Buemi on the front row, difficult session for Bird and Vergne<\/b><\/p>\n
Before discussing the qualifications, the first practice session was marked by several red flags, the first flag being the result of a traffic jam behind Nick Heidfeld stuck against the wall after a slight contact with Daniel Abt. The second long interruption occurred when Jos\u00e9 Maria Lopez broke a suspension on a curb. The second session was mainly the scene of a major accident for Oliver Turvey, who hit a barrier with his rear right and was immediately taken to the hospital. This revealed a broken hand, jeopardizing his participation in the rest of the weekend.<\/p>\n
Thus, it was on a dusty and slippery track that the qualification for the first race of this ePrix began. The first group, composed of the top five drivers in the championship, started with the best time for Jean-Eric Vergne ahead of S\u00e9bastien Buemi. Meanwhile, Sam Bird, who remained the main competitor for the Frenchman in the championship, only managed the fourth fastest time. In the second group, composed of only four drivers due to Oliver Turvey’s withdrawal, it was Daniel Abt and Mitch Evans who stood out with provisional third and fourth times. This already eliminated Sam Bird from the super pole.<\/p>\n
In the third group, J\u00e9r\u00f4me d’Ambrosio snatched fifth place from S\u00e9bastien Buemi to provisionally qualify for the second phase of qualifying. And finally, in the last group, St\u00e9phane Sarrazin was involved in a minor accident at the entrance of one of the chicanes on the circuit. None of the drivers in this group managed to break into the top five.<\/p>\n
But, more importantly, the race direction announced the cancellation of the laps for the two Techeetah drivers, Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne and Andr\u00e9 Lotterer, for exceeding the energy consumption limit during qualifying. Very bad news for the Frenchman, who dropped in the standings just ahead of his teammate and the absent Oliver Turvey from these qualifiers. A small consolation for the championship leader, his runner-up Sam Bird was only fourteenth on the grid. This turn of events, however, allowed S\u00e9bastien Buemi and Nicolas Prost to compete for the pole with the top five drivers.<\/p>\n
The top five (Daniel Abt, Mitch Evans, J\u00e9r\u00f4me d’Ambrosio, S\u00e9bastien Buemi, and Nicolas Prost) set off on their second fast lap to determine the starting order of these five competitors. In this little game, it was S\u00e9bastien Buemi who was the big winner ahead of Mitch Evans, his teammate Nicolas Prost, J\u00e9r\u00f4me d’Ambrosio, and Daniel Abt. This gave Renault a final pole position in the discipline, possibly setting up one last front row in the final qualifying session of the season tomorrow.<\/p>\n
Here is the complete starting grid for the first race in New York:<\/p>\n
\nAnd this is how the field will line up for Saturday’s 2018 @qatarairways<\/a> #NYCEPrix<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/EJW5j3dvd4<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) 14 juillet 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Di Grassi leads an Audi one-two, Vergne hits the jackpot<\/b><\/p>\n
Before the start of the race, the track was still as dusty and slippery as ever, with an air temperature of 32 degrees. As soon as the race began, Mitch Evans stalled on the grid and narrowly avoided being hit by J\u00e9r\u00f4me d’Ambrosio. Up front, S\u00e9bastien Buemi remained in the lead ahead of his teammate Nicolas Prost. The incident between d’Ambrosio and Evans allowed Daniel Abt to take third place.<\/p>\n
\nWe go green in New York City for the 2018 Qatar Airways #NYCEPrix<\/a>! pic.twitter.com\/YSGRAd43Nd<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) 14 juillet 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
A few meters later, at the first turn, there was a big contact between J\u00e9r\u00f4me d’Ambrosio and the rear of his teammate Jos\u00e9 Maria Lopez’s car. As a result, the Argentine ended up with rear damage while his teammate lost his front wing. After a few hectometers, Nelson Piquet overtook Jos\u00e9 Maria Lopez, who was in fourth place. At the same time, Daniel Abt gained the advantage over Nicolas Prost for the second position, while Tom Dillmann also overtook Jos\u00e9 Maria Lopez.<\/p>\n
After one lap, Sam Bird had already moved up to eleventh position by overtaking his teammate Alex Lynn, while Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne was still last in the race. Later, Tom Dillmann attacked and easily gained the advantage over Nicolas Prost to move up to fourth place. At the same time, Jos\u00e9 Maria Lopez took the opportunity to pit to repair damage to the rear of his car, while his teammate did the same a few laps later. This allowed Sam Bird to enter the points in ninth place.<\/p>\n
\nThe view from the DHL Flycam sees the two @DSVirginRacing<\/a> cars swap places, elevating @sambirdracing<\/a> into the points #NYCEPrix<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/zhT48NG8SA<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) 14 juillet 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It was also noted that the race cars were kicking up a lot of smoke, which created small patches of fog in several areas of the circuit. Mitch Evans had already retired after his problems at the start. After six laps, Daniel Abt took the lead of the race from S\u00e9bastien Buemi without much difficulty. A few seconds behind, Tom Dillmann continued his impressive race on the offensive by climbing onto the podium at the expense of Nelson Piquet.<\/p>\n
\n.@Daniel_Abt<\/a> overtakes @Sebastien_buemi<\/a> to take the lead of the race #NYCEPrix<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/gDRNCaTlCQ<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) 14 juillet 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
