2019 Swiss ePrix: Vergne Wins After a First-Lap Red Flag in Bern

The 2019 Swiss ePrix came eleventh in the 2018-19 Formula E season, and it was the sole edition ever staged. It took place on the streets of Bern, where a first-lap pile-up triggered a 40-minute red flag before Jean-Eric Vergne of Techeetah won.

Who won the 2019 Swiss ePrix?

Jean-Eric Vergne of Techeetah won the 2019 Swiss ePrix from pole and led all 31 laps. Mitch Evans of Jaguar finished 0.160 seconds behind, and Sebastien Buemi took third for Nissan e.Dams in front of his home crowd. It was the first and only Formula E race held in Bern.

Vergne was never headed after the restart, although Evans kept pressing him for the lead through the downhill run into turn three for most of the race. Evans had two chances to use his Attack Mode boosts, and Vergne answered both.

The finish was close. In the final two laps heavy rain fell, and the wet surface let Evans close the gap, but Vergne held on to cross the line 0.160 seconds clear.

A first-lap red flag, a rain-soaked finish and a 0.160-second margin defined the only Formula E race Bern has held.

Why was Formula E racing in Bern?

Bern was added to the 2018-19 calendar as a replacement for the Zurich ePrix, which had debuted in 2018. Zurich could not host again in 2019 because of other events that summer, so the Swiss race became the second Formula E event in the country after Zurich.

The race was announced in 2018, and organisers planned to run it through the streets of the city's Old Town. The preparations were soon disrupted by a protest and then by a legal complaint.

A few days before the race, several hundred cyclists rode around the circuit in an environmental protest. Their aim was to highlight the damage done by the trucks needed to build the track, and by the spectators who would drive into the city to watch.

Organisers later filed a criminal complaint against protesters they said had vandalised the circuit. The complaint put the damage at more than US$400,000, including cut TV cables and damaged sponsorship banners.

What was the Bern Street Circuit like?

The temporary Bern Street Circuit was 2.750 km long with 14 turns, winding through the Old Town past Rosengarten park and the Barengraben bear pit. Its elevation changes were the defining feature, with almost the whole track on an incline or a decline.

Among the 2018-19 venues, Bern ranked second in length, behind Brooklyn. The course was narrow, and the drivers found overtaking difficult.

Bern is the sole Formula E venue that starts with an uphill climb on Laubeggstrasse. The steepest downhill section on the calendar ran along Aargauerstalden and Schosshaldenstrasse, and the road camber changed from one side to the other.

Attack Mode was available in a zone between turns 8 and 9, and each driver had to use it twice in the race. The indoor paddock sat 800 metres from the pit lane, which added to the logistical challenge for teams.

What was the championship picture going into Bern?

Jean-Eric Vergne led the Drivers' Championship by six points over Lucas di Grassi, who had won the previous race in Berlin. The top five drivers were covered by only 21 points, and Techeetah led the Teams' Championship ahead of Audi before the round.

Lotterer sat ten points behind di Grassi in the standings. Antonio Felix da Costa of BMW and Robin Frijns of Envision Virgin Racing were also in the leading group, and all of them except Lotterer had won a race that season.

Techeetah's two drivers were the top of the team's order. Audi had overtaken Envision Virgin Racing for second in the Teams' standings before the Swiss round.

How did practice go in Bern?

Practice was held on Saturday morning under overcast skies, after a Friday shakedown that was delayed when track construction ran late. Vergne set the fastest first-session time at 1:19.281, 0.111 seconds ahead of his teammate Lotterer, and Wehrlein set the quickest time in the second session at 1:19.118.

The Friday shakedown was cut to fifteen minutes because construction crews were still installing the track barriers and catch fencing.

In the second session several drivers struggled with the track limits. Paffett, Gunther and Dillmann all ran onto the escape road, and officials investigated Gunther and Dillmann afterwards.

Di Grassi and Abt were the first Audi drivers out, and di Grassi, Frijns and Evans rounded out the top five in the first session.

Who took pole in Bern?

Vergne took pole in the Super Pole shootout with 1:18.813, his first pole of the season, and he started at the front of the grid for the race. Evans finished 0.307 seconds behind after clipping the wall, while Buemi was third, Wehrlein fourth, Gunther fifth and Bird sixth.

