NEW YORK, July 15, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Jean-Eric Vergne Wins 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship at NYC E-Prix fending off Sebastien Buemi and Lucas di Grassi in a nail biting finish on the streets of Red Hook, Brooklyn. Vergne, the 2017/18 Champion, has become the electric race car series' first back-to-back season Champion in the electric race series' five year history.
The DS TECHEETAH driver – and newly-crowned Formula E champion – fought off immense pressure from Nissan E.Dams;' Sebastien Buemi and Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler's Lucas di Grassi in a fight to the flag on a weekend of racing that put his potential to repeat in jeopardy.
Vergne, who came into the weekend as the leader with 130 points, surged from his 12th place grid position in the final race of the season Sunday to finish in seventh place, scoring six points to seal his season victory. Saturday, Vergne did not amass any points after was involved in a multi-car pile up on the last lap and and limped to the finish line in the first race of the Championship weekend.
With Vergne taking the Drivers' Championship, DS TECHEETAH took the team crown and avoided suffering defeat to Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler as it did in last year's Championship weekend in NYC.
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Vergne drove a clean and clever race, staying out of trouble and advancing up the order to seventh place and securing a second successive title. The DS TECHEETAH driver did enough to defend his crown and become the first back-to-back champion in Formula E history.
Entering the final E-Prix of the season, Vergne still held a sizable advantage in the points table and only needed to avoid a non-scoring finish to put himself in prime position to pick-up the prize.
After again struggling in the first group of qualifying, the Frenchman found himself down in 12th on the grid and looking to gain places during the race. However, he wasn't the only championship contender eager to make a move forwards, with both Lucas di Grassi and Mitch Evans failing to make it to the super pole shoot-out.
Despite Sebastien Buemi's best efforts, his championship chances were cut short after being beaten to pole position by Alexander Sims - missing out on the three precious points on offer.
Vergne kept di Grassi and Evans in his vision and calmly controlled his championship destiny by negotiating his way to ninth nearing the end of the race. Although it was settled shortly before the finish and quickly became a formality as di Grassi and Evans came to blows and ended in the barriers only four corners from the chequered flag.
Taking two places on the final lap, Vergne vaulted further up the field to seventh and crossed the line to confirm his place in the history books as the first double champion and the first driver to successfully defend his title.
With a season that saw nine different winners in nine races including Saturday's race, the Championship race weekend in NYC was emblematic of the 2018/2019 season that turned out to be the most intense and unpredictable season of electric street racing in the series' five year history. Formula E now heads into its summer break, before embarking on its sixth season November 22 in AD Diriyah, Saudi Arabia that will introduce Mercedes Benz and Porsche and a new circuit stop – Seoul, South Korea -- to the electric racing world.
For more analysis and to read the full race report, visit - http://www.FIAFormulaE.com
About the ABB FIA Formula E Championship:
The ABB FIA Formula E Championship is the closest, most intense and progressive category in motorsport, bringing electrifying racing to the streets against the backdrop of landmarks, skyscrapers and skylines in some of the world's most famous and recognisable cities - such as Hong Kong, Rome, Paris and New York.
Formula E entered a new and exciting era in season five with the competitive debut of the next generation car. The striking new model boasts a distinctive futuristic design and demonstrates a clear step-up in performance with almost double the energy storage capacity - allowing teams and drivers to complete a full race distance at higher speeds without needing to swap cars. The Gen2 car is a testament to the ongoing advancements in battery and electric vehicle technology in the space of only four years.
The fifth edition of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship sees 11 teams and 22 drivers tackle a variety of challenging circuits in 12 cities - across five continents - in a bid to be crowned champion.
Formula E made its debut in the Middle East on December 15 for the season-opener in Ad Diriyah, with the championship once again coming to a close in New York City over the course of two days on July 13 & 14.
The concept of Formula E is to act as a platform to test and develop road-relevant technologies, helping refine the design and functionality of components and infrastructure - actively speeding-up the transition and uptake of electric vehicles on a global scale.
Formula E is continuing to attract some of the leading names and renowned brands in motorsport and the automotive industry. For this season, Formula E has nine manufacturers on its roster - including Nissan - taking over the existing entry from Renault - and BMW linking-up with Andretti. This number is set to rise further still, with the highly-anticipated inclusion of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche in season six.
SOURCE Formula E
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