Formula E’s New York City E-Prix wrapped up on Sunday with a repeat champion, dramatic racing, and actual production cars taking to the track.
While pole-sitter Sebastien Buemi ran away with the race for team Nissan e.dams, Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne repeated as season points champion, racing for Sino-French team DS Techeetah,
The best Vergne could post on the 1.4-mile track on Brooklyn’s waterfront, however, was seventh place after he was hit by teammate Andres Lotterer in Saturday’s first round. Both drivers had to pit for repairs, but Vergne recovered into the points standings as other drivers at the front broke down or crashed out. Vergne didn’t even need to finish seventh as the two other title contenders, Mitch Evans and Lucas di Grassi, crashed on the final lap. Each driver would have had to win the race to be in title contention.
2019 Formula E New York eGrand Prix start grid (CREDIT: Formula E Instagram video)
The new cars for Season 2 of the international FIA electric racing series ran a new 54-kwh battery that, for the first time, allowed teams to complete the 62-mile races with a single car and a single battery.
For the 2018-19 season, Formula E decided to showcase the technical aspects of electric cars by giving fans the opportunity to give their favorite drivers a power boost. Drivers also received three chances to use Attack Mode to boost their cars from their base 270 horsepower to 301 horsepower for four minutes.
Drivers activate Attack Mode by pulling off the racing line to pass in a designated Attack Zone. In New York, it was located at the exit of Turn 5 heading onto the back straight. Although competition demands that all drivers maximize the advantage of Attack Mode, they also have to be careful not to burn through too much range when using it.
The 2018-2019 season also marks the first with the Jaguar I-Pace e-trophy races as openers, demonstrating to fans that electric cars for the street are available and capable. Like Formula E, the races use identical cars, in this case, Jaguar I-Paces set up for racing. Former GP2 racer Sergio Jimenez clinched the points title on Saturday in the 25-minute-plus-one-lap race.
Formula E has not yet announced any changes for next year’s season, though its current McLaren SRT05e race cars are expected to continue for another year. The 2020 race in New York will take place June 20.
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