This time there was neither champagne nor Marseillaise on the podium on the Long Beach circuit. However, e.dams-Renault still holds a commanding lead in the Formula E Championship thanks to Sébastien Buemi’s fourth place and Nicolas Prost’s fastest lap.
In beautiful Californian sunshine it was all looking good for e.dams-Renault for the race after solid free practice sessions and excellent qualifying. Buemi clinched pole position, which he then lost because he exceeded the maximum power limit on his fastest lap and was demoted to tenth place. As Prost set the third-quickest time he was promoted to the front row, which wasn’t really an advantage as he was on the dirty side of the track.
This meant that he lost a place at the start and overall he had a pretty chaotic race. Due to a loss of power the championship leader dropped back to seventh and was then handed a penalty for contact with Jérôme d’Ambrosio. He rejoined with the bit between his teeth and set the fastest lap scoring two precious points. Buemi spent the whole race stuck behind Lucas di Grassi and took advantage of Daniel Abt’s retirement to clinch fourth position at the chequered flag. Overall it was a disappointing result after the performance in qualifying, but the French team still holds a 27-point lead over its main rival, Abt-Audi. E-dams-Renault will be out for revenge in Monaco next month.
Alain Prost, co-owner: “We knew that there was little to choose between the teams and that the championship would be very close. Nelson Piquet is the sixth winner in six races and this proves the indecision and the similar overall level of all those entered in the championship. The penalties we were given, which we don’t contest by the way, had a big influence on our results today. But we also have to find out why we lacked speed in the race. This being said, we’ll be super motivated to get back on top in Monaco.”
Jean-Paul Driot, co-owner: “Naturally I’m disappointed with the result as we showed just how quick we are in qualifying. The race was pretty tricky, but overall we managed to limit the damage and we’re still in the lead in the teams’ championship. Monaco will be a new beginning for us.”
Nicolas Prost: “Of course, I’m not very happy about losing the lead in the championship. My first car was down on power and I was really struggling. Then in the pack I tagged D’Ambrosio and the penalty was probably deserved. However, my fastest lap in the race gives me two points which will count in the final reckoning. In any case I hope to do a lot better in Monaco.”
Sébastien Buemi: “I’ve got mixed feelings. On the one hand, with the speed we showed, starting from pole we could have won this race so I’m very unhappy about receiving the penalty. On the other, finishing fourth after starting from tenth place is fairly satisfying, especially as I had a few electrical cutouts in the race. Now we’re going to reconcentrate our forces and do everything we can to score a better result in Monaco.”
Long Beach summary
Qualifying. Prost P2, Buemi P10 (fastest time, 9-place penalty),
Race. Buemi P4, Prost P15 (fastest lap in the race).
Drivers’ Championship. 1. Di Grassi (Audi-Abt), 75 points ; 2. Piquet, 74 ; 3. Prost, 69 points ; 4. Buemi, 55.
Teams’ Championship. 1. e.dams-Renault, 124 points ; 2. Abt-Audi, 97 ; 3. Virgin, 82.
Next round: Monaco, 9th May.