JEV takes charge to secure victory in Rome E-prix
Jean-eric Vergne (DS Techeetah) picked his moments perfectly to drive from fifth to victory in yesterday’s opening race of the Rome E-prix double-header around the streets of the EUR District, heading home Jaguar Racing pair Sam Bird and Mitch Evans. Vergne timed his attack mode activations to a tee, with the top 15 runners separated by a little over five seconds at the half-way stage. He held his nerve throughout under intense pressure from a number of drivers, not lead his closest challenger Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler).
The Brazilian suffered a late technical issue inside the last five minutes which saw him slow and relinquish the lead to Vergne, and caused a concertina effect behind, with Stoffel Vandoorne coming off worst – spinning into the barriers in avoidance after a strong recovery drive. The Safety Car was required for the clean-up operation, and the race finished behind the Mini Electric Pacesetter, with Vergne heading home Bird – who’d climbed from 10th spot – fellow Jaguar driver Mitch Evans, who’d clambered up from 13th, Frijns, Buemi, Rast, Wehrlein, Lynn, Guenther and Cassidy.
Evans sealed the TAG Heuer Fastest Lap.
That all saw Bird stay top of the drivers’ table ahead of Frijns and de Vries, while Jaguar Racing remains atop the teams’ running ahead of today’s Race Four.