Ecstasy and Agony at the Formula E Race in Mexico City – A Review
In sports, as in life, ecstasy and agony are often just a smidgeon apart - a penalty kick saved in stoppage time, a buzzer beater from half-court snatching the win, or 1.8 kg that inexplicably vanishes into thin air.
That’s what happened at the Formula E race in Mexico, but here is the story from the beginning:
Held for the first time in Mexico City, the fifth round of the FIA Formula E Championship saw plenty of daring high-speed action on the track. In particular, our Warsteiner-sponsored ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team gave the tens of thousands of fans reason to cheer. Part traditional race track, part street circuit, the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is famous for witnessing tricky passing maneuvers while the high altitude and warm weather can make the track a touch slippery, further adding to the challenge. Excellent training times qualified Lucas di Grassi and Daniel Abt for the Super Pole positions 3 and 4, respectively.
After skillfully weaving into second place, di Grassi seized the opportunity at the first tight turn to pass the leader Jerome D’Ambrosio, making the best possible use of the additional 100kJ he received from the fanboost. With his rivals shrinking in his mirrors, Di Grassi powered on for three more laps to cross the finish line 5 seconds ahead of D’Ambrosio with Sebastien Buemi taking third place.
And the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team had another ace in play. Fiercely battling in the frontrunner group throughout the race, di Grassi‘s teammate and our Warsteiner brand ambassador, Daniel Abt, was about to secure his best showing of the season when in the penultimate round a breakdown in the front end of his car sent him into a wall. Nevertheless, he managed to hobble home to secure valuable points for the team standing.
While Lucas di Grassi and the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team were celebrating his phenomenal win and the lead in the drivers’ championship, news came in that di Grassi’s car from the first part of the race had missed the post-race weigh-in. Instead of the required minimum of 888 kg, the scale read 886.2 kg – 1.8 kg under the minimum. And so from one second to the next, gone were first place, gone were the championship points.
In the aftermath, the ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport team decided not to appeal the decision, which could have jeopardized the team’s upcoming start in Long Beach, California. Team chef Hans-Jürgen Abt comments: “We weighed the car several times before the race, and each time we were above the required minimum weight. Since nothing was changed, we don’t have an explanation for the weight result after the race, but we will thoroughly investigate the cause. Right now, we can only apologize to Lucas for our mistake; he drove a fantastic race and won convincingly by more than 5 seconds.
We will make sure we make it up to him and get him back in the race for the championship.”
Well, it looks like the next race on April 2 in Long Beach, California, is going to be a doozy! Let’s make sure Lucas Di Grassi gets all the loving he deserves, so tune in and vote in the fanboost!
