the outside of turn thirteen ultimately allowed Vergne to take sixth away from him on lap 28.[15] Yet, the Frenchman's subsequent dive on the brakes into the hairpin later in the lap saw him run wide, allowing Abt to slip back past.[15]

Back with the leaders and with five laps to go Evans finally decided to throw a move at Bird into turn nine, with di Grassi going the opposite way as the Brit himself decided to sit in the middle of the circuit.[15] Evans then scrambled back across di Grassi on the exit, before throwing a dummy at Bird into the following corner, managing to get around the outside of the Virgin through the right hander.[15] Yet, Bird had the line for the corner, and duly squeezed Evans towards the barriers, causing the Kiwi to back off, and ultimately defend from di Grassi into the hairpin.[15]

Their scraping overshadowed Abt's long awaited pass on Buemi, the German pulling off the now familiar dive down the inside of the e.Dams into turn nine.[15] Vergne would have to wait another lap before passing, doing so in an unorthodox dive into turn three, with both shooting off to catch Lotterer.[15] The German himself had been on his own since taking fourth from Buemi, but now found himself on the back of di Grassi as the lead trio continued to jostle amongst themselves.[15]

Lotterer's arrival ultimately decided the fate of the race, for Evans, having burned through his usable energy in not passing the Virgin, was now having to defend from two cars rather than one.[15] That allowed Bird, who had been saving energy since Rosenqvist's failure, to pull out a small, but critical lead, leaving Evans to fight a rear-guard for second.[15] Yet, with three laps to go the Brazilian managed to get the Audi alongside into turn nine, and duly established himself in second as Lotterer tried to take the Kiwi into turn ten.[15]

Indeed, Lotterer would technically hold third as the pair shot towards the Obelisk Chicane side-by-side, and it was only a brave dive on the brakes into the narrow section that put Evans back ahead.[15] The pair would continue to scrap for the rest of the lap, the only pause coming when they entered turn eighteen/nineteen which was covered by yellow flags.[15] This was because López was stuck at the side of the circuit, the Argentine's rather aggressive approach to the race having seen him finally pay a visit to the barriers.[15]

Fortunately, López had stopped his car in a relatively safe place, meaning there was no need to throw a FCY and ruin the final lap.[15] This, however, was bad news for Evans, who had had to use so much energy attacking Bird and defending from di Grassi and Lotterer that he started the final lap with just 2% left.[15] It therefore came as no surprise when Lotterer, having just been squeezed towards the wall on the exit of turn ten, went cruising past at the start of the lap, with Evans having to coast for the final half lap.[15]

With that the race was run, with Bird cruising home to record his second win of the season, just as di Grassi pulled into striking distance behind.[15] Lotterer was next after Evans' dramatic fall, while Abt set fastest lap in his attempts to catch the German, ultimately ending the afternoon in fourth.[15] Vergne was next having barged past Buemi unseen, while d'Ambrosio and Maro Engel fought to the last to finish seventh and eighth.[15] Evans rolled across the line in ninth, having lost over half a minute on the final lap, while Mortara recovered from his bruising first half of the race to finish tenth.[15]

Result[]

The final classification of the 2018 Rome E-Prix is displayed below, with the fastest lap setter indicated in italics, and the pole sitter shown in bold:

2018 Rome E-Prix Race Result
Pos. No. Name Team Laps Race Time Fastest lap Pts.
1st 2 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom DS Virgin Racing 33 58:20.656 1:38.955 25
2nd 1 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi FanBoost Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 33 +0.970s 1:38.503 18
3rd 18 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of China Techeetah 33 +9.518s 1:38.927 15
4th 66 Flag of Germany Daniel Abt Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 33 +10.167s 1:37.910 13
5th 25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of China Techeetah 33 +17.444s 1:39.974 10
6th 9 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi FanBoost Flag of France Renault e.Dams 33 +19.835s 1:39.573 8
7th 7 Flag of Belgium Jérôme d'Ambrosio Flag of the United States Dragon Racing 33 +24.379s 1:38.521 6
8th 5 Flag of Germany Maro Engel Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team 33 +26.350s 1:39.633 4
9th 20 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 33 +37.709s 1:38.677 2
10th 4 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco Venturi 33 +40.739s 1:39.339 1
11th 28 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa Flag of the United States Andretti Formula E 33 +42.680s 1:40.042
12th 16 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team 33 +48.833s 1:39.304
13th 68 Flag of Italy Luca Filippi FanBoost Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team 33 +49.331s 1:39.312
14th 8 Flag of France Nicolas Prost Flag of France Renault e.Dams 33 +1:13.880 1:39.485
15th 27 Flag of the United Kingdom Tom Blomqvist Flag of the United States Andretti Formula E 33 +1:31.832 1:40.191
16th 23 Flag of Germany Nick Heidfeld Flag of India Mahindra Racing 33 +1:44.774 1:40.363
17th* 6 Flag of Argentina José María López Flag of the United States Dragon Racing 29 Suspension 1:39.047
Ret 19 Flag of Sweden Felix Rosenqvist Flag of India Mahindra Racing 22 Suspension 1:39.877 3
Ret 3 Flag of Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr. Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 18 Belts 1:40.140
Ret 36 Flag of the United Kingdom Alex Lynn Flag of the United Kingdom DS Virgin Racing 15 Damage 1:40.466
Source:[11]
  • FanBoost Indicates a driver was awarded FanBoost during the race.
  • * López was still classified despite retiring as he had completed 75% of the race distance.

