Sebastien Buemi started third and won his third race in a row, while Lucas di Grassi's first pole of the Formula E series ended in a penalty and a reprimand.
Buemi took the 2017 Buenos Aires race for e.Dams-Renault after starting third, the third win in a row for him. Vergne and di Grassi finished second and third. The race was run in Argentina in February 2017 as the third round of the 2016-17 season, covering 37 laps in front of 21,000 spectators.
Racing took place in Argentina on 18 February 2017, watched by 21,000 people at the Puerto Madero Street Circuit. This was round three of the 2016-17 campaign and the third time the event had been run. Sebastien Buemi won the 37-lap race from third on the grid, his third consecutive victory.
Who won the 2017 Buenos Aires ePrix?
Buemi took the chequered flag for e.Dams-Renault after starting third, a result that stretched his winning run to three straight races. Jean-Eric Vergne of Techeetah finished second, and Lucas di Grassi of Audi Sport ABT completed the podium, having started from pole. The race was the ninth career win for Buemi.
Buemi's streak was historic. He was the first driver in the championship's history to win three races in a row. His earlier attempts at Buenos Aires had been unsuccessful: a late crash in 2015 cost him a win, and in 2016 he qualified at the back before recovering to second.
Before the weekend Buemi said he hoped to qualify well and turn his form into a win in Argentina. Bird, the 2016 winner, pointed to Buemi as the driver to watch, and that proved accurate.
Three wins in a row for Buemi, a pole turned into a penalty for di Grassi and a last visit to a Buenos Aires street circuit.
How did the race unfold?
Di Grassi led the opening lap from pole, but Vergne closed in and passed him at turn four on lap three. Buemi then got past di Grassi for second and, after a late braking move at the first corner, took the lead on lap six. From there he controlled the race, even through the mandatory stops.
The start was warm, with air between 29.0 and 29.7 C (84.2 and 85.5 F) and the track at 26 C (79 F). Forecasters had put the chance of rain at 90 per cent, but the early laps were run in sunshine.
Carroll's car would not move from its grid slot, which brought out a full course yellow on the first lap. The field came up to lap him, and his team told him to catch the pack while keeping within the yellow-flag speed limit.
Vergne, who had started second, challenged di Grassi and passed him at turn four. He then posted the quickest time of the race so far, 1 minute, 12.926 seconds, and began to close on the leaders.
Buemi made his move by drafting Vergne along the main straight and braking late for the first corner on lap six. He kept a wide line to stop Vergne from retaking the place at the next corner, and then began to pull away from the rest of the field.
Bird's car suffered rear-right suspension damage early on, and he dropped to the back. He switched to a second car, hoping to set the fastest lap, but his race ended on the final lap. Earlier, Engel had stopped on track with a powertrain problem, and after he restarted he was shown the black flag with an orange circle and sent to the pits.
The compulsory stops started on lap 19, with Turvey, Evans and Duval the first to pit. Evans was later handed a five-second penalty for speeding under full course yellow conditions. Most of the field pitted a lap later, and Buemi emerged in third place.
Di Grassi left his pit box into the path of Piquet, forcing Piquet to brake hard to avoid a collision. That moment led to a reprimand and a fine for di Grassi after the race.
Rosenqvist's car would not start because of a battery management fault, which left him stationary in the garage for an extra minute. He rejoined in seventeenth place. Later he recorded the quickest lap of the race, 1 minute, 9.467 seconds during the thirty-first lap, which set a new overall circuit record and earned him a point.
Di Grassi closed on Prost, took advantage of an error from him at the final corner, and dived up the inside into the first turn to take third on lap 24. Duval closed on his teammate d'Ambrosio and attempted a pass for sixth, causing light contact before he got through.
| Finish | Driver | Team | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Sebastien Buemi | e.Dams-Renault | Started third; third win in a row |
| Second | Jean-Eric Vergne | Techeetah | 2.9 seconds behind the winner |
| Third | Lucas di Grassi | Audi Sport ABT | Pole sitter; later penalised |
| Fourth | Nico Prost | e.Dams-Renault | Passed di Grassi for fourth on lap twelve |
| Fifth | Nelson Piquet Jr. | NextEV | Ran fifth at the flag |
| Sixth | Loic Duval | Dragon | Light contact with teammate d'Ambrosio |
| Seventh | Daniel Abt | Audi Sport ABT | Passed d'Ambrosio late on |
| Eighth | Jerome d'Ambrosio | Dragon | Forced Bird into the wall on the final lap |
| Ninth | Oliver Turvey | NextEV | Car overheated late in the race |
| Tenth | Jose Maria Lopez | Virgin | Forced Sarrazin wide earlier on |
Buemi's victory came despite braking trouble on his second car, which left him unable to stop in a straight line. Vergne finished 2.9 seconds back, di Grassi was third and Prost fourth. Abt passed d'Ambrosio late in the race for seventh, and Turvey's car overheated to leave him ninth.
