There’s reason to celebrate after the São Paulo E-Pix, and we’re not talking about Jake Dennis’ deserved victory, but the result of Pepe Martì’s scary accident.
The driver from Barcelona didn’t notice the Full Course Yellow in time with one lap to go and collided at full speed with Nico Müller’s Porsche and Antonio Felix Da Costa’s Jaguar TCS, taking off over both cars and rolling several times until he landed in front of them in the right position.
Seeing Pepe Martì get out of the car and even grab a fire extinguisher to try to put out the small flame that had ignited at the front of the car (it had nothing to do with the batteries) was a great relief given the circumstances of the accident.
The Spanish driver was questioned by the stewards after the race and was penalized with four points on his license and forced to start the next Mexico E-Prix in last place.
We’ll return to the topic of safety in Formula E… this accident deserves great praise from the FIA, Formula E, and those who built the car… because it once again demonstrated that these cars are safe.
From a sporting perspective, say that Jake Dennis, in the Andretti team car, started from pole position and won the race is an understatement of everything that happened.
The powerful action of Attack Mode on the Sambadrome circuit of Anhembí in São Paulo, Brazil, allowed Mitch Evans, Antonio Felix Da Costa, Oliver Rowland, Norman Nato, Pascal Wehrlein, and Nick Cassidy to take the lead at various points in the race, until lap 27, when Dennis made the right move and took the lead until the penultimate lap when Martí’s accident, which we mentioned earlier, occurred, obviously bringing out the red flag.
With only one lap left of the scheduled thirty to finish the race, almost everyone thought it was over; Instead, race officials restarted the race behind the Safety Car for the final lap, with no option to use Attack Mode.
Everyone was very attentive during the restart, and those in the top three at the time of the red flag crossed the finish line under the checkered flag.
Thus, Jake Dennis returns to the top of the podium after the 2024 Diriyah race; Oliver Rowland was delighted with second place, knowing he couldn’t have hoped for victory under normal conditions; and Nick Cassidy demonstrated his worth by leading the Citroën MSG team to third on their Formula E debut.
Pascal Wehrlein, who had a similar accident to Martí’s last year, finished fourth and Nico Müller in the other Porsche was fifth despite being injured in the accident. DS Penske’s Max Günther crossed the finish line in seventh place, moving up to sixth after the penalty handed out to home-grown rookie Felipe Drugovich in the other Andretti car.
Joel Eriksson scored points by finishing seventh on his return to Formula E, ahead of his teammate Sébastien Buemi, while Nyck De Vries (Mahindra) and Zane Maloney (Lola Yamaha ABT) completed the top ten.
Jake Dennis, No. 27, Andretti Formula E said:
We had a good strategy, a good race car and good track position when we needed to. That first ATTACK MODE was crucial when we took it, and it looked like it was ours – we were comfortable in the lead just before the Red Flag and then I wasn’t too sure how it was going to play out. But I’m so happy, I didn’t get a win last season so to get it back in the first race is a testament to our off-season work. It’s the big boss’ birthday today and it’s my engineer’s birthday tomorrow so double whammy – I don’t have to get them a present now! It’s been a tough couple of seasons since Season 9 so to get the win is good.
Oliver Rowland, No. 23, Nissan Formula E Team said:
I’m very pleased, especially after this morning. We didn’t have the best qualifying and we brought a three-place grid penalty from London, so I think to get second is a great result. We got a bit lucky today with certain Safety Cars and Full Course Yellows during ATTACK MODE for the others, but I’m delighted with the result and I’ll take the points. They are going to be very important – I think it’s going to be extremely close this year so any points you can get the better. It’s 18 more than I got here last year so it’s a better start.
Nick Cassidy, No. 37, Citroën Racing:
This result is awesome for everyone at Citroën Racing. It’s been a big off-season, and it was not an easy day with qualifying not really going to plan. I’m very happy for everyone to start this way with a podium, and points-wise it’s more than we could have expected. It was a great strategy from the team, communication was very good, their plan was very good – a lot of information before the race and I think we executed more or less what we said. It’s amazing to have Citroën in Formula E and to start with the team like this is fantastic.
You can read and/or download the final standings, drivers’ championship positions, team championship positions, and constructors’ championship positions at the following links. (PDF)
#MarceloPadin #theEMNteam
Photo Credits: Mitsuaki Futori and Julieta Panelo
- 1 – Final Classification Race
- 2 – Driver Championship
- 3 – Team Championship
- 4 – Manufacturers Championship
#MarceloPadin #theEMNteam
Photo Credits: Mitsuaki Futori and Julieta Panelo and Youtube Formula E Channel
Be the first to comment