ABB FIA Formula E: Audi and Venturi claim Puebla victories

Rounds 8 and 9 of the 2020/2021 FIA Formula E World Championship in Puebla, Mexico, were won respectively by Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler) and Edoardo Mortara (RoKit Venturi Racing) on MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV tires. 

The first long-haul meeting of the season took teams to Autodromo Miguel E. Abed in Puebla, southeast of Mexico City. The new venue provided the championship’s protagonists with an unprecedented combination of parts of an oval, a conventional infield and a long, banked left-hander which subjected the cars’ right-hand tires to unique constraints.

“This was unknown territory for us,” reports Jérôme Mondain, manager of Michelin Motorsport’s Formula E program. “Banked corners tend to be hard on the outer tires, so Puebla was a fresh challenge for the MICHELIN Pilot Sport, but it rose to it successfully.

“The circuit had an ageing, hard-wearing surface, while the banking and high track temperatures of up to 45°C made life even harder on tires. But the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV took all these difficulties in its stride to give the drivers the confidence they needed to provide an exciting show all the way to the checkered flag of both races.”

Race 1 saw Audi claim its first Formula E win since 2019 with di Grassi, while the Brazilian’s team-mate Rast made it a one-two finish for the German make following the post-finish disqualification of Pascal Wehrlein’s Porsche 99X. TAG Heuer Porsche FE Team has appealed the decision, however.

Race 2 was won by Venturi’s Edoardo Mortara who shrugged off pressure from second-placed Wehrlein to go to the top of the championship’s provisional standings, aided by his third place the previous day. Like the previous day, the Porsche driver was handed a penalty after the flag (this time for a Fanboost infraction) that dropped him to fourth in the final classification, promoting Nick Cassidy (Envision Virgin Racing) to second spot instead.

The Formula E teams will now move on to New York, USA, for the season’s next two e-prix on July 10-11.

Final positions – Race 1:

1. Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler), 28 laps

2. René Rast (Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler), +0.497s

3. Edoardo Mortara (RoKit Venturi Racing), +2.774s

4. Alexander Sims (Mahindra Racing), +10.443s

5. Jake Dennis (BMW I Andretti Motorsport), +11.473s

Etc.

Final positions – Race 2:

1. Edoardo Mortara (RoKit Venturi Racing), 32 laps

2. Nick Cassidy (Envision Virgin Racing), +4.169s

3. Oliver Rowland (Nissan e.dams), +6.912s

4. Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Team), +7.296s

5. Jake Dennis (BMW I Andretti Motorsport), +9.986s

Etc.