Formula E: Winners and losers from the 2018 Qatar Airways Paris ePrix

Showing his superiority on the streets of Paris, Jean-Eric Vergne won the eighth round of the 2017-2018 Formula E season, the Paris ePrix.

After a textbook display of his superiority on the streets of Paris, France, Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne won the eighth racer of the 2017-2018 Formula E season. Who sizzled and who fizzled on the track?

Here is your list of winners and losers from the 2018 Paris ePrix.

Winners

Jean-Eric Vergne: Vergne started out his weekend right in his home Formula E race with a fast enough time in Super Pole for first place on the grid. It would be somewhat of a quiet afternoon for the Frenchman, as his displayed a dominant performance, taking his third win of the season and adding to his lead in the championship. He is now 31 points ahead of Sam Bird with only four races to go on the calendar.

Sam Bird: After missing out on pole to Jean-Eric Verne, Bird still had a great chance to win the Paris ePrix starting from the second position. Halfway through the race, Bird started to fall behind, losing two places after being in contention for the lead of the race. He was first nudged out of second by Andre Lotterer on lap 35 and then lost third on the next lap. In a wild finish on the Parisian streets, Bird plowed into the back of Lotterer’s powerless car and would cross the finish line in third with a dangling front right wheel.

Lucas di Grassi: After following Lotterer past Sam Bird to make the final podium spot, di Grassi looked as though he would make another move on the Techeetah driver on the final lap. Lotterer lost power in the final few turns, and it would play into di Grassi’s hands, as he would end up finishing second. A podium finish for di Grassi helps his points situation as he holds currently holds fifth place just two points ahead of his teammate Daniel Abt.

Daniel Abt: Abt had a fantastic showing in the Paris ePrix, as he passed several cars on the track. Starting from 14th place, he would make up several positions during the course of the race. He even put a spectacular pass on Sebastian Buemi for sixth. He would cross the finish line in seventh, but his moves in one of his finest performances to date have put him in the winner’s bracket.

Losers

Andre Lotterer: Starting the race in third place, the Techeetah racing driver held position for most of the race. Lotterer would go on to make his move for second on lap 35, blocking Sam Bird in a bid for the position. Lotterer would have to do some dirty defending against Lucas di Grassi as well. In the end, the German would run out of energy in the final corners of the race and ultimately finish in sixth. His passing and defending antics would put him under the scrutiny of the stewards, as he was under investigation following the end of the race.

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Nelson Piquet Jr: With two wrecks already to his name during the practice sessions and a no-show in qualifying, Piquet Jr.’s race in Paris did not fare much better. He smashed into the back of the MS&AD Andretti car of Tom Blomqvist as he was checking up. The afternoon would result in a DNF for the Panasonic Jaguar driver. After taking the inaugural championship in Formula E three years ago, Piquet has not been able to finish in the top 10 in the driver standings since. He currently sits seventh in the driver standings with only a handful of races left, but his luck in the last few races may cause him to fall out of the top 10 once again.

Antonio Felix da Costa: Despite the fact that da Costa started in fifth place in the race, the streets of Paris would not be so kind to him. Within two laps of lights out, he had already lost a couple of positions when he veered off course, putting himself even further behind in the race. His race would end shortly thereafter, making him the first retirement of the Paris ePrix.

Tom Blomqvist: Blomqvist’s race started with the Brit smashing into the back of Nico Prost. Blomqvist’s car would then be sandwiched on the opening lap, forcing the MS&AD Andretti driver to pit for a new nose and wing. He would ultimately retire from the race, which meant a double retirement for the MS&AD Andretti team.

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Round nine of the 2017-2018 Formula E championship will be held in the capital of Germany. In its fourth year running, the Berlin ePrix is set for Saturday, May 19th. As the drivers and teams head to the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit, Sebastian Buemi has the most wins on the track, but will he be able to make it three wins on the circuit and put himself back into the top three in this year’s championship? Tune in for an always exciting race and the future of racing and technology.

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