Practice report
Formula E Punta del Este ePrix
Punta ePrix: Di Grassi tops practice with new track record
Lucas di Grassi set a new Formula E track record in Punta del Este as he topped the second practice session for Audi Sport.
Alex Kalinauckas
Edited: Mar 17, 2018, 4:46 PM
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The reigning champion ended the latter session 0.408s clear of Virgin Racing driver Sam Bird, who just pipped Jaguar’s Mitch Evans to second place.
The top nine spots in the second session were filled by drivers from nine different teams.
Earlier in the day, Renault e.dams driver Sebastien Buemi set the fastest time in FP1, and the 2015/16 champion was one of the first drivers to go for a full power 200k/w effort in the second session.
But the former Toro Rosso Formula 1 driver encountered heavy traffic – a problem that impacted on drivers up and down the field throughout practice – and although he took the top spot, he was quickly shuffled down the order.
Championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne then briefly took first place before NIO driver Oliver Turvey usurped him at the head of the times.
The 30-minute second session was disrupted by a heavy crash for Andretti’s Tom Blomqvist, who clattered a big kerb at the second part of the Turn 10/11 chicane just after he clipped the wall running onto the back straight following the Turns 8 and 9 double left-hander.
The impact on the kerb swung Blomqvist’s car around and he hit the wall hard, destroying the left-rear.
After a six-minute delay, the session resumed to allow the drivers to make their final preparations ahead of qualifying and the race.
Di Grassi seized P1 with a lap of 1m13.672s, but only set a personal best time in the first sector, suggesting he could have gone faster.
Turvey improved his best time but was shuffled down to fourth by the late efforts of Evans and Bird.
Nico Prost jumped up to fifth late on to head Vergne and Edoardo Mortara.
Mortara damaged his car’s survival cell at the second chicane on the track’s return leg, Turn 14/15, during Friday’s shakedown, which necessitated an overnight change.
He was initially hit with a 10-place grid penalty, but had that rescinded by stewards because a “sufficient repair of the chassis is not possible” in Punta del Este.
Nick Heidfeld improved from 13th in FP1 to eighth overall following the second session, with Buemi’s traffic-hit laps meaning his best time from first practice put him ninth in the overall order.
Blomqvist rounded out the top 10 despite his crash, ahead of Virgin’s Alex Lynn.
Luca Filippi was 13th after practice and the NIO driver was reprimanded for his start practice following FP1 – the drivers are required to line up in single file when doing so.
He was then place under investigation during FP2 after allegedly speeding during the red flag.
Nelson Piquet, who spectacularly held an oversteer moment at the final hairpin late on, headed Mexico winner Daniel Abt and Techeetah driver Andre Lotterer in 16th.
Felix Rosenqvist set a purple first sector during a full power effort in FP2, but had to back out of the lap and wound up 20th and last overall, one spot behind his earlier finishing position in first practice.
FP1 results
Pos.#DriverTeamLapsTimeGap 1 9 
Sébastien Buemi 
DAMS 24 1'14.536 2 20 
Mitch Evans 
Jaguar Racing 19 1'14.879 0.343 3 1 
Lucas di Grassi 
Team Abt 26 1'14.941 0.405 4 36 Alex Lynn Virgin Racing 24 1'15.036 0.500 5 25 Jean-Eric Vergne 
Techeetah 27 1'15.098 0.562 6 2 Sam Bird Virgin Racing 24 1'15.129 0.593 7 3 Nelson Piquet Jr. Jaguar Racing 24 1'15.176 0.640 8 16 Oliver Turvey NIO Formula E Team 25 1'15.357 0.821 9 66 Daniel Abt Team Abt 24 1'15.513 0.977 10 8 Nicolas Prost DAMS 24 1'15.584 1.048 11 4 
Edoardo Mortara 
Venturi 27 1'15.626 1.090 12 18 Andre Lotterer Techeetah 25 1'15.635 1.099 13 23 Nick Heidfeld 
Mahindra Racing 22 1'15.876 1.340 14 7 
Jérôme d'Ambrosio 
Dragon Racing 24 1'15.908 1.372 15 5 Maro Engel Venturi 24 1'16.107 1.571 16 28 
Antonio Felix da Costa Andretti Autosport 25 1'16.132 1.596 17 6 
Jose Maria Lopez Dragon Racing 20 1'16.162 1.626 18 27 Tom Blomqvist Andretti Autosport 22 1'16.216 1.680 19 19 
Felix Rosenqvist Mahindra Racing 29 1'16.369 1.833 20 68 Luca Filippi NIO Formula E Team 25 1'16.570 2.034
FP2 results
Pos.#DriverTeamLapsTimeGap 1 1 Lucas di Grassi Team Abt 13 1'13.672 2 2 Sam Bird Virgin Racing 14 1'14.080 0.408 3 20 Mitch Evans Jaguar Racing 14 1'14.135 0.463 4 16 Oliver Turvey NIO Formula E Team 13 1'14.267 0.595 5 8 Nicolas Prost DAMS 12 1'14.270 0.598 6 25 Jean-Eric Vergne Techeetah 9 1'14.400 0.728 7 4 Edoardo Mortara Venturi 15 1'14.408 0.736 8 23 Nick Heidfeld Mahindra Racing 12 1'14.504 0.832 9 27 Tom Blomqvist Andretti Autosport 13 1'14.536 0.864 10 36 Alex Lynn Virgin Racing 14 1'14.602 0.930 11 9 Sébastien Buemi DAMS 11 1'14.679 1.007 12 28 Antonio Felix da Costa Andretti Autosport 10 1'14.868 1.196 13 68 Luca Filippi NIO Formula E Team 13 1'15.042 1.370 14 7 Jérôme d'Ambrosio Dragon Racing 11 1'15.070 1.398 15 5 Maro Engel Venturi 17 1'15.071 1.399 16 3 Nelson Piquet Jr. Jaguar Racing 13 1'15.170 1.498 17 66 Daniel Abt Team Abt 13 1'15.624 1.952 18 18 Andre Lotterer Techeetah 10 1'15.700 2.028 19 6 Jose Maria Lopez Dragon Racing 12 1'15.712 2.040 20 19 Felix Rosenqvist Mahindra Racing 14 1'15.859 2.187
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