MAHINDRA RACING SECOND IN DRIVERS AND THIRD IN TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP DESPITE RETIREMENT IN HONG KONG
10 MARCH 2019, HONG KONG – Round five of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship took place in Hong Kong today, marking 50 races of the all-electric street racing series. After a difficult day for the team, which saw both drivers forced into early retirement, Mahindra Racing leaves the first of two Asian rounds still in a strong position in both the driver and team championships.
After a heavy downpour just before the start of qualifying, Jérôme D’Ambrosio and Pascal Wehrlein headed out on a very wet track in Group 1. In challenging conditions, Pascal and Jérôme set their qualifying laps but, with conditions slightly improving throughout the group stages, they were forced to start on the 11th row of the grid.
With an unpredictable season so far, and the weather shaking things up in Hong Kong, both drivers had everything to play for when the lights went green and both cars had a clean start. Unfortunately, GEOX Dragon’s Felipe Nasr hit the wall on the second lap in the second corner, leaving nowhere for Pascal or Jérôme to go. Unable to avoid contact, the #64 and #94 cars were forced into early retirement.
Despite a disappointing end to the Hong Kong E-Prix Mahindra Racing are placed third in the team’s championship, with 83 points, while Jérôme is second in the driver’s battle on 53 points.
The sixth round of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship takes place on Saturday 23 March in Sanya, China.