After 10 laps of the New York circuit, Andr\u00e9 Lotterer had already climbed to tenth place while Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne managed to move up to fourteenth. The championship leader was also the most energy-efficient in the race, which might suggest a conservative strategy to make his first stint last as long as possible. As Vergne continued to gain positions, his teammate at Techeetah, Lotterer, gained a significant advantage in the championship over the Frenchman’s rival, Sam Bird, by overtaking him to claim ninth position in the race. This allowed Vergne to catch up more easily with the Briton.<\/p>\n
Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne managed, three laps later, to overtake his rival Sam Bird’s teammate, Alex Lynn, to find himself in eleventh place just behind his main opponent. Further ahead in the race, Di Grassi seized the last spot on the podium at the expense of Dillmann. After overtaking Alex Lynn and following several attempts at intimidation, Vergne gained the upper hand over Bird with a hard braking move. This certainly revived the Frenchman’s title chances.<\/p>\n
\nLap 17 and @JeanEricVergne<\/a> overtakes @sambirdracing<\/a> to move up into tenth #NYCEPrix<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/DEunKPmQ6Z<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) 14 juillet 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
After 20 laps, S\u00e9bastien Buemi lost the advantage of his second position to Lucas Di Grassi, who found himself right behind his teammate. Meanwhile, Andr\u00e9 Lotterer was now sixth ahead of Heidfeld, who was closely followed by Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne, who overtook him immediately. Sam Bird, on his side, was now in tenth place. This twenty-second lap was the moment chosen by all the drivers to stop for their car changes.<\/p>\n
During these stops, Rosenqvist broke down in the middle of the pit lane without obstructing his opponents. Meanwhile, Nelson Piquet in the second Jaguar also came to a stop on the track. Upon resuming, Daniel Abt remained in the lead ahead of his teammate Di Grassi and S\u00e9bastien Buemi. Tom Dillmann continued to follow, but behind him, due to Nelson Piquet’s breakdown, Andr\u00e9 Lotterer and Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne moved up to fifth and sixth place. Behind them were Nick Heidfeld ahead of Nicholas Prost, Sam Bird, and Maro Engel completing the top 10.<\/p>\n
At that moment in the event, Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne was in a position to be crowned champion. Two laps later, Di Grassi took the lead from his teammate Daniel Abt in an authoritative manner. The German tried to retaliate afterwards without success and under the anxious watch of Audi team boss Allan McNish. Just before the thirtieth lap, Lotterer logically let Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne pass for the sake of the championship, allowing the Frenchman to take fifth place and a 10-second lead over Sam Bird, who remained ninth in the race.<\/p>\n
\nAudi vs Audi for the lead of the race on lap 25 #NYCEPrix<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/co9M83AfaT<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) 14 juillet 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
With 10 laps to go, Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne took a 31-point lead in the championship, ensuring he would be crowned at the end of the race even before tomorrow’s final race. Meanwhile, Alex Lynn suffered a major crash to the rear of his car against a TechPro barrier while his teammate Sam Bird lost ninth position to Maro Engel. This logically triggered the Full Course Yellow procedure, neutralizing the track under a speed limiter. A lap later, the safety car came out to slow down the pack.<\/p>\n
\nA massive crash for @alexlynnracing<\/a>, heading onto the main straight. Qualcomm Safety Car deployed #NYCEPrix<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/jawQYlx9ei<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) 14 juillet 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
After a long intervention to clear the debris left on the track by Lynn’s DS Virgin, the race was resumed with three minutes plus one lap on the clock. Sam Bird was obliged to overtake at least two cars to delay Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne’s championship win. The two drivers in front of him, Nick Heidfeld and Nicolas Prost, were in a battle. While this long neutralization allowed the drivers to use the available surplus of energy without limits, Sam Bird gained the advantage over Nicolas Prost, which was still insufficient to prevent Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne from clinching the championship title.<\/p>\n
\nEmotional moment as @JeanEricVergne<\/a> dedicates his championship win to his old friend, @Jules_Bianchi<\/a> #JB17<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/zQg00cHgzW<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) 14 juillet 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This race ended with the second Audi double of the season, with Lucas Di Grassi as the winner ahead of Daniel Abt. Buemi, for his part, maintained third position. With this fifth place, while his rival Sam Bird was only ninth, Jean-\u00c9ric Vergne was officially declared the champion of the 2017-2018 Formula E season. It had started badly with a start from the last position for the two black and gold cars. The Frenchman expressed his joy on the radio while cheering on the French football team before their World Cup final on Sunday. He also dedicated his title to Jules Bianchi, who passed away following a severe accident in Suzuka in 2014.<\/p>\n
As Lotterer lost a position towards the end of the race to Nick Heidfeld, here is the full classification of this penultimate race of the season:<\/p>\n
\n#ABBFormulaE<\/a> Results Race 1 with a @audiformulae<\/a> 1-2. Victory for @Msportextra<\/a> follower @LucasdiGrassi<\/a>:P, P2 for @Daniel_Abt<\/a> and P3 for @Sebastien_buemi<\/a> . @JeanEricVergne<\/a> 2017\/2018 WORLDCHAMPION !! #NYCEprix<\/a> @FIAFormulaE<\/a> @eracing_net<\/a> #MsportXtra<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/bpd08JsgGQ<\/a><\/p>\n