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Flag of China 2019 Hong Kong E-Prix
Hong Kong Layout 2019
The Hong Kong E-Prix circuit.
Race Information
Date 10 March 2019[1]
E-Prix No. 50
Official Name 2019 HKT Hong Kong E-Prix
Location Flag of Hong Kong Hong Kong Harbourfront Circuit, Hong Kong, China
Format {{{format}}}
Lap length 1.870 km (1.156 mi)
Distance 36 laps / 67.320 km (41.831 mi)
Support Race Flag of Hong Kong 2019 Hong Kong eTrophy Race
Qualifying Result
Pole Sitter Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne
Team Flag of Germany HWA Racelab
Time 1:11.580
Fastest Lap
Driver Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird
Team Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing
Fastest Lap 1:02.358 on lap 28
ePrix Result
First Second Third
Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Dutch Flag Robin Frijns
Winner Team Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team
Time 59:36.119
ePrix Guide
Previous Next
Flag of Mexico 2019 Mexico City E-Prix Flag of China 2019 Sanya E-Prix
Post-Race Test

The 2019 Hong Kong E-Prix, otherwise officially known as the 2019 HKT Hong Kong E-Prix, was the fifth round of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship, staged on the Hong Kong Harbourfront Circuit in Hong Kong, China, 10 March 2019.[1] The race was the fiftieth E-Prix to be held, marking an important milestone in FE's five year history, and would witness a controversial conclusion.[1]

An intriguing race had been setup by rain shortly before qualifying, with subsequent light patterns allowing Stoffel Vandoorne to sweep to a maiden pole for both himself and HWA Racelab.[2] He would be joined on the front row by Oliver Rowland, while Championship leader Jérôme d'Ambrosio started last as a result of the water on circuit.[2]

Vandoorne and Rowland subsequently jousted for the lead heading into the first corner, with the Brit lunging inside the Belgian to claim the lead.[3] Outside of them, meanwhile, Sam Bird would make a barnstorming start, leaping from seventh to third at turn one, with Gary Paffett, André Lotterer and Lucas di Grassi forming an early top six.[3]

Bird subsequently mugged Vandoorne for second at the start of the second lap, although the race was about to brought to a temporary halt by first a safety car, and then a red flag.[3] Indeed, a crippled GEOX DRAGON of Felipe Nasr had slid straight into the barriers at turn two, with Pascal Wehrlein and d'Ambrosio duly crunching into the back of him having been right behind the Brazilian.[3]

The restart came thirteen minutes later behind the safety car, with time added back to the clock.[3] Almost all of the field activated their Attack Mode for the first lap post safety car, with Rowland immediately sprinting clear, with Bird, and a lunging Lotterer leading the chase.[3]

Rowland's lead would not last, however, with the Brit accidentally hitting the FCY restrictor button on his steering wheel exiting turn one on the next lap, dumping himself down to tenth.[3] Bird duly inherited the lead with Lotterer just behind, with the pair immediately blasting away from Vandoorne in third.[3]

A slip from Bird at turn two a few laps later handed the lead to Lotterer, although the pair were still dog-fighting for the lead.[3] Indeed, it was only two safety cars later in the race, for Vandoorne and Rowland respectively, that brought the field back to the duo out front.[3]

The second safety car ended with three laps to go, with Lotterer and Bird again breaking away from the now third placed Edoardo Mortara.[3] They duly resumed their scrap, with Bird opting for a lunge at turn two, with Lotterer doing all he could to block the move.[3] The inevitable collision saw Bird hit the back of Lotterer's car as he locked up still trying to make the move, the effects of which were shown moments later.[3]

Indeed, the contact had punctured Lotterer's right rear tyre, which duly deflated heading into turn five.[3] Bird swept through to take the lead, and subsequently crossed the line in first, with Lotterer scrambling to the finish down in fourteenth.[3]

Bird was, however, immediately placed under investigation for causing a collision with Lotterer, although he would take the winner's trophy on the podium.[3] That investigation, which concluded four hours later, slapped Bird with a five second time penalty, dumping the Brit down to sixth, while Mortara inherited his maiden FE triumph.[4]

Background[]

The Hong Kong Harbourfront Circuit would return for a third consecutive season in 2018/19, although the ABB FIA Formula E Championship's visit would be made later in the season than before.[1] Indeed, as part of a move to have an "Asian" tour as part of the calendar, Formula E Holdings moved the Hong Kong round to the middle of the season, a switch that also appeased the local government as the E-Prix required a significant amount of the city to be closed off.[1] The circuit itself, meanwhile, was unchanged ahead of the 2019 visit.[1]

Calendar Cultivation[]

Ahead of the E-Prix there would be talks regarding the future of the race in Hong Kong, with construction work around the current site of the circuit planned for 2020.[5] Such work, combined with a desire from Alejandro Agag and FE to extend the 1.870 km (1.156 mi), suggested that Hong Kong would not appear on the 2019/20 calendar, in spite of the former's wish to keep the event as part of a future Asian focused set of races.[5] Indeed, Agag would meet with the organisers of the E-Prix after the 2018 edition, with plans to at least secure the long-term future of the race a key goal.[5]

London Layout 2020

The proposed layout of the ExCel Exhibition Centre Circuit.

