Yo-yoing title fight reaches its climax this weekend, as historical Berlin Tempelhof Airport stages eagerly-anticipated double-header season finale.
After 13 races within the future of seven cities, ten totally different winners, 19 podium-finishers and drama by the bucketload, it all boils down to this – two excessive-velocity showdowns in Berlin on two totally different tracks for the glory of happening within the historical past books because the significant ABB FIA System E World Champion.
Irritating System E title fights are nothing fresh, for lope, nevertheless there is added prestige this season on legend of the all-electric single-seater sequence used to be formally granted FIA World Championship set. Given what is at stake, it is entirely acceptable that the battle for glory ought to aloof lag gorgeous the methodology down to the wire, and with 60 parts aloof on hand in Germany this weekend (14/15 August) and no longer up to 30 blanketing the tip 12 drivers within the classification, picking a favourite is all-nevertheless very no longer seemingly.
Indeed, the 2020/21 campaign to-date has been nothing if no longer wildly unpredictable. Early-season championship leader Nyck de Vries vaulted attend to the tip of the desk with a brace of runner-up leads to London final month, having looked to be nearly out for the count going into the occasion after picking up appropriate a single high ten make from the outdated six races. The Dutchman done his first System E podium in Berlin final one year in a Mercedes-EQ one-two, and returns holding a slim six-point advantage within the trail for the coveted crown.
De Vries’ closest pursuer is countryman Robin Frijns. The Envision Virgin Racing ace might maybe maybe even be the finest driver contained within the unique high six no longer to comprise received but in 2020/21, nevertheless his commendable consistency has saved him solidly within the hunt – and he reached the rostrum twice in Germany final summer season.
Love de Vries, Sam Chicken is one in every of appropriate three competitors to comprise triumphed more than once this season, and the Jaguar Racing driver sits third total, fired-up to fight attend from a scoreless house occasion that trace him the tip blueprint within the standings.
Tied on parts with Chicken is fellow Brit Jake Dennis, the leading rookie within the sphere with spectacular victories to his credit in Valencia and London – and while the 26-one year-feeble can be discovering the excessive-grip Tempelhof Airport Circuit for the significant time, his BMW i Andretti Motorsport team received there final one year with Maximilian Günther.
Correct kind one point extra attend is the individual that secured his first System E title in Berlin 12 months within the past – DS TECHEETAH’s António Félix da Costa. The Portuguese superstar clinched the crown within the German capital courtesy of three podium finishes – including two wins – from the opening four races of the city’s six-crawl pause-of-season crawl, and his sights are firmly mounted once but again on the significant prize.
Mahindra Racing’s Alex Lynn catapulted himself into the reckoning with a house turf triumph in London, while Gash Cassidy has long past from power-to-power in his maiden campaign of System E competition with Envision Virgin Racing and might maybe maybe effectively be place to spring a silly surprise.
Eighth-positioned Mitch Evans (Jaguar Racing) is the lap fable-holder spherical the Tempelhof Airport Circuit’s authorized format – with each and each the feeble anti-clockwise notice and reversed ‘NILREB’ circuit to be frail this weekend – as Edoardo Mortara (ROKiT Venturi Racing) and Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler’s René Rast total the tip ten within the parts desk, the German a podium visitor in Berlin final season.
Pascal Wehrlein is appropriate 24 parts adrift of the summit of the standings in 11th for TAG Heuer Porsche, earlier than double System E champion Jean-Éric Vergne, thrice a pole-sitter within the German capital and a winner there 12 months within the past.
Amongst the other drivers aloof in mathematical competition for glory is Mercedes-EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne, who transformed pole region into his breakthrough System E victory in Berlin within the 2019/20 season finale, having established the unique lap fable on the reverse format appropriate seven days earlier.
Love Vergne, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler’s Lucas Di Grassi is a ragged winner and loads of podium-finisher at Tempelhof, while Oliver Rowland broke his System E duck there final summer season with a lights-to-flag success – Nissan e.dams’ third triumph in Berlin – and André Lotterer reached the rostrum on house soil for TAG Heuer Porsche.
Round 14 of the 2020/21 System E campaign spherical the anti-clockwise Tempelhof circuit will ranking underway at 14: 04 CET on Saturday, 14 August, with Round 15 on the ‘NILREB’ format following at 15: 34 CET the following day. The weekend will moreover host the 2d occasion of 2021 for FIA Ladies on Music – the FIA Girls in Motorsport Commission’s pioneering grassroots programme for young women folk ragged between eight and 18.
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