Jean-Eric Vergne of DS Penske took home the victory in a historic first-ever ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race in India. The race was held in front of a sold-out crowd, including dignitaries, Bollywood celebrities, and sports stars. Vergne put up a tough fight in the final stages to hold off Envision Racing’s Nick Cassidy and Sebastien Buemi. However, after Buemi was penalized post-race, Antonio Felix da Costa of TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team took third place.
“I’m very, very happy,” said Vergne. “It was a tough race, but I managed to win it with no mistakes. This win is good for everyone’s heart in our team and it’s great to start off the season with a positive race like this.”
This win marks Vergne’s first trip to the Formula E podium since Rome in April 2021 and he accomplished it with style. On the 15th lap of 32, Vergne made his way to the front of the pack, surpassing Buemi at the hairpin. This move was made possible after the Jaguar TCS Racing pair collided with each other, resulting in both cars retiring.
Vergne held on to the lead, but Cassidy’s Envision Racing machine was hot on his heels. Despite Cassidy having a slight energy advantage in the closing stages, Vergne was able to use his expertise to keep Cassidy at bay and cross the finish line first. This victory will go down as one of Vergne’s best and will be remembered as Formula E’s first visit to India in front of a crowd of over 25,000 people.
Buemi was originally in third, but was demoted to 15th due to an overpower infringement. Da Costa was promoted to the podium in his 100th race after starting the race in 13th. Pascal Wehrlein of TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team finished fourth, while reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne of DS Penske came in eighth for his best result of the season so far. Other top 10 finishers include Andre Lotterer of Avalanche Andretti Formula E and Edoardo Mortara of Maserati MSG Racing.
The historic race was attended by FIA President Mohammed ben Sulayem and Sri K. T. Rama Rao, the minister for IT, industries and commerce in the government of Telangana. Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, as well as current Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan, Deepak Chahar, and Yuzvendra Chahal were among the notable attendees, along with actor and choreographer Dhanashree Verma.
Well… that was eventful 😅
Here are the full results from our inaugural race in India!@GreenkoIndia #HyderabadEPrix
— Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) February 11, 2023
