Formula E
Sam Bird cruises to victory in Putrajaya ePrix
Sam Bird in his silver, purple & red Virgin Racing car races in focus with the pack chasing unfocused behind him.
Lucas di Grassi in the yellow, red and green DHL car of Audi Sport ABT steers hard into the hairpin at Turn 10.
Lucas Di Grassi’s flies through Turn 2 at an angle with his left tires up on the chicane
Formula E car speeds into a turn past DHL signs at the Putrajaya ePrix.
Sam Bird crosses the finish line as the checkered flag is waved.
Virgin Racing driver Sam Bird springs into the air and gives a number 1 sign as he walks out onto the podium. Lucas di Grassi, who finished second, follows, pumping his fists to the crowd.
Lucas di Grassi jumps into the arms of a teammate after driving from P18 to P2 in Round 2 of the FIA Formula E Championship.
A field of Formula E cars race away from the camera down the final stretch of the circuit at the Putrajaya ePrix.
Close-up shot of the field with only one car in clear view
Virgin Racing driver wins comfortably ahead of di Grassi and Buemi, both of whom fought hard through the field to reach the podium
Sam Bird cruised to victory in Round 2 of the 2014 FIA Formula E Championship – the Putrajaya ePrix. He crossed the line to pick up the full 25 points ahead of Audi Sport ABT driver and championship-leader Lucas di Grassi and e.dams-Renault’s Sebastien Buemi. After placing third at the first-ever ePrix in Beijing, Bird is now only three points behind di Grassi.
Bird dedicated his win to former GP2 teammate Jules Bianchi, who was severely injured in the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix: “I have to dedicate this win to a good friend of mine who is very ill. It’s very sad what’s happened to him and this one is for Jules.”
An action-packed ePrix
The Putrajaya ePrix was a spectacular show, full of excitement and emotion – from early crashes to exciting passing maneuvers. Di Grassi and Buemi both fought long and hard to pick their way through the field and ultimately stand beside Bird on the winner’s podium. Di Grassi started from P18 while Beumi was two behind him in P20.
“For sure this was beyond my expectations,” di Grassi said after the race. “Everyone is here to win, everyone is pushing to the limit as this track has proven once and for all this car is very tricky to drive even if you have done all the testing. The tiniest margin can ruin your whole weekend and that’s what happened in qualifying from my side and then to come all the way from the back of the grid on a street track to second is an amazing feeling.”
“It was a really good track with lots of different and challenging corners, and one that created exciting racing.” (Lucas di Grassi)
e.dams-Renault’s Nicolas Prost also put on a crowd-pleasing show, finishing fourth after starting in P11. Despite his pole-setting performance in qualifying, the Frenchman incurred a 10-place grid penalty from Beijing – so P11 was actually the best grid position he could hope for.
FanBoost brings mixed fortunes
We saw mixed results for the FanBoost winners. Amlin Aguri’s Katherine Legge was involved in a first-lap tussle with Michela Cerruti that effectively ended her day. Venturi’s Nick Heidfeld crashed out of the race while battling with Andretti’s Franck Montagny.
Bruno Senna became the first Formula E pilot to successfully deploy his FanBoost to overtake Prost for fourth, but the Mahindra Racing driver lost out on the final lap as he was preparing to overtake Buemi for third and hit the wall.
“I saw Buemi and had an opportunity to get a podium but I made a mistake,” said Senna” “I just went for it and got out on the marbles when I lost the car.”
Still, this shows how fans can have a direct impact on the race by taking part in FanBoost.
Challenging circuit
Overall the drivers felt the brand new street circuit was both challenging and fun to race. “Well done to everyone who has helped this track happen,” said Bird. “It was extremely challenging and a great layout and made for some exciting racing.”
Thankfully, it’s already less than three weeks to Round 3 in Punta del Este!
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