IN THE HEADLINES

LIGHTNING THREAT

Remarkably, there has never been an officially wet race in all 45 FE races held so far in the championship’s history.

But the 45th nearly did not happen at all. Shortly after qualifying, track screens warned of an “emergency evacuation” due to “unforeseen circumstances” and that the event “has had to be stopped”. In fact, FE temporarily suspended proceedings due to concerns over lightning in the New York area. But the race went ahead as planned in roasting conditions that dried the previously soaked track.

JAGUAR FALLS FLAT

Jaguar ended its second FE season with highs and lows – much like the rest of its campaign. Mitch Evans qualified second for race one but failed to move off much after launching due to a suspected driveshaft issue. His team-mate Nelson Piquet also retired after he knocked a switch while plugging his radio back in following the car swaps and accidentally turned the car off. The duo finished sixth and seventh in race two after a battle with Mahindra pair Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld.

PANTS PENALTIES

The Techeetah drivers were given identical qualifying penalties on both days in New York, although if the first set was controversial the second was bizarre. Both Jean-eric Vergne and Andre Lotterer were fined €5000 and given two penalty points for “wearing non-compliant underwear pants” during qualifying – Vergne in the group phase and Lotterer in superpole – according to an FIA bulletin. Lucas di Grassi was punished for a similar offence in the Punta del Este race, but was fined €10,000 and given three penalty points.

FINGER TROUBLE

Oliver Turvey’s season ended after second practice in New York as he broke the little finger on his left hand in a collision with a wall in that session. The NIO driver struck the barriers at the exit of the final left-hand corner as he was completing a 200kw qualifying simulation lap. He was checked over at the circuit medical centre before being transferred to hospital. Ma Qing Hua replaced Turvey for race two – the call-up was too late for him to compete in the opener – and finished 13th.