There would also be news of a return for the 2019/20 FE campaign, with rumours of a return to the capital of the United Kingdom having appeared since the series' last visit in 2016.[6] Ultimately, those rumours would be appeased on the 5 March 2019, with FE announcing that the ExCel Exhibition Centre on the banks of the Thames would host the 2019/20 season finale.[6] The new circuit would run through the ExCel building itself, with the start/finish straight located in the heart of the building, although the majority of the circuit would run around the centre.[6]

Rulebook Rulings[]

Elsewhere, there would be a meeting of the FE Technical Working Group ahead of the race in Hong Kong, with a variety of topics discussed by representatives of FE's eleven teams.[7] The main focus of the meeting was to discuss the technical rulebook for the "Generation 3" FE car, which was to replace the Spark SRT05e ahead of the 2022/23 season, with fast charging a major topic.[7] However, the talks regarding fast charging would largely be dismissed after the meeting, with no agreement about the concept reached between the TWG members.[7]

Conceptual Creation[]

Mercedes EQ Concept 2019

The concept livery launched by Mercedes-Benz for their first FE machine.

On the car/equipment front for the 2019/20 season there were two major stories ahead of the Hong Kong E-Prix, revolving around the two new manufacturers entering in season six. The first story originated from Mercedes-Benz, who launched a concept livery for their new Mercedes-Benz EQ Silver Arrow 01 at the Geneva Motorshow, having received their first Spark SRT05e chassis to begin development work on their powertrain.[8] Compatriots Porsche, meanwhile, would stage their first shakedown of their new car, with Neel Jani taking the wheel as the German manufacturer completed the first of fifteen permitted days of testing.[9]

Championship Challenge[]

In terms of the Championship the chaotic race day in Mexico City had played havoc with the points table, with a number of sweeping changes to the overall order. Jérôme d'Ambrosio had been a significant winner, moving back to the top of the table with a seven point lead over António Félix da Costa. The Portuguese ace was now a point ahead of pre-Mexico leader Sam Bird, while Lucas di Grassi had leapt into fourth from thirteenth after his first victory of the season.

In the Teams' Championship it was Mahindra Racing who emerged at the head of the field, although the majority of the team were heartbroken having lost victory a few feet from the finishing line. Envision Virgin Racing, meanwhile, would drop to second, ten off the new leaders, while BMW i Andretti Motorsport moved into third at the expense of DS Techeetah. The factory Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler squad were next, a point off DS Techeetah, while HWA Racelab remained the only team yet to score in 2018/19.

FanBoost for the Hong Kong E-Prix opened on the 4 March 2019, and would remain open until the opening minutes of the race.[10]

Entry List[]

The full entry list for the 2019 Hong Kong E-Prix is displayed below:

2019 Hong Kong E-Prix Entry List
No. Name Entrant Constructor Car
2 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing Audi e-tron FE05
3 Flag of Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr. Flag of the United Kingdom Panasonic Jaguar Racing Jaguar I-Type III
4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing Audi e-tron FE05
5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne Flag of Germany HWA Racelab Venturi VFE 05
6 Flag of Brazil Felipe Nasr Flag of the United States GEOX Dragon Penske EV-3
7 Flag of Argentina José María López Flag of the United States GEOX Dragon Penske EV-3
8 Flag of France Tom Dillmann Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team NIO Sport 004
11 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Audi e-tron FE05
16 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team NIO Sport 004
17 Flag of the United Kingdom Gary Paffett Flag of Germany HWA Racelab Venturi VFE 05
19 Flag of Brazil Felipe Massa Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team Venturi VFE 05
20 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Panasonic Jaguar Racing Jaguar I-Type III
22 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland Flag of France Nissan e.Dams Nissan IM01
23 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi Flag of France Nissan e.Dams Nissan IM01
25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of China DS Techeetah DS E-Tense FE 19
27 Flag of the United Kingdom Alexander Sims Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport BMW iFE.18
28 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport BMW iFE.18
36 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of China Techeetah DS E-Tense FE 19
48 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team Venturi VFE 05
64 Flag of Belgium Jérôme d'Ambrosio Flag of India Mahindra Racing Mahindra M5Electro
66 Flag of Germany Daniel Abt Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler Audi e-tron FE05
94 Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein Flag of India Mahindra Racing Mahindra M5Electro
Source:[11]

Practice[]

FP1[]

FP2[]

Qualifying[]

Qualifying for the Hong Kong E-Prix would follow the conventional format, with the field split into four groups based on Championship position.[12] Each group would get six minutes on circuit to allow each driver to set a single full power (250kw) lap, with the fastest six over all proceeding to Super Pole.[12] The drivers in Super Pole would then head out one-by-one to set another flying lap, with the fastest of those starting the race from pole.[12]