Vergne was awarded three championship points for the pole, which put him nine points ahead of di Grassi in the drivers' standings. Evans had set the fastest overall time in group qualifying, at 1:18.897.

Abt narrowly missed Super Pole, 0.119 seconds short, and started seventh. Lotterer and Frijns failed to progress out of their groups, and started eighth and ninth.

Di Grassi started 19th, Felix da Costa 20th, and the NIO drivers Dillmann and Turvey qualified at the back in 21st and 22nd.

What caused the red flag on the first lap?

The race began with a collision at the first chicane after Wehrlein was turned sideways by contact with Buemi. Wehrlein's car became wedged between the barriers and Gunther's car, and Frijns was hit from behind by d'Ambrosio and sent into the wall, which brought out a red flag.

The pile-up blocked the track and held up most of the field. Buemi, di Grassi, Massa and Felix da Costa managed to wriggle through the chaos and take the escape road, and they gained considerable track position.

Frijns was the only driver who could not restart after the crash, because of the damage to his car. His race was over.

How was the grid reset, and why did drivers object?

Officials reset the field to its starting order because they could not determine most of the positions when the red flag came out. The 40-minute stoppage ended with a restart behind the safety car, with all drivers except Frijns lining up again.

Several drivers who had gained track position through the blockage were angry and argued with officials on the pit road. Di Grassi, who had made up eight places from 19th, called the reorder deeply unfair.

The regulations allowed officials to take the order from the last point at which the position of every car could be known. Cars that had been caught up in the crash were then allowed to resume the race.

Massa, who had also gained places in the crash, called the decision totally unacceptable. He argued that cars that had been heavily damaged should not restart ahead of cars that had avoided the pile-up and needed no repairs.

How did the race finish?

After the restart Evans pressed Vergne through the downhill run into turn three, but Vergne defended. Bird spun in the rain during the last two laps, which let Lotterer slip to fourth, and Vergne led the leading quartet nose to tail across the line.

Evans used both of his Attack Mode boosts a lap ahead of Vergne but could not pass him. Vergne reached the Attack Mode zone himself and so levelled the power between the two cars.

Wehrlein retired on track with a technical failure just before the Attack Mode zone, which brought a yellow flag that hindered Evans on his first attempt.

Lotterer climbed from eighth to fourth during the race. Bird made a difficult pass around the outside of Gunther into the fast downhill turn three to take fifth.

Buemi was third, and Lotterer fourth, Bird fifth and Gunther sixth. Abt, Lynn and di Grassi rounded out the top ten, with di Grassi the championship contender of the group.

What penalties followed the race?

Lotterer was given a 22-second penalty for ignoring a red light at the pit exit after the first-lap crash, which dropped him from fourth to 14th. Lopez, who had finished 13th, was disqualified for exceeding the 200 kW power limit.

Lotterer argued that he had followed the team's instructions and called the decision extremely harsh. Officials had told the teams to form up on the start-finish straight while the track was cleared, and Lotterer had already brought his car back to the pits.

Mortara was penalised for a collision with Alexander Sims and given a five-place grid penalty for the next race in New York. Felix da Costa received a five-second penalty for not slowing enough under the full-course yellow, but he kept 12th place.

Di Grassi and Massa both questioned the restart, and Bird called the first corner chicane an accident waiting to happen because of the narrow track and cold brakes and tyres on the first lap.

What did the result mean for the championship?

Vergne extended his Drivers' Championship lead to 32 points over di Grassi with two rounds left. Evans rose from sixth to third with 87 points after finishing second, and Lotterer dropped to fourth after his penalty, 44 points behind his teammate Vergne.

Techeetah kept the Teams' Championship lead with 216 points, 43 ahead of Audi, while Virgin, e.Dams and Mahindra stayed third, fourth and fifth.

Why was the Swiss ePrix not renewed?

The Swiss ePrix was announced before the race as being left off the 2019-20 calendar. A report by the city government after the race was generally positive but identified problems, and the company that organised the race went bankrupt in January 2020.

The report flagged restricted access for residents to homes and shops, disruption to public transport, and poor communication with residents.

Who finished where in Bern?