The second day of the Formula E season opening doubleheader in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia saw plenty of surprises that knocked leading contenders out of the action while elevating BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver Alexander Sims to the top podium spot.
photo © FIA Formula E
In the lead for much of Friday’s opening race but dropping back in the pack as Sam Bird made his way to the front, Sims returned today without hesitation, grabbing the frontrunner spot and sticking to it throughout the race.
“That was pretty much a dream race! We executed everything really well and we made the right decisions at the right time,” observed Sims. “The team have put a lot of effort in and to deliver a win now… it’s really cool.”
Teammate Maximilian Guenther crossed the finished right behind Sims’ but lost his place on the podium after the race when FIA stewards handed him a 24-second time penalty and two penalty points for overtaking a car while drivers were required to fall in place behind the safety car. With that, Lucas di Grassi from Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler moved up to second and Stoffel Vandoome from Mercedes-Benz nabbed third place.
RACE RESULTS
| 1 | Alexander Sims | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | 46:48.327s | (28) |
| 2 | Lucas di Grassi | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | +2.817s | (18) |
| 3 | Stoffel Vandoorne | Mercedes-Benz EQ | +3.581s | (15) |
| 4 | Edoardo Mortara | ROKiT Venturi Racing | +4.294s | (12) |
| 5 | Oliver Rowland | Nissan e.dams | +5.475s | (10) |
| 6 | Daniel Abt | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | +16.942s | (8) |
| 7 | James Calado | Panasonic Jaguar Racing | +17.221s | (6) |
| 8 | Jean-Eric Vergne | DS TECHEETAH | +19.394s | (4) |
| 9 | Brendon Hartley | GEOX DRAGON | +20.702s | (2) |
| 10 | Antonio Felix da Costa | DS TECHEETAH | +22.634s | (2) |
| 11 | Maximilian Guenther | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | +25.383s | |
| 12 | Sebastien Buemi | Nissan e.dams | +26.291s | |
| 13 | Neel Jani | TAG Heuer Porsche | +27.493s | |
| 14 | Andre Lotterer | TAG Heuer Porsche | +29.046s | |
| 15 | Pascal Wehrlein | Mahindra Racing | +35.290s | |
| 16 | Nyck de Vries | Mercedes-Benz EQ | +36.318s | |
| 17 | Felipe Massa | ROKiT Venturi Racing | +45.758s | |
| 18 | Mitch Evans | Panasonic Jaguar Racing | +1:01.105s | |
| 19 | Ma Qing Hua | NIO 333 | +1:28.165s | |
| DNF | Nico Mueller | GEOX DRAGON | 28 Laps | |
| DNF | Robin Frijns | Envision Virgin Racing | 18 Laps | |
| DNF | Sam Bird | Envision Virgin Racing | 13 Laps | |
| DNF | Jerome D’Ambrosio | Mahindra Racing | ||
| DSQ | Oliver Turvey | NIO 333 |