Group 1[]

The opening group of the day would feature the top five in the Championship, headlined by Championship leader Jérôme d'Ambrosio.[12] He would be joined by Mahindra Racing teammate Pascal Wehrlein, as well as former Hong Kong race winner Sam Bird in the first Envision Virgin.[12] Completing the quintet would be 2016/17 Champion Lucas di Grassi, and early Championship leader António Félix da Costa for BMW i Andretti Motorsport.[12]

The two Mahindras headed out right at the start of the session, deciding that it was better to set an early lap on the soaking circuit, rather than risk having a late run ruined by a red flag.[13] Unfortunately for both Wehrlein and d'Ambrosio it would prove to be a poor decision, with the German and the Belgian barely able to improve on their warm-up laps when they switched to 250 kW.[13] Furthermore, both Mahindras seemed overly skittish on the wet tarmac, with d'Ambrosio in particular having a massive slide through the final corner.[13]

Indeed, the Mahindras' lack of pace was to be highlighted a few moments later, for da Costa came slithering out of the final corner to beat Wehrlein's time by over half a second.[13] Bird then charged across the line almost two seconds clear of the Portuguese pretender's effort, having managed to run cleanly through the final corner, before di Grassi edged out his effort by a couple of tenths.[13] The Brazilian's 1:12.321, compared to d'Ambrosio's 1:15.347 left three seconds for the rest of the field to squeeze into.[13]

Group 2[]

Group two would see drivers sixth through tenth in the Championship head out on circuit, with quali-ace Jean-Éric Vergne the standout name from the quintet.[12] His DS Techeetah colleague André Lotterer would join him out on circuit, as would Robin Frijns in the second of the Virgins.[12] Mitch Evans and the #20 Jaguar Racing, and Edoardo Mortara's Venturi would complete the group.[12]

The second group proved less eager to hit the circuit, with the times from the first group suggesting that the circuit was slowly drying out.[13] The first driver to head out proved to be Evans with four minutes to go, although the Kiwi would complete his out-lap without anyone else joining him on circuit.[13] Indeed, Evans' lap, which was cautious at best, was to be ruined late on as he caught Lotterer in the final sector, although the German would escape punishment for hindering the Jaguar.[13]

A minute later and the rest of the second group completed their laps, led across the line by Mortara who set the then fastest first and second sectors.[13] Vergne was in the Swiss-Italian racer's wake, and duly spun across the line before hitting the barriers just beyond the pit-exit, smashing his rear suspension.[13] Fortunately both Frijns and Lotterer were able to complete their laps before a red flag was thrown to recover Vergne's car, with the Frenchman unable to spin his car around cleanly.[13]

After the group stages it was announced that Vergne would have his fastest time deleted for causing a red flag, while Mortara received a grid penalty for speeding under red flag conditions.[11]

Group 3[]

The third group on circuit would be the first of those containing six drivers, headlined by 2015/16 Champion Sébastien Buemi, as well as his Nissan e.Dams teammate Oliver Rowland.[12] They were joined by Alexander Sims in the second of the BMWs, as well as Daniel Abt in the #66 Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler.[12] Completing the group were Felipe Massa in the second Venturi, and Oliver Turvey in the first of the NIOs.[12]

Massa was the first man out for the third group, opting to exit early after the slight delay caused by Vergne's late accident.[13] His lap seemed to be over instantly with a lock-up at the first corner, although an ultra-clean rest of the lap, barring a brush with the wall at turn five, saw the Brazilian end his run in fifth.[13] However, his effort was instantly put in the shade by a charging Rowland, who set the fastest second and third sectors of the session, before Buemi claimed a lowly sixth having matched Bird's 1:12.529.[13]

The second half of the sextet failed to threaten the top six Super Pole placings, with a quiet run from Turvey seeing him end his flying lap in twelfth.[13] He was followed across the line by Sims, who grabbed ninth with a 1:12.861, while Abt rounded out the group by taking ninth from Sims having lost a lot of time in the second sector.[13]

Group 4[]

The fourth and final group saw the final six drivers in the Championship hit the track, headlined by 2014/15 Champion Nelson Piquet Jr. of Jaguar.[12] Joining him would be the two HWA Racelab run Venturis of Gary Paffett and Stoffel Vandoorne, as well as the GEOX DRAGON duo of José María López and Felipe Nasr.[12] Tom Dillmann therefore completed the quintet for NIO.[12]

The fourth group provided the surprise of the session, in spite of the fact that heavy rain thundered back onto the circuit before the end of their session.[13] Indeed, the two HWAs proved to be class of the field during the final group, with Paffett using a "karting line" through the first and final corners to go fastest overall, before teammate Vandoorne stunned the field.[13] The Belgian produced a stunning effort of 1:11.592 to go a a full half second faster than the Brit, with the two HWAs safely through to Super Pole regardless of what happened to the rest of their group.[13]

