That race was pure chaos. And oh we enjoyed it. Let’s recap on the most important points of the weekend, shall we?
Credit: Formula E Media Bank / Sam Bloxham
What a remarkable results has the first ever São Paulo E-Prix produced. From the ups to the downs, this time we have 7 lessons for you. Ready?
1. Jaguar finally finds its pace
What an astonishing result for Jaguar in São Paulo. Not only has the Jag TCS Racing team secured 1st and 3rd on the podium, but the 2nd got claimed by another Jaguar powered car – Cassidy and Envision Racing.
After a tough start to the season for the Coventry-based team, it seams that they put their heads down and finally found their grove to deliver the pace we knew they had. The performance from Brazil catapults TCS Racing into 3rd in the standings, closely behind their customer Envision. The fight will definitely get spicy along the way, and which team will be victorious by the end of the season? Only time will tell!
2. Cass on the Gas (again)
Another fantastic performance from the Kiwi. His P2 result in Brazil promotes him to third in the standings, just one point behind Jake Dennis of Andretti Motorsport. The New-Zealander from Auckland visited the podium three times in the past three races, and rumor has it we will see him there again soon. Can he squeeze out a potential win somewhere this season?
His strong performance allowed Envision to keep P2 in the teams standings, although the gap to TAG Heuer Porsche is still there. Will his teammate Sebastien Buemi be able to get on his level? The Swiss driver is currently 7th in the standings, and Cass’ performance definitely gives us a promise that he will soon join the pack up front. Remarkable work done by both Envision and Cassidy. Consistency is key.
3. Disaster at the Sambadrome for Nissan
It seems that the colourful Sambadrome didn’t bring any luck to the Nissan team. Both of the drivers had to retire from the race. Fenestraz clipped the wall in Turn 6, causing a Safety Car in the first stage of the race. Norman Nato retired from the race even faster than Fenestraz, after a contact during the first few laps.
Nissan is definitely having a tough time so far in the season. They’re currently P9 in the championship standings….out of 11 teams. Fortunately for them, the competition behind them doesn’t really seem to challenge them…but it would be great for Nissan to get up and running again, after some strong performances especially from Fenestraz in a few races so far.
4. Shambles continue for Maserati
We think it might be time for James Rossiter to have a little chat with his drivers. After a great result for Mortara in qualifying and starting P4 in the race, his position was thrown away in the first corner after he made contact with the back of Evans’ car. He managed to keep the car running for a while, but eventually retired from the race, for the second race in a row.
Günther also struggled immensely, after contact with others throughout the race, and eventually had to settle for a position outside of points, making him consistent in one department – he has successfully scored 0 point in the first 6 races of the season. We’re just not sure if it’s the type of consistency the team needs. It seems like the drivers are capable of extracting the raw pace from the car in qualifying, but driver errors in the race make them sit in the back of the grid. Will Maserati be able to finally get some more points on the board?
5. Solid weekend for both DS Penske cars
Jay Penske can be happy with the result in Brazil. Both of the drivers were in Top 10, claiming 5th and 6th respectively. Vandoorne had a real taste of the podium for a moment, starting from pole but eventually had to give in to the Jaguar-powered cars and Da Costa who managed to finish the race just outside of the podium.
Thanks to his 10 points for P6, Vergne managed 4th position in the standings, just two points ahead of his old teammate Da Costa. After a difficult start of the season, Vandoorne is currently P11 in the standings, 10 points short of Jake Hughes in McLaren. The performance from Brazil definitely signals that the DS Penske has the pace to fight in the front, it’s just a matter of executing it in the race. The results will follow.
6. Dennis in trouble
Despite being 2nd in the championship standings, it’s been some rocky times for the Brit racing for Avalanche Andretti. In the past three races, Dennis scored 0 points and had to retire from the race in Brazil after a move from Ticktum took him out of the race.
We know that the 27-years-old driver knows well how to extract the pace from his car, as he definitely shown it in his rookie season in Formula E – but he definitely needs to put his head down (and stay away from the trouble caused by others) if he wants to challenge others for the prime spot in the championship standings.
7. ABT Cupra still bites the dust
Listen, we don’t want to kick the one laying on the ground, but it’s definitely “not vibes” at the ABT Cupra garage so far into the season. Despite Robin Frijns coming back behind the wheel of his Mahindra M9Electro-powered car after an injury in Mexico City, the troubles continue for the German team as they’re still the last team in the championship standings, with 0 points on the board. Will the fate turn around for Frijns and Müller later in the season? We definitely hope so.
So, folks, here are our lessons from the São Paulo E-Prix, but you reckon we’re missing something? If yes, let us know in the comments what are YOUR lessons from this outrageously fantastic race we’ve got to witness all together. And don’t forget for next time: enjoy the race wherever you are ✨
