Formulation E – Chook wins season-opening Diriyah E-Prix

Envision Virgin Racing’s Sam Chook claims the tip situation on the podium, whereas TAG Heuer Porsche’s Andre Lotterer and Mercedes-Benz EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne enact in 2nd respectively third after a spectacular season opener in Saudi Arabia.

Starting from pole set, Alexander Sims of BMW i Andretti Motorsport pulled away as the lights went out on the first mosey of the 2019/2020 season, leaving every Mercedes-Benz EQ drivers Stoffel Vandoorne and Nyck de Vries in 2nd and third.

After five minutes, the Attack Mode activation zone unfolded, giving all 24 drivers the choice to remove up an additional 35kW energy enhance.

Following a choice of attempts from Chook to fling Rokit Venturi Racing’s Edoardo Mortara and transfer in direction of a podium enact, the Brit passed the Swiss driver with 30 minutes left on the clock. After his preliminary Attack Mode activation ended, Chook became once ready to stay to the Mercedes pair forward, as they in turn chased leader Sims.

Leading the style, Alex Sims kept the 2 Mercedes drivers at bay in his BWM as the German manufacturers battled for the desire. Chook then took his 2nd Attack Mode activation on lap 20, staying sooner than Lotterer – who had climbed to fourth from seventh on the grid and became once also in his 2nd Attack Mode activation.

With 17 minutes left of the mosey, reigning champion Jean-Eric Vergne retired, returning to the pits with damage to his DS Techeetah automobile.

Coming off the originate/enact straight, a affected person Vandoorne made his transfer on mosey leader Sims, taking the lead thru Turn 18 and 19. At the the same time, Chook attacked, passing Sims to transfer into 2nd. Losing lend a hand additional aloof, Lotterer moved into third, knocking Sims off a doable podium enact.  

No longer bellow with a 2nd set, Chook attacked Vandoorne with ten minutes final. Taking the lead, the Brit became once now in front of the contemporary entrants Mercedes and Porsche as Lotterer remained in third. 

After working his map up the grid, Nissan e.dams’ Oliver Rowland stepped forward on Sims in fourth, passing the BMW driver with six minutes to spare.

Coming into Turn 5, Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler’s Daniel Abt failed to dwell his automobile after a collision with Antonio Felix Da Costa (BMW i Andretti Motorsport) and became once left stranded after colliding with the wall.

With simplest a short time left on the clock, the Safety Car became once deployed whereas the German’s automobile became once with out be aware recovered. The mosey restarted with correct over a minute to fling.

Chook, declaring his lead, held out to make a decision on up the first desire of the season – his ninths overall – after a spectacular mosey from the Envision Virgin Racing driver. Trailing the Brit became once Porsche’s Andre Lotterer in 2nd, followed by Mercedes’ Stoffel Vandoorne in third.

Quotes

Sam Chook, Envision Virgin Racing

“I felt assured going into the mosey. Envision Virgin Racing gave me a terrific automobile. I judge a few of it’s the entire style down to the contemporary beard! Final year became once significant and I went thru a form of transformation though-provoking a good deal of considering and mental stuff. It’s very particular to desire this day. There are 23 varied amazing drivers within the market, so to achieve lend a hand out on high map loads. It’s a sizable originate to the year, nonetheless the exhausting work doesn’t dwell. We have one other mosey the following day to come. There’s doable within the car so we desire to maximise what we are able to.”

Andre Lotterer, TAG Heuer Porsche Formulation E Team

“The next day to come we have faith one other mosey and it’ll be significant extra significant. Both map we remove this day as it became once, which is a terrific debut for the Porsche crew. All of us labored very exhausting, we came right here, and we did our simplest. 2nd set is a sizable map to originate and enhance the self perception of the crew… it became once awesome. I thought about having a crack at Sam [Bird] to present him payback for Hong Kong final season! We weren’t effective on how significant energy we had left, so I particular to bring it residence safely. I’m effective our time will attain soon with a desire!”

Stoffel Vandoorne, Mercedes-Benz EQ Formulation E Team

“A extensive originate for everyone at Mercedes-Benz EQ this day. It’s significant for a contemporary manufacturer to achieve lend a hand into this championship and lift out so successfully within the first mosey. We needed to set a quantity of work into making effective our equipment became once keen for this mosey and I wouldn’t speak the entire lot ran completely, nonetheless it became once a extremely aesthetic end result and I judge that everyone might per chance additionally be extremely proud. We have some extra work to raise out. But I’m tickled with the podium.”

2019 Diriyah E-Prix (Rd 01)

Flee results

Drivers’ standings

Teams’ standings