The DHL Valencia E-Prix did not fail to deliver drama and excitement for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s first visit to a permanent track at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain. Only twelve drivers reached the finish line with energy left in their cars but Antonio Felix da Costa (DS Techeetah), Alex Lynn (Mahindra Racing), and Sam Bird (Jaguar Racing) were disqualified post-race.
Bird was the driver’s championship leader ahead of Valencia but the track proved tricky for both him and his teammate Mitch Evans. Bird’s disqualification dropped him two places and promoted both Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team drivers to the top two spots of the championship and made them the top team in the team’s championship.
Evans was not lucky either yesterday as he was forced to retire due to suspension damage after his collision with Sergio Sette Camara (Dragon-Penske Autosport).
Antonio Felix Da Costa was also disqualified after the race, putting last year’s champion in twelfth place in the overall championship. This gave Jake Dennis (BMW i Andretti Motorsport) his first Formula E points in the driver’s championship, moving him into twenty-second place, ahead of Frenchman Norman Nato and 3-time Le Mans winner Andre Lotterer.
Alex Lynn was the last driver to be disqualified post-race, awarding DS Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne two points. Lynn had good pace in qualifying, as he was leader in the group qualifying stages and qualified fifth in Super Pole, but the disqualification dropped him and his team down in the standings, to twenty-first and ninth respectively.
The DHL Valencia E-Prix Round six will start at 7:50 CET (6:50 BST) tomorrow and the race will be at 14:00 CET (13:00 BST).
