The 2014 Beijing ePrix, formally the 2014 FIA Formula E Evergrande Spring Beijing ePrix, was a Formula E motor race that was held on 13 September 2014 at the Beijing Olympic Green Circuit in Beijing, China. It was the first Championship race of the single-seater, electrically powered racing car series' inaugural season.[1] The race was won by Lucas di Grassi for the Audi Sport ABT team, ahead of Franck Montagny and Sam Bird.[2]
| 2014 Beijing ePrix | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 11 of the 2014–15 Formula E season | |||
 Layout of the Beijing Olympic Green Circuit | |||
| Race details | |||
| Date | 13 September 2014 | ||
| Official name | 2014 FIA Formula E Evergrande Spring Beijing ePrix | ||
| Location |
Beijing Olympic Green Circuit, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China | ||
| Course | Street circuit | ||
| Course length | 3.44 km (2.14 miles) | ||
| Distance | 25 laps, 86.0 km (53.5 miles) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | e.dams-Renault | ||
| Time | 1:42.200 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver |
 Takuma Sato | Amlin Aguri | |
| Time | 1:45.101 on lap 21 | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Audi Sport ABT | ||
| Second | Andretti | ||
| Third | Virgin Racing | ||
|
Lap leaders | |||
Report edit
Race edit
Nicolas Prost claimed pole position for the race for the e.dams-Renault team[3] and, with the exception of one lap during the pit stops, led the race up until the final corner. That was the moment when Nick Heidfeld had closed the gap to Prost and made an overtaking manoeuvre. Prost hit Heidfeld while they were side to side, sending the German driver into a spin. Heidfeld's car then hit the kerb sideways, and flipped into the barrier. The collision forced both drivers to retire from the race, and Lucas di Grassi went through to claim victory.[2] Montagny finished second, while Daniel Abt was third on track, but was penalised 57 seconds for exceeding "the maximum permitted electrical power during the race," relegating him to tenth position, which promoted Bird to the final place on the podium.[4] Jaime Alguersuari and Katherine Legge also received 57-second penalties: Alguersuari for the same transgression, and Legge for a pit violation.
Despite his retirement, Prost collected three championship points for his pole position, and Takuma Sato, who was also unable to complete the race, gained two points for recording the fastest lap of the race.[5] During the race, three drivers were able to gain benefit from a "fan boost" which gave them an extra 30 kilowatts of power for two five-second stints. The drivers voted to receive this were Bruno Senna, Legge, and Di Grassi. However, none of the drivers actually used the boost of energy during the race, leading the organization to mandate the use for coming races.[6]
Classification edit
Qualifying edit
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 |  Nicolas Prost
|
e.dams-Renault | 1:42.200 | 1 | |
| 2 | 11 |  Lucas di Grassi
|
Audi Sport ABT | 1:42.306 | +0.106 | 2 |
| 3 | 66 |  Daniel Abt
|
Audi Sport ABT | 1:42.454 | +0.254 | 3 |
| 4 | 5 |  Karun Chandhok
|
Mahindra Racing | 1:42.461 | +0.261 | 4 |
| 5 | 27 | Franck Montagny
|
Andretti | 1:42.530 | +0.330 | 81 |
| 6 | 23 | Nick Heidfeld
|
Venturi | 1:42.579 | +0.379 | 5 |
| 7 | 3 |  Jaime Alguersuari
|
Virgin Racing | 1:42.683 | +0.483 | 6 |
| 8 | 28 | Charles Pic
|
Andretti | 1:42.726 | +0.526 | 7 |
| 9 | 9 |  Sébastien Buemi
|
e.dams-Renault | 1:42.746 | +0.546 | 182 |
| 10 | 99 | Nelson Piquet Jr.