Further down, Heidfeld overtook Sarrazin and Frijns for eleventh, but he received a five-second penalty for a pit stop under the minimum time, which dropped him to fifteenth. Lopez, meanwhile, gained three places to run eleventh by lap 35.
How did di Grassi take pole?
Di Grassi won his first Formula E pole in Super Pole with 1 minute, 9.404 seconds, ahead of Vergne. Buemi, Piquet and Turvey had also reached the final session, but several of them struggled for grip on their laps.
Practice had been eventful beforehand. Felix da Costa had set the Friday shakedown benchmark at 1 minute, 18.1 seconds. In the first session Lopez was fastest at 1 minute, 9.431 seconds using 200 kW (270 hp), while Bird topped the second session at 1 minute, 8.792 seconds. Duval lost a wheel nut, which halted running and extended the session by five minutes.
Mitch Evans topped the first group, three-tenths of a second clear of Bird, who said he struggled to bring his tyres up to temperature. Vergne led the second group, two-tenths quicker than Buemi, while Rosenqvist was fastest in the third and Turvey in the fourth.
In Super Pole, Piquet went first but locked his front tyres and lost half a second. Turvey ran out of grip through turn seven and settled for fourth. Di Grassi drove cleanly through the same section, and his provisional time stood. Buemi locked a tyre and went third, while Vergne, quickest early on, locked up and finished second.
Lopez and Felix da Costa started from the ninth row after their difficulties in qualifying. Abt and Ma Qinghua had both hit the turn four exit barrier during the fourth group, which cut their session short.
Why was this the last race at Puerto Madero?
This was the final visit to Puerto Madero. Organisers confirmed in November 2016 that the event would not return, because redevelopment in the area meant the track would no longer be used. The circuit is 2.480 km (1.541 mi) long, has 12 turns and runs anti-clockwise.
The FIA World Motor Sport Council had placed the race on the 2016-17 calendar in September 2016, as the third of twelve single-seater events. Twenty drivers from ten teams took part in this third running of the event.
Rosenqvist had gathered his team for a meeting about the car after failing to win at Marrakesh, and he was determined to break through. Turvey felt confident about the circuit from the previous year, when he had quickly gained confidence on the track.
Di Grassi said his team wanted victory above all, along with a healthy points haul. He thought the layout would suit his car, which had been developed during the break between races.
What penalty did di Grassi receive?
Di Grassi was handed a formal reprimand and a fine of 1,500 euros, because his pit release forced Piquet to brake to avoid a collision. The penalty split opinion, with Piquet arguing that the punishments were inconsistent across the field.
Piquet felt the stewards had treated the same offence differently at different times, and he warned that drivers would soon lose faith in them. He wanted more people watching the track, more cameras and a GPS system in every car.
D'Ambrosio said the battle with Duval was a pity and was unsure whether it had been a misunderstanding. Duval answered that the contest was firm but fair, and that he had given room while making a pass difficult.
Jay Penske, the Dragon team principal, said drivers could race each other hard, but any driver who eliminated a rival would have to miss the following race.
Jaguar also drew attention for its progress. Evans said he was satisfied after topping his group, while Carroll wanted to improve his start. Team principal James Barclay called the pace a positive surprise, but admitted the team needed a better grasp of full course yellow procedure.
How did the result change the championship?
Buemi's lead over di Grassi grew to 29 points, and Prost was a further ten points back in third. Vergne rose to fourth on 22 points, with Rosenqvist fifth on 20. In the Teams' table, e.Dams-Renault pulled 51 points clear of Audi Sport ABT.
Mahindra kept third in the Teams' table on 37 points, while NextEV climbed to fourth on 25. Techeetah sat three points adrift in fifth, with nine rounds still to run.
Before Buenos Aires Buemi held 50 points and a 22-point cushion over di Grassi, while e.Dams-Renault led the Teams' Championship on 74. The race therefore widened the gaps at the top of both tables.
What did the drivers say afterwards?
Buemi praised his team and said he hoped his form would carry into the next rounds. He had been concerned about battery overheating, but he said he had driven cautiously in the early laps to learn where he was and had the situation under control.
Vergne said the whole team had done a fantastic job, often working through many hours overnight. He said he had corrected the problems he had in the first two races of the season and was focused on winning.
Di Grassi said it had been a good day for his team, although they were not on the same pace as the e.Dams cars. He said his first car had too much oversteer, and that the smallest change could make a large difference to the championship.
Evans said the result had encouraged the Jaguar staff, calling his qualifying performance great, and said he would not have expected such a result after Marrakesh.
