Daniel Abt won his first Formula E race at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez after Felix Rosenqvist's pole lap ended with a battery fault at the final corner of lap 14.
A high-altitude race in Mexico City ended with Audi's Daniel Abt on top, from a fifth-place start, on 3 March 2018. Oliver Turvey of NIO was second and Sebastien Buemi third, after Felix Rosenqvist's pole lap ended with a battery fault.
The 2018 Mexico City ePrix came as round five of the 2017-18 Formula E season, and it was the third time the event had counted towards the title. Daniel Abt of Audi won the 47-lap race from fifth on the grid, ahead of Oliver Turvey of NIO and Sebastien Buemi of e.Dams-Renault.
Who won the 2018 Mexico City ePrix?
Daniel Abt of Audi won the 2018 Mexico City ePrix from fifth on the grid, the first win of his career and the first German victory in the series. Oliver Turvey of NIO took second, his first Formula E podium, and Sebastien Buemi finished third.
Pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist of Mahindra led the first 14 laps, but a battery management fault at the final corner of lap 14 stopped him, and he dropped to ninth. Turvey took the lead, with Abt moving up behind him.
The race was decided at the mandatory pit stops on lap 24. Abt's crew was quicker than Turvey's, and Turvey had been slow out of his pit box after a gear selection fault. Abt took the lead and pulled away from there.
By the finish Abt had built a lead of more than six seconds, and he held it to the flag. Turvey defended against Buemi over the final five laps to take second, which gave him his first career podium.
The victory was also the first for Audi as a factory team, and it came in Abt's 37th start.
A battery fault on the final corner of lap 14 handed Turvey the lead, and Abt's faster pit stop turned it into the first win of his career.
What made the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez unusual?
The Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez is a 2.093 km (1.301 mile) circuit with 17 turns, mixing grand prix and oval layouts. It was the only permanent track on the 2017-18 calendar, and its altitude gave thin air, lower drag and a need for careful cooling.
The high elevation created thin air and lower wind resistance, so teams focused on cooling their cars. The asphalt was less abrasive than on other tracks, although the surface was dusty and damp in places during practice.
A track limits zone at turn one was introduced, which keeps drivers off the grass there. Alexandre Premat, a former DTM racer, advised the stewards on the race.
It was round five of the twelve single-seater electric rounds scheduled that season, and the World Motor Sport Council had confirmed it in September 2017. The distance was raised from 45 laps to 47 to show off the efficiency gains teams had made.
Why were seat belts in the spotlight before the race?
Techeetah and Dragon had been fined a record EUR 15,000 ($18,500) for seat belt manipulation at the Santiago ePrix. The FIA responded with a bulletin on the eve of Mexico City, banning tie-wraps and tape on the belts and promising more detailed checks after races.
Andretti team principal Roger Griffiths explained the clarification on radio connectors. Teams could attach a driver's radio connector to the seat belt only through its label, not through the webbing.
The rule drew on a regulation that forbids any material modification or reshaping of a safety harness. The FIA also planned to examine belts more closely after races to prevent future use of such systems.
How did practice go?
Practice took place on the Saturday morning in two sessions, one of 45 minutes and one of half an hour, after a Friday shakedown. Di Grassi was fastest in both, with 1 minute, 1.58 seconds in the first session and 1 minute, 1.203 seconds in the second.
The Friday shakedown let teams check reliability. Afterwards Venturi, Dragon, e.Dams-Renault and Jaguar were fined EUR 5,000 for 5G electromagnetic interference in the 5-6 GHz band, which could have disrupted the FIA's data gathering. A further EUR 3,500 was held back as a suspended penalty for the rest of the season.
Each of the four teams received a warning that a repeat would put them at risk of disqualification.
In the first session di Grassi's fastest time was 0.362 seconds quicker than anyone else, with Mortara, Vergne, Evans and Lynn next in the top ten. Lopez was aggrieved at Filippi, who had slowed him in turn three, and later lost the rear at turn seven.
In the second session Heidfeld struck the bollards marking track limits at turns seven and eight. Lynn then crashed with five minutes left after locking his brakes. He was unhurt, and no driver went faster in the final two minutes.
Who took pole in Mexico City?
Felix Rosenqvist took pole with 1 minute, 1.645 seconds, his second pole of 2018 and the fifth of his career. Felix da Costa was provisionally joined on the front row, with Alex Lynn third, Oliver Turvey fourth and Sebastien Buemi fifth.
Qualifying ran for one hour in four groups of five cars, drawn by lottery and placed in championship order. Each driver was limited to two timed laps, one of them at maximum power, and the fastest five went into a Super Pole shootout run in reverse order.
In the first group di Grassi was the early pace setter, ahead of Maro Engel, Jerome d'Ambrosio, Tom Blomqvist and Filippi. Buemi set the fastest time in the second group, 1 minute, 1.668 seconds, after Rosenqvist had led it, and Felix da Costa topped the third group ahead of Turvey. Abt went fastest in the fourth.
Rosenqvist locked his tyres on his pole lap but still set the fastest time. Felix da Costa had held pole until Rosenqvist's lap, and Turvey also locked up on the way into the second turn.
