Jean-Éric Vergne captures Round 3 of Formula E Rome E-Prix
With his 10th career Formula E victory, Jean-Éric Vergne landed at the top of the podium in the Rome E-Prix on Saturday. It was the Frenchman’s first triumph since Round 9 in Berlin last year, and he has now extended his streak of at least one win each year for five straight years.
Sam Bird (started P10) and Mitch Evans (P12) of Jaguar Racing finished second and third respectively, giving the team its first double podium in Formula E. Evans picked up an additional point for posting the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap.
“Today was the first race weekend with the new powertrain and it felt really good,” Vergne said in his post-race interview. “The team did a great job to fix the car in time for the race after FP1. My engineer was very good in giving me directions on energy management and Attack Mode. I had very good management during the race and it was a question of making the most of the energy reduction. When Lucas tried to overtake me, I didn’t stop him because I knew we had more energy and there was a long way to go. I knew that I could’ve taken him."
Vergne picked up 25 points, his first of the season, and that propelled him to fifth in the Formula E drivers standings, 18 behind Sam Bird.
As far as Vergne’s Formula E team, it is second in the standings behind Jaguar Racing, one point ahead of Mercedes-EQ Fortmula E Team.
Read more Formula E: Porsche is the fourth manufacturer committed to the Gen3 era in Formula E
“We had a really good start as a team with another podium finish,” said Bird in a Formula E release. “I won here before, but I can’t compare the two tracks. The circuit was very difficult, but I am really pleased with the performance. It felt really comfortable and we didn’t waste too much time in overtaking. JEV defended very well and I’m happy with the result."
"This is our first double podium as a team - congratulations to everyone involved and Sam, we work really well together," said Evans. “It wasn’t an easy race to manage at all. The conditions weren’t easy and starting in the middle of the pack, you can easily get caught up in crashes. I’m glad we started under the safety car as T1 could’ve been tricky, but our pace was extremely strong."
Stoffel Vandoorne (Mercedes-EQ), the Julius Baer Pole Position winner, and André Lotterer (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) got together after the field was released, and neither finished the race.
Formula E has one more race in Rome
Racing action returns tomorrow, April 11 for Round 4 of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship - the Rome E-Prix.