After a tough fight for the podium, TAG Heuer Porsche driver, Pascal Wehrlein regained the Championship lead.
It was lights out in London and Championship contender Mitch Evans got off cleanly from his pole start. Pascal Wehrlein looked for a move around the outside but Norman Nato was there to slide into third.
A lap one incident ends the race for Frijns
An incident in lap one took place when Jake Dennis pushed Envision driver Robin Frijns into the wall. Dennis went tight into the first chicane, while Frijns, who tried to keep it on the outside, did not have any room to move, took Sam Bird with him. Frijns had to retire the car and the safety car was deployed.
DRAMA ON LAP 1 😳
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) July 20, 2024
Dennis squeezes Frijns into the wall, bringing out the @PorscheRaces Safety Car!@Hankook_Sport #LondonEPrix pic.twitter.com/PfN9yG1xO8
Dennis was served a 10-second penalty for his incident with Frijns.
Racing was back underway on lap five and Sacha Fenestraz was the first driver to go for their Attack Mode. It was a missed opportunity for Nick Cassidy, who tried to follow suit but slipped past the activation zone.
Dennis pushed too hard
Jake Dennis was not having a good day and collided with DS Penske driver, Jean-Éric Vergne. They collided in turn 16, but that was not the only incident, as Oliver Rowland put António Félix Da Costa into the wall at the final corner. TAG Heuer Porsche had to rely on Wehrlein to fight for important points.
Sadly, Da Costa’s victory streak had come to an end, having to retire the car with suspension damage. His fight for the title was over.
Absolute heartbreak for @afelixdacosta in London 💔
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) July 20, 2024
The @PorscheFormulaE driver is out of the race with suspension damage following his clash with Rowland.@Hankook_Sport #LondonEPrix pic.twitter.com/7rGlZxN0xV
Lap 10 saw Buemi go up the inside of Evans to take the lead and control the pace; however, there was trouble for Cassidy, who reported that he’s got bent steering from wheel-to-wheel racing.
Dennis seemed to like collecting penalties, racking up a further 5-second penalty for his incident with JEV, and was under investigation for his collision with Cassidy.
Wehrlein looked comfortable in third and had 3% on Buemi and 2% up on Evans. The German driver has yet ton use his Attack Mode but it was risky as Buemi and Evans both slowed down to conserve their energy.
Wehrlein takes the lead
To overtake, Wehrlein dove in for the lead and went up the inside of Evans in the first turn. Evans put up a strong fight and stayed right on his tail, putting pressure. Wehrlein went for his first Attack Mode.
Wehrlein was now 1.8s ahead of Evans and the fight for the Championship got intense, with Evans desperately trying to get past the Porsche. Maximilian Günther was putting pressure on Evans, who did not have the energy to fight back, allowing Günther to take second. He has gained 9 places since the start of the race.
Unlucky for Norman Nato, who was in the wall at turn 1, after brushing Fenestraz, bringing the safety car back out.
It’s over for Maximilian Günther
With the race back on, Wehrlein had a great start and Günther followed through. However, the Maserati MSG driver slowed down and lost all the positions he’s gained, prompting a full course yellow.
Two laps had been added to the session and the gap with Wehrlein was opening up. The Mahindra drivers had a great session, with Nyck De Vries just behind Buemi in fourth.
Pascal Wehrlein regains the championship lead
Photo Credit: Formula E | Alastair Staley
The fight for the podium was tough, but it was Pascal Wehrlein who took the win. Jaguar TCS Racing driver, Mitch Evans, had to settle for second and Buemi followed in third.
Wehrlein has now regained the Championship lead, just three points ahead of Mitch Evans, who has earned an extra point for driving the fastest lap of 1:11.701s.
[adrotate banner=”11″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.