|
China Racing | 1:42.785 | +0.585 | 9 |
| 11 | 6 | Oriol Servia
|
Dragon Racing | 1:42.847 | +0.647 | 10 |
| 12 | 2 |  Sam Bird
|
Virgin Racing | 1:42.918 | +0.718 | 11 |
| 13 | 7 |  Jérôme d'Ambrosio
|
Dragon Racing | 1:44.056 | +1.856 | 12 |
| 14 | 55 | Takuma Sato
|
Amlin Aguri | 1:44.129 | +1.929 | 13 |
| 15 | 88 |  Ho-Pin Tung
|
China Racing | 1:45.282 | +3.082 | PL2 |
| 16 | 77 | Katherine Legge
|
Amlin Aguri | 1:45.369 | +3.169 | 14 |
| 17 | 18 |  Michela Cerruti
|
Trulli | 1:46.170 | +3.970 | 162 |
| 18 | 10 | Jarno Trulli
|
Trulli | 2:16.788 | +34.588 | 202 |
| 19 | 21 | Bruno Senna
|
Mahindra Racing | 2:32.729 | +50.529 | 15 |
| 20 | 30 | Stéphane Sarrazin
|
Venturi | 3:22.723 | +1:40.523 | 192 |
Notes:
- ^1 – Franck Montagny received a three-place grid penalty for entering the fast lane during qualifying before the green light.[7]
- ^2 – Michela Cerruti, Ho-Pin Tung, Sébastien Buemi, Stéphane Sarrazin and Jarno Trulli each received a ten-place grid penalty for a gearbox change. Tung later opted to start from the pitlane.[7]
Race edit
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Lucas di Grassi
|
Audi Sport ABT | 25 | 52:23.413 | 2 | 25 |
| 2 | 27 | Franck Montagny
|
Andretti | 25 | +2.867 | 8 | 18 |
| 3 | 2 | Sam Bird
|
Virgin Racing | 25 | +6.559 | 11 | 15 |
| 4 | 28 | Charles Pic
|
Andretti | 25 | +19.301 | 7 | 12 |
| 5 | 5 | Karun Chandhok
|
Mahindra Racing | 25 | +23.952 | 4 | 10 |
| 6 | 7 | Jérôme d'Ambrosio
|
Dragon Racing | 25 | +31.664 | 12 | 8 |
| 7 | 6 | Oriol Servià
|
Dragon Racing | 25 | +41.968 | 10 | 6 |
| 8 | 99 | Nelson Piquet Jr.
|
China Racing | 25 | +43.896 | 9 | 4 |
| 9 | 30 | Stéphane Sarrazin
|
Venturi | 25 | +43.975 | 19 | 2 |
| 10 | 66 | Daniel Abt
|
Audi Sport ABT | 25 | +1:02.5071 | 3 | 1 |
| 11 | 3 | Jaime Alguersuari
|
Virgin Racing | 25 | +2:00.6131 | 6 | |
| 12 | 8 | Nicolas Prost
|
e.dams-Renault | 24 | Collision | 1 | 33 |
| 13 | 23 | Nick Heidfeld
|
Venturi | 24 | Collision | 5 | |
| 14 | 18 | Michela Cerruti
|
Trulli | 24 | +1 lap | 16 | |
| 15 | 77 | Katherine Legge
|
Amlin Aguri | 24 | +1 lap2 | 14 | |
| 16 | 88 | Ho-Pin Tung
|
China Racing | 23 | +2 laps | PL | |
| Ret | 55 | Takuma Sato
|
Amlin Aguri | 21 | Mechanical | 13 | 24 |
| Ret | 9 | Sébastien Buemi
|
e.dams-Renault | 14 | Rear wing | 18 | |
| Ret | 10 | Jarno Trulli
|
Trulli | 2 | Battery | 20 | |
| Ret | 21 | Bruno Senna
|
Mahindra Racing | 0 | Collision | 15 |
Notes:
- ^1 – Daniel Abt and Jaime Alguersuari each received a drive through penalty converted into a 57-second time penalty for exceeding the allowed battery usage limit of 208kW.[7]
- ^2 - Katherine Legge received a drive through penalty converted into a 57-second time penalty for crossing the white lane at pit exit.
- ^3 – Three points for pole position.[7]
- ^4 – Two points for fastest lap.[7]
Standings after the race edit
|
|
- Notes: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.
References edit
- ^ "It's Electric: First Formula E Season Begins". Sky News. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ a b "Di Grassi wins inaugural Formula E race after Prost, Heidfeld crash on final lap". Fox Sports. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ "Beijing Formula E: Nicolas Prost claims pole for inaugural race". Autosport.com. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ "Daniel Abt loses third place finish for electrical transgression". Formula Spy. 13 September 2014. Archived from the original on 14 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ Larkam, Lewis (13 September 2014). "Lucas di Grassi wins dramatic first Formula E race in Beijing". Electric Autosport. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ "Formula E drivers told FanBoost use compulsory after Beijing issues". Autosport.com. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d e "FIA Formula E | Round 1 – Beijing | Results". FIA Formula E. Archived from the original on 13 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2014.