Dillmann followed the two HWAs across the line, although the Frenchman slotted into his familiar midfield slot with the NIO as expected.[13] Piquet and López were next, having identical slides through the final corner as they settled at the back of the field, with Nasr also skating around Hong Kong to claim sixteenth as the rain returned.[13]

Super Pole[]

Super Pole was delayed until the latest burst of rain cleared away from the circuit, with BMW Qualcomm i8 safety car scrambled to report on the conditions.[13] Fortunately after just ten minutes of waiting the circuit was declared safe, with di Grassi duly sent out to set his bid for pole.[13] The Brazilian duly copied Paffett's run through the first corner, and hence set a strong opening sector, although a slide wide at turn two ensured that the Brazilian's 1:14.177 was an easy target for the rest.[13]

Indeed, di Grassi's mark was instantly beaten by Lotterer, whose poor sector one effort was rectified by a strong second sector, culminating in the German recording a calm 1:12.868.[13] Yet, the German's safe effort had left him vulnerable to those who would willingly risk more on their laps, as proved by a dancing Mortara as the Swiss-Italian's Venturi slithered to a 1:12.310.[13] Rowland subsequently grabbed provisional pole with a marginally less dramatic 1:11.903, although the Brit only just kept his car pointing the right way through the final corner.[13]

Paffett went next but instantly ruined his lap by locking the rear axle at the first corner, causing him to slide wide.[13] Miraculously, Paffett would edge out di Grassi at the back of Super Pole, and almost threatened Lotterer, before Vandoorne hit the circuit with a determined look to the body language of his HWA.[13] Indeed, it would be a beautifully controlled lap from the ex-F1 racer, with Vandoorne acing the treacherously slippery turn ten to record a 1:11.580, and hence grabbed pole by over three tenths of a second.[13]

Post Qualifying[]

The final qualifying result for the 2019 Hong Kong E-Prix are outlined below:

2019 Hong Kong E-Prix Qualifying Result
Pos. No. Name Team Time Gap Grid Group
1st 5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne Flag of Germany HWA Racelab 1:11.580 1 G4
2nd 22 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 1:11.903 +0.303s 2 G3
3rd* 48 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team 1:12.310 +0.730s 6 G2
4th 36 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of China DS Techeetah 1:12.868 +1.288s 3 G2
5th 17 Flag of the United Kingdom Gary Paffett Flag of Germany HWA Racelab 1:13.033 +1.453s 4 G4
6th 11 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 1:14.177 +2.597s 5 G1
Super Pole
1st 5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne Flag of Germany HWA Racelab 1:11.592 SP G4
2nd 17 Flag of the United Kingdom Gary Paffett Flag of Germany HWA Racelab 1:12.093 +0.501s SP G4
3rd 22 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 1:12.140 +0.548s SP G3
4th 48 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team 1:12.156 +0.564s SP G2
5th 36 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of China DS Techeetah 1:12.204 +0.612s SP G2
6th 11 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 1:12.321 +0.729s SP G1
7th 2 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing 1:12.529 +0.937s 7 G1
8th 23 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 1:12.529 +0.937s 8 G3
9th 19 Flag of Brazil Felipe Massa Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team 1:12.570 +0.978s 9 G3
10th 4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing 1:12.600 +1.008s 10 G2
11th 8 Flag of France Tom Dillmann Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team 1:12.839 +1.247s 11 G4
12th 66 Flag of Germany Daniel Abt Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 1:12.850 +1.258s 12 G3
13th 27 Flag of the United Kingdom Alexander Sims Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 1:12.861 +1.269s 13 G3
14th 7 Flag of Argentina José María López Flag of the United States GEOX DRAGON 1:13.073 +1.481s 14 G4
15th 3 Flag of Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr. Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 1:13.421 +1.829s 15 G4
16th 6 Flag of Brazil Felipe Nasr Flag of the United States GEOX DRAGON 1:13.885 +2.293s 16 G4
17th 20 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 1:13.920 +2.328s 17 G2
18th 25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of China DS Techeetah 1:13.927 +2.335s 18 G2
19th 16 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team 1:14.133 +2.541s 19 G3
20th 28 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 1:14.384 +2.792s 20 G1
21st 94 Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein Flag of India Mahindra Racing 1:14.830 +3.238s 21 G1
22nd 64 Flag of Belgium Jérôme d'Ambrosio Flag of India Mahindra Racing 1:15.347 +3.755s 22 G1
110% Time: 1:18.751[11]
Source:[11]
  • * Mortara was awarded a three place grid penalty for speeding under red flag conditions.[11]
  • Vergne had his fastest time from the group stage deleted for causing a red flag.[11]
  • The 110% rule was not applied due to the conditions.[11]

Race[]

The circuit was still damp when the field rolled out of the pits to line-up on the dummy grid, with the road markings remaining treacherously slippery.[14] Indeed, some drivers were concerned about the amount of grip they would get on the grid, with several grid slots containing the damp markings right where the rear-wheels of a Spark SRT05e would line-up.[14] Regardless, all 22 drivers would make their way from the dummy to the proper grid for the start without issue, with Stoffel Vandoorne on pole.[14]

