Vandoorne wins in qualifying ePrix Sao Paulo, Wehrlein drops back
General
- GPblog.com
In an exciting qualifying session for the ePrix of Sao Paulo, Stoffel Vandoorne managed to take first place. Dutchman Robin Frijns will start from the penultimate row of the grid after technical problems. Championship leader Pascal Wehrlein dropped back and will start from the rear.
A red flag fell early in qualifying after Sergio Sette Camara's NIO stalled on the track. Sette Camara got his car going again fairly quickly, but the red flag remained active. After the session resumed, fast times were strung together.
Wehrlein falls away, Bird is surprisingly well placed
Pascal Wehrlein, who currently leads the championship, had to make do with eighth place in the first session and dropped out as a result. He will start the race from 18th place. Reigning world champion Stoffel Vandoorne set the fastest time in the first session.
In the second group, Jaguar driver Sam Bird managed to set the fastest time. Bird is having a very poor season: he crashed out twice and could not start the previous race. This time, he was able to set the fastest time in his group. In the duels, he lost to his teammate Mitch Evans, and a grid penalty ultimately sinks him out of the top ten.
Of the top five in the standings, only Antonio Felix da Costa managed to reach the semi-finals. Stoffel Vandoorne proved that there is strong improvement in the DS Penske team by outsmarting his opponents in the quarter and semi-finals. The two drivers took on each other in the final, where Vandoorne eventually emerged victorious.
Frijns also in the rear
Frijns returns this weekend after missing the past four races due to an injury to his wrist. The Dutchman was hoping for a good result, but that was not granted to him. Soon his car stalled, after which he was unable to put down many fast laps. In the end, he finished tenth in his group, trailing only Lucas di Grassi, who was also struggling with problems.