Monaco is hosting a double Formula E E-Prix this weekend. On the mythical circuit of the Principality, it was Nissan driver Oliver Rowland who won the first race of the weekend.
May is synonymous with motorsport in Monaco. This year, in addition to the traditional Formula 1 Grand Prix, Formula E is back. On the full 3.3 km track, the 22 drivers in the competition participate in two free practice sessions, a qualification, and a race.
Late in the morning, it was the young British McLaren team driver Taylor Barnard who set the pole position at 1’30”117 ahead of the world championship leader, Oliver Rowland (Nissan). The latter ended the qualification in the wall at Saint-Dévote. A bit further back, his teammate, Cannes driver Norman Nato, classified in 18th position.
In Formula E, anything is possible even in Monaco. Even though the positions didn’t change at the front for the leading drivers, several race incidents livened up the competition. The first incident occurred during the 7th lap when Antonio Felix Da Costa (2nd in the world championship), battling for 10th place, ended up in the wall at Rascasse. A hard blow for the Portuguese Porsche driver.
Mandatory recharge disrupts the standings
At the front, the battle is fierce. Oliver Rowland manages to take the lead of the race from Taylor Barnard. The British driver is in top form this Saturday and seems capable of controlling his pace. Except a new rule is going to change the course of the race. Mandatory recharge. Every driver must now make a pit stop to recharge 10% of their battery in 30 seconds. This stop must occur when the car’s battery charge level is between 60% and 40%.
As Nico Müller (14th on the grid) and Nick Cassidy reach this battery range, Mitch Evans’ single-seater breaks down on the track, resulting in a Full Course Yellow. All cars must slow down to allow the removal of the broken-down vehicle. At this moment, the two men are the only ones with the opportunity to enter the pits for their recharge stop. Thanks to this race event, they gain more than twenty seconds over the drivers who didn’t stop.
Nico Müller finds himself in the lead ahead of Nick Cassidy, whose battery management wasn’t well executed. The New Zealander must slow down to conserve energy and is overtaken by almost all the drivers. Meanwhile, Taylor Barnard makes a mistake in turn but manages to return to the track. Nico Müller tries to keep his first place against Oliver Rowland but can’t resist the British driver’s pace. Despite a perfect strategy, Müller finishes in 5th place. At the front, the world championship leader shows everyone his superiority this Saturday, winning ahead of Nick De Vries (Mahindra) and Jack Dennis (Andretti). Norman Nato finishes in 14th place. He will be eager to respond, especially after his teammate’s victory at Nissan.
See you tomorrow for the second race of the weekend.