Milestones[]

Standings[]

Victory pulled Sam Bird closer to Championship leader Jean-Éric Vergne, although the Frenchman remained eighteen points clear of the Brit as the halfway point of the season came and went. Felix Rosenqvist was arguably the biggest loser, dropping almost 40 points back in third, with Sébastien Buemi likewise losing ground. Daniel Abt moved into the top five, while Lucas di Grassi also continued his steady climb up the order.

Techeetah continued to lead the charge in the Teams' Championship after the seventh race of the season, effectively growing their advantage over the field thanks to another double-score. DS Virgin Racing were now their closest challengers having overtaken Mahindra Racing, the Indian team slipping 40 points behind, while Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler moved into fourth at the expense of Jaguar Racing. Renault e.Dams, meanwhile, looked set to lose their Championship crown having slipped to sixth, while Dragon Racing moved ahead of Andretti Formula E as they fought to not end the year with the wooden spoon.

 
2017/18 Drivers' Championship
Pos. Name Pts. +/-
1st Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne 119 ◄0
2nd Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird 101 ▲1
3rd Flag of Sweden Felix Rosenqvist 82 ▼1
4th Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi 60 ◄0
5th Flag of Germany Daniel Abt 50 ▲2
6th Flag of Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr. 45 ▼1
7th Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans 43 ▼1
8th Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi 39 ▲2
9th Flag of Germany André Lotterer 33 ▲3
10th Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey 32 ▼2
11th Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara 29 ▼2
12th Flag of Germany Nick Heidfeld 21 ▼1
13th Flag of the United Kingdom Alex Lynn 17 ◄0
14th Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa 16 ◄0
15th Flag of Argentina José María López 13 ◄0
16th Flag of Belgium Jérôme d'Ambrosio 12 ▲2
17th Flag of Germany Maro Engel 11 ▼1
18th Flag of France Nicolas Prost 7 ▼1
19th Flag of the United Kingdom Tom Blomqvist 4 ◄0
20th Flag of Italy Luca Filippi 1 ◄0
2017/18 Teams' Championship
Pos. Name Pts. +/-
1st Flag of China Techeetah 152 ◄0
2nd Flag of the United Kingdom DS Virgin Racing 118 ▲1
3rd Flag of India Mahindra Racing 103 ▼1
4th Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 89 ▲2
5th Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 88 ▼1
6th Flag of France Renault e.Dams 67 ▼1
7th Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team 40 ◄0
8th Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team 33 ◄0
9th Flag of the United States Dragon Racing 25 ▲1
10th Flag of the United States Andretti Formula E 20 ▼1

Only point scoring drivers and teams are shown.

References[]

Videos and Images:

References:

