Berlin ePrix – Felix Rosenqvist took his and Mahindra Racing’s first Formula E win ahead of Lucas di Grassi at the Tempelhof Airport.
The Swede secured his first victory on only his seventh race start and professionally lead a Mahindra 1-3 finish, with team-mate Nick Heidfeld taking a home podium behind Abt Audi Sport’s di Grassi.
Starting the race from pole position, di Grassi lead for almost half the race, with Rosenqvist moving up from third to second on the opening lap following a slow getaway for DS Virgin Racing’s Jose-Maria Lopez. Heidfeld also profited from the slow-starting Argentine to move up from fourth to third.
Rosenqvist took the lead of the race prior to the pit stops; with slightly more energy remaining in the battery of his first car, he powered past di Grassi around the outside of turn one.
From there, Rosenqvist emerged from the pit stops as the leader and gradually extended his advantage over the remainder of the race to take victory.
Di Grassi’s second place means that he closes in on Sebastien Buemi’s championship lead, whilst Heidfeld secured his third consecutive podium to secure Mahindra’s first double-podium result.
Lopez claimed a solid fourth place whilst Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne was handed a five-second time penalty for unsafe pit release, dropping the Frenchman from fifth to ninth.
Following an impressive fight back through the field, Renault eDams’ Buemi ended up in fifth place following Vergne’s penalty. The Swiss driver passed numerous drivers in a drive of damage limitation.
Nicolas Prost took sixth in the second Renault eDams car, whilst the second Abt Audi Sport of Daniel Abt passed Sam Bird (DS Virgin Racing) for seventh place on the finish line.
The penalised Vergne ended up ninth with Venturi’s Maro Engel picking up the final point. Jaguar’s Mitch Evans ran a shortened race after early problems, but gained points for setting the fastest lap of the race before eventually retiring.
To view the full race results, click here.
