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
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 Japan Takuma Sato Amlin Aguri
Time 1:45.101 on lap 21
Podium
First Audi Sport ABT
Second Andretti
Third Virgin Racing
Lap leaders

Report

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Race

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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

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Qualifying

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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:

Race

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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:

  • ^1Daniel 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

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  • Notes: Only the top five positions are included for both sets of standings.

References

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  1. ^ "It's Electric: First Formula E Season Begins". Sky News. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Beijing Formula E: Nicolas Prost claims pole for inaugural race". Autosport.com. 13 September 2014. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  4. ^ "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.
  5. ^ Larkam, Lewis (13 September 2014). "Lucas di Grassi wins dramatic first Formula E race in Beijing". Electric Autosport. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  6. ^ "Formula E drivers told FanBoost use compulsory after Beijing issues". Autosport.com. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  7. ^ 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.
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Beijing ePrix Next race:
2015 Beijing ePrix