Report[]

Unfortunately for Vandoorne his launch off the line was not a particularly good one, and hence allowed Oliver Rowland to streak past to claim the lead into the first corner.[14] The rest of the field slid into the opening hairpin behind them, with a huge lunge from Sam Bird on the outside of the circuit carrying him from seventh to fifth.[14] That duly became fourth as he out-accelerated Gary Paffett out of the hairpin, with the rest of the field crunching their way though behind.[14]

Bird would subsequently take third from André Lotterer with a dive at the turn three/four chicane, with the German also tapping the inside wall as the Brit barged past.[14] Lotterer would continue without any damage in fourth, although it did allow Paffett to try a move through turn five, although the DS Techeetah pilot easily swatted it aside.[14] Indeed, there were no further changes at the head of the field come the end of the opening tour, with Rowland leading from Vandoorne and Bird, before a small gap back to the aforementioned Lotterer.[14]

However, the picture out front would change at the start of the second lap, with Bird lunging inside of Vandoorne to claim second with the HWA Racelab racer unable to respond.[14] Behind, a lunge from Alexander Sims back fired when he went sliding towards the outside wall of turn one, while Jean-Éric Vergne wound up stuck behind the recovering BMW i Andretti Motorsport.[14] Elsewhere, Nelson Piquet Jr. failed to make it around, having picked up enough suspension damage that he had to retire in the pits, while the GEOX DRAGON of Felipe Nasr was smoking badly having smacked the back of teammate José María López early on.[14]

Indeed, Nasr's race was to come to an end just after the start of the second tour, with the front wing of his Dragon dropping underneath the front wheels, and hence sent the Brazilian skating into the barriers at turn two.[14] Yet, Nasr's exit was not a private one, for Pascal Wehrlein was tucked up behind the Dragon, and duly smacked into the back of Nasr and smashed his suspension.[14] Wehrlein was subsequently punted up the back by teammate Jérôme d'Ambrosio, with the Belgian Championship leader also suffering heavy front suspension damage, meaning there were three ruined Spark SRT05es stuck at turn two.[14]

The BMW Qualcomm i8 safety car was called for immediately at the start of the third lap, although after one attempt to lead the field past the incident the race was red flagged, with the clock effectively stopped with 39 minutes to go.[14] Rowland was still leading ahead of Bird, Vandoorne and Lotterer, with Paffett, Edoardo Mortara, Lucas di Grassi, Sébastien Buemi, Robin Frijns and Daniel Abt completing the top ten as the field rolled to a stop in the pit lane.[14] The teams then descended upon their cars to repair what damage they could after the crunching opening moments, while Wehrlein, d'Ambrosio and Nasr walked back to the pits.[14]

Thirteen minutes later and the race would resume behind the safety car, with Rowland leading the field around for one lap, resulting in everyone bar Abt and Frijns arming Attack Mode as the safety car peeled off.[14] Indeed, Rowland would use the Mode to try and sprint away from Bird, while Bird himself broke clear of Vandoorne, who would be mugged by a lunging Lotterer into turn one.[14] The rest of the field thundered into the first corner without issue, with no major accidents or collisions to further thin the field.[14]

Rowland's lead was not to last, however, for at the beginning of the sixth lap, the second after the restart, the Brit fended off a move from Bird at the first corner, only to accidentally hit the FCY button on his steering wheel.[14] That caused Rowland to crawl out of the hairpin, and hence allowed Bird, Lotterer, Vandoorne to flash past in quick succession, while Rowland frantically tried to find out what went wrong.[14] Indeed, by the time he had finally corrected his error his Nissan e.Dams had dropped to tenth, with Rowland immediately pushing as hard as he could to make up for lost time.[14]

Bird and Lotterer, meanwhile, would immediately begin scrapping for the lead, while also pulling clear of third placed Vandoorne.[14] However, just a lap after taking the lead Bird himself would lose it, his first mistake of the afternoon seeing him slide wide at the treacherously slippery turn two, and hence gifting Lotterer the lead.[14] The German racer then tried his best to try and build a lead, although Bird quickly recovered to harass Lotterer for the rest of the afternoon.[14]

Indeed, the lead duo would create a relentless pace out-front, exchanging fastest laps as they moved further and further ahead of Vandoorne and the rest of the field.[14] With the top two out of sight, and running nose-to-tail, there was an impetuous to move past the two HWAs in third and fourth, with Vandoorne and Paffett unable to match the pace of those out-front.[14] The first to pass Paffett would be Mortara, although the Swiss racer was soon stuck behind Vandoorne on the narrow Hong Kong streets as di Grassi, Buemi and Frijns made their way past the DTM Champion.[14]

