Mexico City ePrix: Di Grassi tops both practice sessions
Lucas di Grassi topped both practice sessions ahead of the Mexico City ePrix for Audi, with Mahindra Racing’s Felix Rosenqvist getting closest to the reigning champion’s best time in FP2.
Lucas di Grassi, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler
Alastair Staley / Motorsport Images
Di Grassi, who enters the weekend in Mexico with a 10-place grid penalty after an inverter change following his retirement in Santiago last time out, set the best time of morning in first practice.
The Brazilian produced a lap of 1m01.158s during the 45-minute opening session, with Venturi driver Edoardo Mortara ending up second quickest during the early running.
In FP2, Rosenqvist spent the majority of the 30-minute session in first place after putting in a time of 1m01.442s early on while using the full 200kW available to the drivers.
Di Grassi responded after a mid-session lull in fast laps to pip Rosenqvist to first place in FP2 by 0.239s.
The second session was suspended in the closing stages after DS Virgin Racing driver Alex Lynn hit the barriers around the long second turn left-hander.
Lynn was attempting to overtake Rosenqvist but slid wide on the dusty off-line approach and clattered the barriers with the left-hand side of his car, bringing out the red flags.
The session restarted with just under two minutes remaining and several drivers attempted improve their positions with one final 200kW effort.
Renault e.dams driver Sebastien Buemi bettered Di Grassi’s time in the first sector but faded as the lap went on and locked up heavily approaching the final T14-15 chicane.
The season two champion did improve his best time of FP2 but ended up eighth quickest in that session.
Mitch Evans was third quickest in the combined standings after finishing 0.303s adrift of di Grassi in FP2.
Mortara’s best time from FP1 put him fourth fastest overall, but the Swiss driver ended up down in 19th place in FP2 – one spot ahead of his teammate Maro Engel.
Nick Heidfeld, who slid wide on a full power attempt towards the end of FP2 and hit the bollards at the edge of the track through the double left-hander in the stadium, was fifth fastest overall.
Lynn ended up sixth in the combined standings and fifth in FP2 despite his crash, with Antonio Felix da Costa, Daniel Abt and championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne seventh, eighth and ninth overall.
Buemi’s late improvement left him 10th in the combined order after the two sessions.
Click here for individual session results
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