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Formula E: Winners and losers from the 2018 Rome ePrix

By Matthew Elich

ROME, ITALY - APRIL 14: In this handout provided by FIA Formula E, Nelson Piquet Jr. (BRA), Panasonic Jaguar Racing, Jaguar I-Type II. during the Rome ePrix, Round 7 of the 2017/18 FIA Formula E Series at Circuito Cittadino Dell'EUR on April 14, 2018 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Malcolm Griffiths/FIA Formula E via Getty Images)
ROME, ITALY - APRIL 14: In this handout provided by FIA Formula E, Nelson Piquet Jr. (BRA), Panasonic Jaguar Racing, Jaguar I-Type II. during the Rome ePrix, Round 7 of the 2017/18 FIA Formula E Series at Circuito Cittadino Dell'EUR on April 14, 2018 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Malcolm Griffiths/FIA Formula E via Getty Images) /
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The inaugural race for Formula E on the streets of Rome brought action and excitement to the Italian Capitol. Who took the lead, and who fell behind?

Here is the list of winners and losers from the 2018 CBMM Niobium Rome ePrix, the seventh race of the 12-race 2017-2018 Formula E season..

Winners

Sam Bird: Bird’s race at the inaugural Rome ePrix was full of excitement and some luck. The DS Virgin racer spent most of his time in second, and after swapping cars at the halfway mark, found himself in first place after race leader Felix Rosenqvist was forced to retire. The Briton became embroiled in a battle with fellow countryman Mitch Evans as Bird successfully defended the number one spot several times. The win puts Bird on par with Rosenqvist and Jean-Eric Vergne as the only other drivers to take two ePrix victories so far this season.

Lucas di Grassi: A sixth place start on the grid was only the beginning for the Audi Sport driver. Di Grassi made his way through the field on race day, taking the fight to Mitch Evans for second place in the closing laps. Di Grassi came under scrutiny for a seat belt issue at the end of the race, but all was well after the FIA investigation, and di Grassi was able to hold on to the podium finish he had fought hard for.

Andre Lotterer: Adding to the list of Formula E podiums for the driver in his maiden season, Andre Lotterer took home third place in Rome. His tactic for getting into the top three may not have played out so well if the race leader wasn’t knocked out of contention. Lotterer also fared better in Rome than his teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne, for the first time this season.His performance adds to the statement he made after the race about “still learning a lot from racing [in Formula E].” The German driver stated, “I’m getting it bit by bit.”

Losers

Felix Rosenqvist: Putting in a lap time at 1:36.31, a time fast enough for pole in Rome, the Mahindra driver led most of the inaugural race at the 21-turn, 2.86-kilometer (1.77-mile) Circuito cittadino dell’EUR track. Rosenqvist was in prime position to take the win until he took a bit too much curb and broke his right rear suspension, forcing him to retire with only 10 laps to go. With the release of a full-course caution, Rosenqvist’s second retirement of the season would send him down in the driver standings and increase the gap between he and leader Jean-Eric Vergne.

Jean-Eric Vergne: Vergne’s qualifying landed him in eighth place after he had just won in Uruguay, and he had quite a tough ePrix on the Italian city circuit. Alex Lynn hit him on lap one, forcing the Frenchman to drive with some decent damage to the rear of the Techeetah for the first stint. In addition to Vergne’s bad luck with Lynn, the former Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver tried to pull off quite a move toward the end of the race. As he went to make an outside move in turn one, he overcooked his front tires and almost went off track. Vergne remains in first place in the drivers standings, but he is now within grasp after a fifth place finish.

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Mitch Evans: After a Formula E career-high third place qualifying effort, Evans’ strategy for the race involved some pushing to get back on the leaders in the race’s second half. As he was making up ground during the final stint, he pushed a little too hard. When the full-course caution from Rosenqvist’s incident hit, Evans’ energy reserves were so low from the hard driving that he lost several places in the last few laps, costing him a potential podium finish.

Alex Lynn: The Brit had a terrible weekend, suffering from crashes in both practice sessions that brought out red flags both times and then crashing again in the race. Lynn started out by causing a collision with Jean-Eric Vergne, and he stopped later with technical problems in another bizarre incident, bringing out one of the full-course cautions that would dictate the race results.

Nelson Piquet Jr: As perhaps the biggest loser of the first race for Formula E on the streets of Rome, Piquet Jr. had the pace in practice by setting the fastest time in the first session. When it came to race day, the 2014-2015 champion narrowly avoided a four-car pileup right before his pit stop to swap to his second car. After showing promise to gain some points, it would be an undone safety belt that terminated his race and his hope of staying in the top five in the driver’s standings.

Next: Top 5 manufacturers looking to join Formula E

Be sure to tune in to the next race of the 2017-2018 Formula E season, 2018 Paris ePrix, which is set to be held on Saturday, April 28th at the 14-turn, 1.93-kilometer (1.20-mile) Circuit des Invalides in Paris, France.

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