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 'Formula E ready for Rome', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 19/10/2017), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2017/october/formula-e-ready-for-rome/, (Accessed 19/10/2017)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 'Rosenqvist clinches Julius Baer Pole Position in Rome', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 14/04/2018), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2018/april/rosenqvist-clinches-julius-baer-pole-position-in-rome/, (Accessed 14/04/2018)
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 'Bird claims historic victory in Rome', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 14/04/2018), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2018/april/bird-claims-historic-victory-in-rome/, (Accessed 14/04/2018)
  4. 'More compact Season 4 calendar revealed', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 19/06/2017), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2017/june/more-compact-season-4-calendar-revealed/, (Accessed 19/06/2017)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 'FIA CONFIRMS 11 MANUFACTURER HOMOLOGATIONS FOR 2019/20 ABB FIA FORMULA E CHAMPIONSHIP', fia.com, (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, 10/04/2018), https://www.fia.com/news/fia-confirms-11-manufacturer-homologations-201920-abb-fia-formula-e-championship, (Accessed 10/04/2018)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Alex Kalinauckas, 'Seven constructors test new Formula E car, BMW and NIO absent', autosport.com, (Motorsport Network, 28/03/2018), https://www.autosport.com/fe/news/135076/new-fe-car-main-race-power-mode-revealed, (Accessed 31/03/2018)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Alex Kalinauckas; Stuart Codling, 'New Formula E Gen2 car to increase race power to 200kW in 2018/19', autosport.com, (Motorsport Network, 28/03/2018), https://www.autosport.com/fe/news/135076/new-fe-car-main-race-power-mode-revealed, (Accessed 31/03/2018)
  8. 8.0 8.1 'Nico Rosberg gets back behind the wheel at the 2018 Berlin E-Prix', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 10/04/2018), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2018/april/nico-rosberg-gets-back-behind-the-wheel-at-the-2018-berlin-e-prix/, (Accessed 10/04/2018)
  9. Alex Kalinauckas, 'Audi Gran Turismo concept car to serve as Formula E taxi', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 09/04/2018), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/audi-concept-car-to-serve-as-formula-e-taxi-1024209/, (Accessed 10/04/2018)
  10. 'Season 4: official team & driver entry list confirmed', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 03/11/2017), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2017/october/season-4-official-team-driver-entry-list-confirmed/, (Accessed 03/11/2017)
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 'Round 7 - Rome ePrix: Results Booklet', fiaformulae.alkamelsystems.com, (FIA Formula E, 14/04/2018), http://fiaformulae.alkamelsystems.com/Results/03_2017-18/08_R07%20Rome/85_ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20Championship/29_R07%20Rome%20Booklet.pdf, (Accessed 15/04/2018)
  12. 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 'Rome: group Qualifying results revealed', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 13/04/2018), http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2018/april/rome-group-qualifying-results-revealed/, (Accessed 14/04/2018)
  13. 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 ABB Formula E, 'Qualifying: 2018 CBMM Niobium Rome E-Prix Presented By Mercedes EQ', youtube.com, (YouTube: ABB Formula E, 14/04/2018), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyOfVuLaz4E, (Accessed 22/07/2018)
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 'Round 7 - Rome ePrix: Starting Grid', fiaformulae.alkamelsystems.com, (FIA Formula E, 14/04/2018), http://fiaformulae.alkamelsystems.com/Results/03_2017-18/08_R07%20Rome/85_ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20Championship/201804141604_Race/01_Grid_Race.PDF, (Accessed 14/04/2018)
  15. 15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 15.13 15.14 15.15 15.16 15.17 15.18 15.19 15.20 15.21 15.22 15.23 15.24 15.25 15.26 15.27 15.28 15.29 15.30 15.31 15.32 15.33 15.34 15.35 15.36 15.37 15.38 15.39 15.40 15.41 15.42 15.43 15.44 15.45 15.46 15.47 15.48 15.49 15.50 15.51 15.52 15.53 15.54 15.55 15.56 15.57 15.58 15.59 15.60 15.61 15.62 15.63 15.64 ABB Formula E, '2018 CBMM Niobium Rome E-Prix presented by Mercedes EQ (Season 4 - Race 7) - Full Race', youtube.com, (YouTube: ABB Formula E, 23/05/2018), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynDVfxakrxU, (Accessed 22/07/2018)
2017/18 ABB FIA Formula E Championship
Entrants
Audi Sport ABT SchaefflerDragon RacingDS Virgin RacingMahindra RacingMS&AD Andretti Formula ENIO Formula E TeamPanasonic Jaguar RacingRenault e.DamsTecheetahVenturi Formula E Team
Manufacturers
Andretti TEAudiDSJaguarMahindra & MahindraNextEVPenskeRenaultVenturi Automobiles
Cars
Andretti ATEC-03Audi e-tron FE04DS Virgin DSV-03Jaguar I-Type IIMahindra M4 ElectroNextEV NIO 003Penske EV-2Renault Z.E. 17Venturi VM200-FE-03
Drivers
1 Lucas di Grassi • 2 Sam Bird • 3 Nelson Piquet Jr. • 4 Edoardo Mortara/Tom Dillmann • 5 Maro Engel • 6 Neel Jani/José María López • 7 Jérôme d'Ambrosio • 8 Nicolas Prost • 9 Sébastien Buemi • 16 Oliver Turvey • 18 André Lotterer • 19 Felix Rosenqvist • 20 Mitch Evans • 23 Nick Heidfeld • 25 Jean-Éric Vergne • 27 Kamui Kobayashi/Tom Blomqvist/Stéphane Sarrazin • 28 António Félix da Costa • 36 Alex Lynn • 66 Daniel Abt • 68 Luca Filippi/Ma Qing Hua
E-Prix
Hong Kong IHong Kong IIMarrakechSantiagoMexico CityPunta del EsteRomeParisBerlinZürichNew York City INew York City II
Tests
ValenciaRookie Test
Related Content
FIA Formula E Championship2016/172018/19
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