Summary Formula E ePrix Jakarta: Evans wins exciting duel!
- GPblog.com
With a pole position in qualifying, Jean-Eric Vergne was in good shape to possibly take over the lead in the Formula E championship. But was he able to turn the best starting spot into a good result? Read it now in our ePrix of Jakarta summary.
The start of the ePrix of goes very well for the Techeetah team. Vergne gets away perfectly and is able to drive calmly through turn one, while teammate Antonio Felix Da Costa is attacked by Mitch Evans. The Portuguese manages to defend well and hold on to second place.
For the Mercedes team, the start is shaky. Vandoorne manages to gain a place on Buemi, while De Vries loses a place. It doesn't take long for Buemi to pass the championship leader again, before the safety car is called out, because Rowland suddenly lost a wheel.
Aggressive Strategy with Attack Boosts
After the race resumes, Da Costa immediately makes a major braking error, blocking his tire and allowing Evans to pass. At the front of the field things remain stable for a while, until it's time for the first round of Attack Boosts. Evans timed it just wrong, after Jean-Eric Vergne goes into Attack Mode first, dropping him from first place to third.
Stoffel Vandoorne, the leader in the championship for the ePrix of Jakarta, is one of the last to grab his Attack Boosts, cleverly managing to gain two spots. It doesn't take long before the Techeetah team decides to go for an aggressive strategy and immediately grab the second Attack Boost. Vergne has to give up the lead for a moment, but makes up for it two laps later with a convincing overtaking manoeuvre on Evans.
In the second half of the ePrix of Jakarta, Vergne seems to be comfortably in the lead. The Frenchman only has to keep a close eye on Evans, as the Australian has decided to be patient with his second Attack Boost. Vandoorne, meanwhile, is slowly but surely working his way to the front and it's necessary too. His main competitors, Vergne and Mortara, are driving in front of him and the Belgian fears losing the lead in the standings.
Duel for the win
Evans is the last to grab his second Attack Mode in Jakarta and manages to stay ahead importantly of Da Costa, who is driving third at the time, leaving the way open towards Vergne. Despite the extra power, Evans is unable to get past the Frenchman during his Attack Mode, but the gap is closed, making the last ten minutes a duel between the two leaders in the race.
While Nyck de Vries has to abandon the race due to a flat tire, Evans suddenly goes for an overtake on Vergne. The Frenchman does not see the attack coming and suddenly loses the lead in the race.
In the closing stages Mortara manages to join the pressure fighting Vergne and Evans. The last laps there is almost no difference between the drivers, while the batteries of the cars are almost empty. Just before the finish Mortara almost manages to get ahead of Vergne, but the Frenchman manages to hold on to second place, while Evans finishes first in the Jakarta!