Back with the leaders and Bird was eyeing a move on Lotterer at every opportunity as the minutes ticked by, although other than a few half-hearted feints, the Brit did not launch an attack.[14] Indeed, it appeared as if Bird was instead trying to force Lotterer into having to conserve energy late on, for the Brit's Audi powertrain was more efficient than the German's DS equipment, and hence allowed Bird to attack while using marginally less energy.[14] However, Lotterer's team were aware of this situation, and with more and more debris appearing on circuit as drivers clashed further down, it seemed only a matter of time before another safety car appeared.[14]

The safety car duly reappeared on lap 22, with eighteen minutes left on the clock, for Vandoorne had ground to a halt at turn six after a driveshaft failure on his HWA run Venturi.[14] His stranded car, as well as bits of front wing, were removed from the circuit, with the safety car staying out for four laps.[14] Once again, the majority of the field would arm Attack Mode for the restart, with Lotterer and Bird instantly streaking clear of the rest of the field at the restart.[14]

Mortara 2019 Hong Kong ePrix

Edoardo Mortara would quietly progress to second, before inheriting victory after the race.

For ten laps Lotterer and Bird fought for the lead once again, with the now third placed Mortara having to defend heavily from di Grassi having been one of the few unable to use Attack Mode at the restart.[14] Indeed, with the final minutes of the race ticking away Bird was becoming more and more desperate to pass the German, weaving around in Lotterer's mirrors at turns one and six to try and force the German into a mistake.[14] Furthermore, the Brit made several lunges that almost resulted in contact, before their fight was once again paused by the safety car with five minutes remaining.[14]

The source of this safety car was Rowland who, in his push to climb back up the order, had slapped the wall at turn seven, smashing his right rear suspension all on his own.[14] The safety car duly collected the leaders before, at the orders of the race director, ran at a crawling pace to try and give the field as much time as possible to race once it came in.[14] Indeed, the BMW i8s pace was so slow that it only officially took two laps to remove Rowland's stricken car with a track, with the race resuming with two minutes, plus one lap, left to go.[14]

With the field now right behind, and just three laps left at best, Bird pushed even harder to try and grab the lead from Lotterer.[14] On the penultimate lap Bird would try a dive up the inside of Lotterer at turn two, only for the German to continue drifting across his nose at the pair came towards the brake zone.[14] Bird subsequently locked up and smacked the back of Lotterer, although the German made it around the corner still in the lead of the race.[14]

However, moments after the contact Lotterer's race was over, for his right rear tyre subsequently shredded itself as the contact had ripped a hole in the sidewall of the tyre.[14] A hobbled Lotterer duly tumbled to the back of the field, while Bird sailed through to claim the lead as the clock ticked to zero.[14] A lap later and Bird, who was pushing as hard as he could to escape Mortara, crossed the line in first, albeit knowing that he was under investigation for causing a collision with Lotterer.[14] Regardless, he would be joined on a rather subdued podium by Mortara and di Grassi, while Frijns claimed fourth.[14]

Post-race[]

The investigation into the Bird/Lotterer collision would drag on long after the race, largely due to the fact that the incident had been repeated numerous times throughout the race, yet had not had the same impact.[14] Ultimately, after three hours of debating, Bird was slapped with a five second time penalty, dumping him down to sixth as Mortara inherited victory from di Grassi and Frijns.[4] Techeetah, meanwhile, would immediately protest against the decision, claiming that Bird deserved a more severe penalty having effectively taken Lotterer out of the race, although the protest was instantly waved away.[15]

Result[]

The final classification of the 2019 Hong Kong E-Prix is displayed below, with the fastest lap setter indicated in italics, and the pole sitter shown in bold.

2019 Hong Kong E-Prix Race Result
Pos. No. Name Team Laps Race Time Fastest lap Pts.
1st 48 Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team 36 59:36.119 1:03.251 25
2nd 11 Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 36 +0.988s 1:03.214 18
3rd 4 Dutch Flag Robin Frijns Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing 36 +1.536s 1:03.202 15
4th 66 Flag of Germany Daniel Abt FanBoost Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 36 +1.985s 1:03.238 12
5th 19 Flag of Brazil Felipe Massa Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team 36 +3.258s 1:03.535 10
6th* 2 Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing 36 +3.306s 1:02.358 9
7th 20 Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 36 +4.017s 1:03.561 6
8th 17 Flag of the United Kingdom Gary Paffett Flag of Germany HWA Racelab 36 +4.368s 1:03.719 4
9th 16 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team 36 +5.624s 1:03.705 2
10th 28 Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa FanBoost Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 36 +6.492s 1:03.688 1
11th 7 Flag of Argentina José María López Flag of the United States GEOX DRAGON 36 +7.218s 1:03.857
12th 8 Flag of France Tom Dillmann Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team 36 +7.825s 1:03.866
13th 25 Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne Flag of China DS Techeetah 36 +16.604s 1:03.611
14th 36 Flag of Germany André Lotterer Flag of China DS Techeetah 36 +24.270s 1:02.317
Ret 22 Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 29 Accident 1:03.766
Ret 5 Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne FanBoost Flag of Germany HWA Racelab 20 Driveshaft 1:03.674 3
Ret 23 Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi FanBoost Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 19 Suspension 1:04.312
Ret 27 Flag of the United Kingdom Alexander Sims Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 16 Damage 1:04.899
Ret 6 Flag of Brazil Felipe Nasr Flag of the United States GEOX DRAGON 1 Accident 1:25.894
Ret 94 Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein FanBoost Flag of India Mahindra Racing 1 Accident 1:27.028
Ret 64 Flag of Belgium Jérôme d'Ambrosio Flag of India Mahindra Racing 1 Accident 1:27.584
Ret 3 Flag of Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr. Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 0 Damage
Source:[11]
  • FanBoost Indicates a driver was awarded FanBoost during the race.
  • * Bird handed a five second time penalty for causing a collision with Lotterer.[4]
  • Vergne awarded a five second time penalty for causing a collision.[4]

