Diriyah E-Prix: Frijns leads in-form de Vries in practice
Envision Virgin driver Robin Frijns set the pace in practice for the second leg of the Diriyah E-Prix, beating race one winner Nyck de Vries with a last-gasp effort on Saturday afternoon.
Having dominated the first Riyadh race on Friday, Mercedes de Vries looked set to continue his unbeaten run in the 45-minute practice session, having broken his own lap record from qualifying and then set a blistering lap of 1m07.440s on his full power run.
But Frijns, who failed to take part in qualifying on Friday after requiring a change of battery, managed to lap the circuit in 1m07.294s in the dying minutes of the session, outpacing his Mercedes rival by 0.146s.
Frijns’ rookie teammate Nick Cassidy also made a late lunge up the order, his effort of 1m07.449s putting him third ahead of Oliver Rowland, who was the first driver to break into the 1m07s in practice using last season's Nissan powertrain.
Reigning champion Antonio Felix da Costa (DS Techeetah) ended up just over two tenths off the pace in fifth, recovering from a horrific performance in the first of the Diriyah races that left him well outside the points.
Edoardo Mortara was a promising sixth after scoring a podium for Mercedes’ customer Venturi on Friday, ahead of the works car of Stoffel Vandoorne.
But the 34-year-old was involved in a massive crash after the chequered flag was dropped, his Venturi car mysteriously heading straight into the wall at Turn 18 after his practice start on the back straight.
Mortara has been taken away in an ambulance as a precautionary measure but is conscious and talking, and can move both his fingers and toes.
Sebastien Buemi was eighth in the second of the two Nissans, ahead of the Jaguar of Sam Bird and the factory Audi of Lucas di Grassi.
The BMWs of Jake Dennis and Maximilian Gunther finished 12th and 17th respectively, the latter ending up more than a second off the pace, while two-time champion Jean-Eric Vergne could only finish 14th in the second DS Techeetah.
The only red flag of the session was caused by Andre Lotterer, who hit the wall at Turn 11 before coming to a rest at the following corner with visible damage to his Porsche.
Lotterer’s teammate Pascal Wehrlein, who qualified on the front row on Friday, was 18th quickest.
Practice results:
| Cla | # | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 |  Robin Frijns |  Virgin Racing | 1'07.294 | ||
| 2 | 17 | Nyck de Vries | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | 1'07.440 | 0.146 | |
| 3 | 37 |  Nick Cassidy | Virgin Racing | 1'07.449 | 0.155 | |
| 4 | 22 | Oliver Rowland |  DAMS | 1'07.452 | 0.158 | |
| 5 | 13 |  Antonio Felix da Costa |  Techeetah | 1'07.512 | 0.218 | |
| 6 | 48 |  Edoardo Mortara |  Venturi | 1'07.548 | 0.254 | |
| 7 | 5 |  Stoffel Vandoorne | Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team | 1'07.562 | 0.268 | |
| 8 | 23 | Sébastien Buemi | DAMS | 1'07.749 | 0.455 | |
| 9 | 10 | Sam Bird | Jaguar Racing | 1'07.778 | 0.484 | |
| 10 | 11 |  Lucas di Grassi |  Team Abt | 1'07.884 | 0.590 | |
| 11 | 8 | Oliver Turvey | NIO Formula E Team | 1'08.017 | 0.723 | |
| 12 | 27 | Jake Dennis |  Andretti Autosport | 1'08.027 | 0.733 | |
| 13 | 33 | René Rast | Team Abt | 1'08.190 | 0.896 | |
| 14 | 25 | Jean-Eric Vergne | Techeetah | 1'08.191 | 0.897 | |
| 15 | 88 | Tom Blomqvist | NIO Formula E Team | 1'08.250 | 0.956 | |
| 16 | 71 | Norman Nato | Venturi | 1'08.256 | 0.962 | |
| 17 | 28 | Maximilian Gunther | Andretti Autosport | 1'08.318 | 1.024 | |
| 18 | 99 | Pascal Wehrlein | Porsche Team | 1'08.398 | 1.104 | |
| 19 | 94 | Alex Lynn |  Mahindra Racing | 1'08.530 | 1.236 | |
| 20 | 6 | Nico Müller | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | 1'08.603 | 1.309 | |
| 21 | 20 | Mitch Evans | Jaguar Racing | 1'08.653 | 1.359 | |
| 22 | 29 | Alexander Sims | Mahindra Racing | 1'08.843 | 1.549 | |
| 23 | 7 | Sergio Sette Camara | DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT | 1'08.846 | 1.552 | |
| 24 | 36 | Andre Lotterer | Porsche Team | 1'09.801 | 2.507 | |
| View full results | ||||||
Related video
Previous article
Muller blasts FE yellow flag rule after qualifying demotion
Next article
Mercedes not allowed in qualifying after Mortara's crash
About this article
| Series | Formula E |
| Author | Rachit Thukral |
How Vergne and Vandoorne found redemption in Rome
Another Formula E double-header, another double dose of frantic action. While the form guide remains unpredictable following fightback wins for Jean-Eric Vergne and Stoffel Vandoorne in Rome, the speed and consistency of Mercedes – both on and off the track – could have its rivals worried for what is to follow
What Nissan's commitment to Gen3 reveals about Formula E's future
Formula E's Gen3 era grid continues to take shape, after Nissan opted to commit to the series for another four years. Nissan's global chief operating officer explains why it has thrown its lot in with FE while other high-profile marques have decided to call it quits.
Why the new Formula E season got off to such a controversial start
With the new Formula E season belatedly getting underway in Saudi Arabia, the championship appeared to try to make up for lost time with an overspill of action and controversy on and off the track. While some talking points could have serious repercussions, it was an explosive opener for many reasons.
The eight major plotlines to watch in Formula E 2021
The delayed 2020-21 Formula E season gets underway this week with a double-header in Saudi Arabia. The testing times were too close to call a favourite, but that's not the only area of interest to follow as the championship enters a crucial year
Why Formula E's 2021 season will be a crucial litmus test
As off-track politics threatens to overshadow events on it, the upcoming Formula E season is perhaps its most important since the championship's inception. And that's a shame, given that the focus should be on what promises to be its closest title fight yet.
How Mercedes and Porsche can avoid a difficult second FE album
Mercedes and Porsche compete to win and have done so across the board: in Formula 1, sportscars, the Dakar Rally and endurance road races - even working together to break land speed records. Next in the crosshairs is the Formula E teams' championship crown.
What Formula E must do for McLaren to act on its attraction
News that McLaren is formally considering a Formula E move is a much-needed boost for a series that took some punches at the end of 2020. But to allay any doubts that Zak Brown may have, FE must take action on its biggest potential stumbling block
Why BMW and Audi have pulled the plug on Formula E
BMW and Audi shocked the Formula E fraternity by announcing their departures at the end of the 2020-21 season. Overnight, the championship has been dealt something of a "wake-up call" - including questions about its relevance to manufacturers.
