Diriyah eprix
SEASON EIGHT OF Formula E began with a double-header in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, recently.
Defending champion Nyck de Vries crashed early in the first practice session but bounced back to win the opening night race, thanks to a clanger dropped by his Mercedes-eq team-mate Stoffel Vandoorne. The ex-mclaren Formula 1 racer failed to trigger his second dose of Attack Mode power, costing him the lead.
De Vries looked on course to complete a Diriyah double in race two, having led the early stages from pole position, but Lucas di Grassi, in his first weekend racing for the independent Venturi team, outmuscled him for the lead, and the Dutchman thereafter slumped to 10th.
Edoardo Mortara, second in the standings last term, got the better of his Venturi teammate to claim victory and head the drivers’ championship by four points from de Vries.
The electric single-seater series travels to Mexico City this weekend for round three.