Buemi locked his brakes into turn one but hit the apex at the start of his lap, then kept a steady pace and qualified fifth.
What penalties changed the grid?
Di Grassi, Bird and Lynn were demoted ten places after changing inverters or gearboxes, and Felix da Costa's car was found below the 880 kg (1,940 lb) minimum weight. He still started fourth, because his weight after group qualifying was within the rules.
Abt started fifth after the penalties, the grid slot from which he went on to win. Ten teams fielded two drivers each, 20 participants in total.
How did the race unfold?
Rosenqvist led the field into the first corner from pole, but Turvey inherited the lead after the lap 14 battery problem. Abt then closed on Turvey and took the lead at the pit stops on lap 24 to win the race.
The race began at 16:00 Central Daylight Time, with the track between 40.5 and 41.65 degrees C in dry, warm and sunny conditions. Fan Boost added 100 kW (130 hp) to the second car, and three drivers were chosen by fan vote to use it.
Abt made a fast getaway, moving past Felix da Costa for fourth, while Engel made a poor start and dropped to 19th. Several cars collided at turn three and sent bodywork into the air, but none had to enter the pit lane. Lopez also collided with his teammate d'Ambrosio, and both continued with minor damage.
On the first lap di Grassi climbed from 20th to 18th, and Evans gained three places. Turvey was eight-tenths of a second behind Rosenqvist at the end of the lap, with Buemi third, and by the ninth lap his lead over Turvey was two seconds.
Rosenqvist's car lost power as he exited the final corner on lap 14, a battery management system failure, and he stopped to reset it. He rejoined well down the order. Turvey led, with Buemi and Abt following in second and third.
Rosenqvist stopped twice more in the turn three run-off, which brought out localised yellow flags. He later changed to his second car early, aiming to rejoin the top ten.
Abt overtook Buemi for second at the exit of turn one after Buemi braked early and ran wide, and then began to close on Turvey.
The leaders made their mandatory pit stops on lap 24. Abt's stop was six seconds faster than Turvey's, which had suffered gear selection trouble, so Abt took the lead. Buemi dropped to fourth as Vergne moved into third. Heidfeld retired on lap 27 with a water pump failure.
On lap 28 Buemi used Fan Boost to pass Vergne. Lotterer received a drive-through for running over a crew member's foot as he left his garage, which dropped him from seventh to 13th. The crew member was taken to the medical centre and released.
On lap 31 di Grassi spun at the first turn after a minor collision with Lopez on the start-finish straight.
Piquet got by his Jaguar teammate Evans two laps later. The next lap Mahindra called Rosenqvist into the pit lane to retire, and Piquet then passed Vergne for fourth after Vergne's radio failed and cut off the information on his steering wheel.
On lap 37 di Grassi used Fan Boost to pass d'Ambrosio for 12th. Prost parked his car with a broken front-right suspension after contact with Bird at turn three, which made him the final retirement of the race.
As the penultimate lap began, Buemi lunged at Turvey for second and locked all four tyres, but he avoided contact. Turvey also locked up, and the pair stayed second and third.
Abt extended his lead to more than six seconds in the closing laps and took the win. Turvey finished second and Buemi third, with Piquet, Vergne and Evans among the cars that followed.
How did the 2018 Mexico City ePrix affect the championship?
Vergne kept the Drivers' lead and stretched it to 12 points over Rosenqvist, while Abt moved up to sixth. Bird kept third place without scoring, Buemi closed on him, and Jaguar overtook Virgin for third in the Teams' Championship with seven races left.
Techeetah further extended its advantage over Mahindra, and Mahindra scored nothing in Mexico City. Piquet's fourth place kept him in fifth in the standings.
What happened after the race?
The race ended with questions about pit stop safety. Lotterer's injury to a mechanic was the first since the minimum stop time was abolished at Santiago, and the stops of Rosenqvist and Piquet came under scrutiny for possibly altered seat belts.
Lotterer said he expected a similar incident in the future, because the cars were so close together that mechanics had little room to step clear. Scott Mitchell of Autosport called the abolition of the minimum stop time one of the most unpopular changes in Formula E.
Abt praised the swift work of his mechanics. Turvey said the first podium for NIO was the result of a lot of hard work, and Rosenqvist described the day as near perfect until his early exit.
Vergne said he let Buemi and Piquet through after his radio fault so that he could follow Buemi's strategy and finish the race for points.
What were the key results in Mexico City?
| Position | Driver | Team | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Daniel Abt | Audi | Started fifth; first career win and first for a German driver |
| 2 | Oliver Turvey | NIO | First career podium; held off Buemi in the final five laps |
| 3 | Sebastien Buemi | e.Dams-Renault | Used Fan Boost to pass Vergne on lap 28 |
| 4 | Nelson Piquet Jr | Jaguar | Passed Vergne for fourth after the radio fault |
| Fastest lap | Lucas di Grassi | Audi | 1 minute, 2.02 seconds, for one point |
| Retired | Felix Rosenqvist | Mahindra | Pole sitter; battery management system failure on lap 14, then retired later |
| Retired | Nick Heidfeld | Mahindra | Water pump failure on lap 27 |
| Retired | Andre Lotterer | Techeetah | Drive-through penalty, then finished 13th |
