Lucas di Grassi Wins in Inaugural Formula E Race
The FIA Formula E Series held its first ever ePrix in Beijing on Saturday morning with quite the dramatic finish. The caution came out only twice in the 25-lap race. The first of the two came on the second lap after an on-track incident caused the left front suspension on Bruno Senna’s car to break, which brought out the safety car. Then, on lap 11, the caution flag came out for the second and final time when Takuma Sato’s car stopped in the exit of turn 1.
The most dramatic incident of the race occurred on the last corner of the last lap between Nick Heidfeld and Nicolas Prost, who were leading the race at the time. Heidfeld went to pass Prost when Prost suddenly cut over and hit Hedfield. Heidfeld’s car went flying, flipping in the air and landing on its top. Neither were injured and they exchanged words following the incident.
Lucas di Grassi went on to win the race, becoming the first ever Formula E winner. Franck Montagny, Sam Bird, Charles Pic, and Karun Chandhok rounded out the top five. Daniel Abt, who originally had finished third, was eventually placed in tenth following a post-race penalty.