Daniel Abt secured his first ever win in Formula E in Round 2 of the Season 4 Hong Kong ePrix. The win also marked the factory backed team's first ever since Audi came on board. Abt's victory though was nothing short of luck as race leader Edoardo Mortara spun in the closing stages of the race, handing over the win. Meanwhile, Mahindra Racing's Felix Rosenqvist finished second in the race, securing the second podium for the team this weekend ahead of Mortara. Abt, who celebrates his 25th birthday today, couldn't have asked for a better gift.
(Daniel Abt secured his first ever win in Formula E)
The race started under the safety car due to a lights failure and Mortara was quick to take the lead over polesitter Rosenqvist. The Mahindra driver spun at Turn 1 of the opening lap after his rear locked up, pushing him down to 11th. It was then a fight back for Rosenqvist as he made his way back to the top spots in the race thanks to some aggressive driving and strategic overtakes. Meanwhile, Mortara was quick to extend his lead over Daniel Abt and Mitch Evans of Jaguar Racing.
Mortara not only put up the fastest laps but was also efficient in energy management, which is equally important in Formula E. The driver had a lead of well over 3 seconds mandatory mid-race car swap, but Abt was catching up fast and soon brought the gap down to 2 seconds. Mortara was now looking to get more out of the race, beyond just the win. However, around Lap 43, the Venturi team driver lost his rear as he spun from the lead in a bid to set the fastest lap time.
undefinedThis is where it all went wrong for @edomortara #HKEPrix pic.twitter.com/W0jV3lGSlN
— FIA Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) December 3, 2017
The move cost him dearly as Abt and Rosenqvist steered clear as they passed Mortara. The Audi driver was now in the lead with Rosenqvist promoted to P2. Mortara recovered to third post the spin, denying Evans a podium finish in the race.
Further down, Jean-Eric Vergne of Techeetah took fifth in the second race of Hong Kong after Alex Lynn of Virgin Racing ran out of energy on the final lap and finished at P10. Coming in sixth was Round 1 winner Sam Bird, followed by Oliver Turvery of NIO Formula E team. Maro Engel of Venturi and Nicholas Prost of Renault e.Dams finished P8 and P9 respectively, ahead of Lynn.
(Mahindra has consistently secured podium finishes in both rounds of Hong Kong ePrix)
Coming in 11th was Sebastian Buemi of Renault, followed by Antonio Felix da Costa of Andretti Autosport and Nelson Piquet Jr of Jaguar. Having secured in a podium finish in Race 1, Mahindra's Nick Heidfield finished 17th in the race after he stopped on track due to a technical failure, dropping him to the back of the grid.
Top contenders Buemi and Lucas di Grassi were seen at the bottom of the standings at the end of Formula E's first round. Meanwhile, Audi and Virgin Racing are off to a good start, while Mahindra Racing has been the most consistent with two back-to-back podium finishes. Abt currently leads the points table with respect to driver standings followed by Sam Bird in second place. Round 3 - Marrakesh ePrix is scheduled for January 13 and promises more action.
