DS Penske’s Jean-Eric Vergne fended off pressure from Envision Racing duo Nick Cassidy and Sébastien Buemi to secure victory at the inaugural Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix in Round 4 of the ABB FIA World Championship.
The all-electric series’ debut in India did not disappoint and a highly-dramatic race saw Vergne hold on to finish first in stunning fashion.
The two-time World Champion used all his experience to take the chequered flag in what was a feast of wheel-to-wheel action.
The 32-year-old was visibly delighted after securing his first race win of the season.
“I’m very, very happy,” he commented post-race. “It was a tough race – I had to defend quite hard at the end but we somehow managed to win it.
“Very happy with the win today. It’s good for everyone’s heart in our team. For the first few races it’s good to boost it with a good race like that so I couldn’t be happier.”
“I like new tracks - I think it’s cool. Especially this one – it’s a lot of fun. When there is a lot of little secrets to find on the track, I probably find them quickly enough.”
Vergne fought hard in the final third of the race to stay ahead of Envision Racing pair Cassidy and Buemi, though António Félix da Costa (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) ultimately took third after the Swiss was penalised post-race.
It’s Vergne’s first trip to the top step of the Formula E podium since Rome in April 2021 (Season 7) and he achieved it in style. Vergne made his way to the front of the pack on lap 15 of 32 (plus one lap following a safety car), the double champion sweeping by Buemi at the hairpin after the Jaguar TCS Racing pair removed one another from the equation two laps prior.
That incident saw Sam Bird make a lunge on the dirty side of the track on fourth-placed Sacha Fenestraz (Nissan Formula E Team). The Brit could not slow his I-TYPE 6 in time, colliding with teammate Mitch Evans - who was in third at the time - pitching the Kiwi’s car into a spin. Both Jaguars were ultimately forced into retirement with the unlucky Fenestraz also left tumbling down the order in a race where a podium double looked a possibility for Jaguar.
Vergne led the way from that moment but had his mirrors full of Cassidy’s Envision Racing machine as the chequered flag drew closer. The New Zealander had managed to gather up an extra four percentage points of usable energy on Vergne come the closing stages of the race. However, Vergne is regarded as the consummate Formula E fighter and used every trick in the book to keep Cassidy at bay and cross the line first in what many will regard as one of his best wins and one that will live long in the memory on Formula E‘s first visit to India in front of a sold-out crowd of over 25,000 people.
Buemi followed home in third but an overpower infringement saw him demoted to 15th spot via 17-second penalty, equivalent to a drive-through. That promoted TAG Heuer Porsche’s António Félix da Costa onto the podium in his 100th race, the Season 6 champion having started the race in 13th. Teammate Pascal Wehrlein crossed the line fourth after picking his way through the order from 12th on the grid.
Sérgio Sette Câmara avoided trouble and climbed through the pack from 15th on the starting grid to produce NIO 333 Racing’s best result since Berlin in Season 4.
Meanwhile, Oliver Rowland made a move for the podium on Buemi - not aware of the Swiss’ impending penalty at the time - with just a lap to go. It didn’t work out and saw him shuffled to sixth. Nevertheless, Rowland collected his first points of the season for Mahindra Racing in the team’s home race. Norman Nato steered to seventh and the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap.
Reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne (DS PENSKE) finished in eighth for his best result of the season so far, while André Lotterer (Avalanche Andretti Formula E) and Edoardo Mortara (Maserati MSG Racing) rounded out the top 10.
Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti Formula E) was the victim of an over-enthusiastic René Rast move on lap 26 at the hairpin - the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team driver outbraking himself and rear-ending Dennis’ car. That proved costly for the Brit, who was running comfortably in fourth and on for a strong points haul - particularly given the strong finish for the other man out front in the standings, Pascal Wehrlein.
That left Wehrlein with an extended 18-point advantage on Dennis, with Vergne leaping to third in the Drivers’ standings. TAG Heuer Porsche has taken a 23-point lead over Avalanche Andretti in the Teams’ World Championship.
In addition to the sellout capacity crowd of more than 25,000 fans, the historic race was attended by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, current Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan, Deepak Chahar and Yuzvendra Chahal who was joined by his actor and choreographer wife, Dhanashree Verma.
Round 5 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is the 2023 Cape Town E-Prix on Saturday, 25 February, the first time Formula E has raced in South Africa.