Milestones[]

Standings[]

The late race penalty for Sam Bird ensured that the Brit could only establish a one point lead at the head of the Championship, ending the day on 54 points. Former leader Jérôme d'Ambrosio was his closest challenger, although with Lucas di Grassi and Edoardo Mortara just a point further back on 52. António Félix da Costa, meanwhile, had lost a little ground in fifth, still just seven off the lead, with Robin Frijns moving up to sixth on 43.

In the Teams Championship it was Envision Virgin Racing who led the charge leaving Hong Kong, the British squad heaving ended the day, after Bird's relegation, on 97 points. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler had shot into second, eleven off their customers, while Mahindra Racing slipped to third. Venturi Formula E Team had also made impressive ground in fourth, while their customer squad HWA Racelab were off the foot of the table after their first points haul.

 
2018/19 Drivers Championship
Pos. Name Pts. +/-
1st Flag of the United Kingdom Sam Bird 54 ▲2
2nd Flag of Belgium Jérôme d'Ambrosio 53 ▼1
3rd Flag of Brazil Lucas di Grassi 52 ▲1
4th Flag of Switzerland Edoardo Mortara 52 ▲6
5th Flag of Portugal António Félix da Costa 47 ▼3
6th Dutch Flag Robin Frijns 43 ▲1
7th Flag of Germany Daniel Abt 34 ▲4
8th Flag of New Zealand Mitch Evans 34 ▲1
9th Flag of Germany Pascal Wehrlein 30 ▼4
10th Flag of Germany André Lotterer 29 ▼4
11th Flag of France Jean-Éric Vergne 28 ▼3
12th Flag of the United Kingdom Alexander Sims 18 ◄0
13th Flag of Switzerland Sébastien Buemi 15 ◄0
14th Flag of Brazil Felipe Massa 14 ▲2
15th Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Rowland 6 ▼1
16th Flag of the United Kingdom Oliver Turvey 6 ▼1
17th Flag of the United Kingdom Gary Paffett 4 ▲4
18th Flag of Belgium Stoffel Vandoorne 4 ▲4
19th Flag of Argentina José María López 2 ▼2
20th Flag of Brazil Nelson Piquet Jr. 1 ▼2
2018/19 Teams Championship
Pos. Name Pts. +/-
1st Flag of the United Kingdom Envision Virgin Racing 97 ▲1
2nd Flag of Germany Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 86 ▲3
3rd Flag of India Mahindra Racing 83 ▼2
4th Flag of Monaco Venturi Formula E Team 66 ▲2
5th Flag of the United States BMW i Andretti Motorsport 65 ▼2
6th Flag of China DS Techeetah 57 ▼2
7th Flag of the United Kingdom Jaguar Racing 35 ◄0
8th Flag of France Nissan e.Dams 21 ◄0
9th Flag of Germany HWA Racelab 4 ◄0
10th Flag of the United Kingdom NIO Formula E Team 6 ▼1
11th Flag of the United States GEOX DRAGON 2 ▼1

Only point scoring drivers and teams are shown.

References[]

Videos and Images:

References:

