It’s time for the first practise session of the American weekend and second to last round in the Formula E season. Oliver Rowland will be replaced by Nissan’s Reserve and Development driver Caio Collet due to a last minute illness. The INDYNXT driver leading the rookie standings has never driven the track, not even on the simulator!
After the first set of laps the Envision duo of Buemi and Frijns was on top, but only 15 cars have posted a timed lap in the first five minutes of the session.
Cassidy is the next driver to go on top with a 1:10.58s on a quest to hold on to his championship lead and joined on the provisional podium by De Vries and Da Costa, whose appeal to revoke the Misano E-Prix DSQ from win was not granted.
His teammate Mitch Evans shaves a couple of hundreds from the Jaguar driver’s previous best, as Sacha Fenestraz runs wide off track and into the gravel.
At the halfway point of the session the Kiwi driver is the first one to sign a lap in the 1:09s, with Da Costa moving up to P2. Cassidy returns to the pits mentioning a tyre issue.
Frijns is the next driver to run wide off track as Norman Nato brings his star and striped for the weekend Andretti to P1.
Photo credits: Andretti Global
It’s a positive day so far for Nissan as well, with Fenestraz in P7 and Collet in P14 on his first official outing for the team.
Da Costa and De Vries take up the other two provisional podium spots. ERT’s Sette Camara gets in the top 5, and issues a brief yellow flag for cutting through the final corners of the track.
Maserati’s Daruvala ran wide on the grass, spinning his car.
In the final five minutes of the session many cars returned to the pits. The Jaguar drivers put their cars back, with Evans 0.174s and Cassidy 0.207s off the French driver.
Reigning champion Jake dennis struggles with his car, back in P12 as championship contender Pascal Wehrlein slots in P7. The German driver runs off track as well.
Stoffel Vandoorne is the latest driver to get in the grass. issuing yet another yellow flag in the final moments of the session.
The final top 10 features Nato’s 1:09.07s, Evans, Cassidy, Da Costa, De Vries, Di Grassi, Wehrlein, Sette Camara, Günther and Mortara, with Collet in P19 ahead of Fenestraz.