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 'ABB FIA Formula E Championship Season 5', info.fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 07/06/2018), http://info.fiaformulae.com/season-5-calendar/, (Accessed 07/06/2018)
  2. 2.0 2.1 'Vandoorne on Pole for historic Hong Kong race', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 10/03/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/march/qualifying-hong-kong-2019, (Accessed 11/03/2019)
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 'Bird victorious in furious battle for first on Hong Kong Harbourfront', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 10/03/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/march/race-report-hong-kong-2019, (Accessed 11/03/2019)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Jake Kilshaw, 'Mortara, Venturi Set for First Win as Bird Penalized', e-racing365.com, (John Dagys Media LLC., 10/03/2019), https://e-racing365.com/formula-e/mortara-venturi-set-for-first-win-as-bird-penalized/, (Accessed 10/03/2019)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Alex Kalinauckas, 'Formula E working on future of Hong Kong race', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 01/03/2019), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/hong-kong-race-future-agag/4345966/, (Accessed 02/03/2019)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 'Register now: Formula E returns to London in 2020', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 05/03/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/february/london-e-prix, (Accessed 05/03/2019)
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Sam Smith, 'Gen 3 Fast Charging Talks Stall at Latest TWG', e-racing365.com, (John Dagys Media, LLC., 04/03/2019), https://e-racing365.com/formula-e/rapid-charging-talks-stall-at-latest-twg/, (Accessed 05/03/2019)
  8. Thomas Maher, 'Mercedes release teaser Formula E car at Geneva Motor Show', formulaspy.com, (Formula Spy, 05/03/2019), https://formulaspy.com/formula-e/mercedes-release-teaser-formula-e-car-at-geneva-motor-show-59832, (Accessed 06/03/2019)
  9. Alex Kalinauckas, 'Porsche shakes down Formula E development car', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 06/03/2019), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/porsche-shakesdown-fe-development-car/4347914/, (Accessed 06/03/2019)
  10. '#FANBOOST for the 2019 HKT #HKEPrix is now open', twitter.com, (Twitter: FIA Formula E, 04/03/2019), https://twitter.com/FIAFormulaE/status/1102607132787126274, (Accessed 04/03/2019)
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 11.7 Round 5 - Hong Kong ePrix: Results Booklet', fiaformulae.alkamelsystems.com, (FIA Formula E, 10/03/2019), http://fiaformulae.alkamelsystems.com/Results/04_2018-19/08_R05%20Hong%20Kong/93_ABB%20FIA%20Formula%20E%20Championship/56_R05%20Hong%20Kong%20Booklet.pdf, (Accessed 10/03/2019)
  12. 12.00 12.01 12.02 12.03 12.04 12.05 12.06 12.07 12.08 12.09 12.10 12.11 12.12 12.13 12.14 'Pre-race round-up: Audi's got a "score to settle" in historic Hong Kong race', fiaformulae.com, (FIA Formula E, 09/03/2019), https://www.fiaformulae.com/en/news/2019/march/pre-race-round-up-hong-kong-2019, (Accessed 10/03/2019)
  13. 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15 13.16 13.17 13.18 13.19 13.20 13.21 13.22 13.23 13.24 13.25 13.26 13.27 13.28 13.29 13.30 ABB Formula E, 'Qualifying LIVE! 2019 HKT Hong Kong E-Prix | ABB FIA Formula E Championship', youtube.com, (YouTube: FIA Formula E, 10/03/2019), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nvc7KbTDr44&list=PLiSlrzIEN5WI45YuyO2vs8rqCJbWVbnUO&index=7&t=4774s, (Accessed 17/03/2019)
  14. 14.00 14.01 14.02 14.03 14.04 14.05 14.06 14.07 14.08 14.09 14.10 14.11 14.12 14.13 14.14 14.15 14.16 14.17 14.18 14.19 14.20 14.21 14.22 14.23 14.24 14.25 14.26 14.27 14.28 14.29 14.30 14.31 14.32 14.33 14.34 14.35 14.36 14.37 14.38 14.39 14.40 14.41 14.42 14.43 14.44 14.45 14.46 14.47 14.48 14.49 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named RH
  15. Alex Kalinauckas, 'Techeetah wanted harsher Bird penalty after Lotterer clash', motorsport.com, (Motorsport Network, 11/03/2019), https://www.motorsport.com/formula-e/news/techeetah-bird-lotterer-penalty-clash/4350490/, (Accessed 12/03/2019)
2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship
Entrants
Audi Sport ABT SchaefflerBMW i Andretti MotorsportDS TecheetahEnvision Virgin RacingGEOX DRAGONHWA RacelabMahindra RacingNIO Formula E TeamNissan e.DamsPanasonic Jaguar RacingVenturi Formula E Team
Manufacturers
AudiBMWDSJaguarMahindra & MahindraNIONissanPenskeVenturi
Cars
Spark SRT05e
Audi e-tron FE05BMW iFE.18DS E-Tense FE 19Jaguar I-Type IIIMahindra M5ElectroNIO Sport 004Nissan IM01Penske EV-3Venturi VFE 05
Drivers
2 Sam Bird • 3 Nelson Piquet Jr./Alex Lynn • 4 Robin Frijns • 5 Stoffel Vandoorne • 6 Maximilian Günther/Felipe Nasr • 7 José María López • 8 Tom Dillmann • 11 Lucas di Grassi • 16 Oliver Turvey • 17 Gary Paffett • 19 Felipe Massa • 20 Mitch Evans • 22 Oliver Rowland • 23 Sébastien Buemi • 25 Jean-Éric Vergne • 27 Alexander Sims • 28 António Félix da Costa • 36 André Lotterer • 48 Edoardo Mortara • 64 Jérôme d'Ambrosio • 66 Daniel Abt • 94 Pascal Wehrlein/Felix Rosenqvist
E-Prix
Ad DiriyahMarrakechSantiagoMexico CityHong KongSanyaRomeParisMonacoBerlinBernNew York City INew York City II
Tests
ValenciaAd DiriyahRookie TestMexico City
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