Formula E Putrajaya: Di Grassi wins chaotic race

Lucas di Grassi came on top in a chaotic Putrajaya ePrix to win the second round of the 2015/16 FIA Formula E Championship. The race came to its head during the closing stages, with Sam Bird and Robin Frijns completing a surprise podium.

Di Grassi started the race from sixth place and went up a gear after the mandatory car switchover, overtaking Antonio Felix da Costa and Nicolas Prost in quick succession to take the lead.

While the Brazilian cruised at the front of the field, the rear drama unfolded behind him. The two Dragon Racing cars of Jerome D’Amborsio and Loic Duval crashed into the barriers, bringing rivals into play.

Bird was the biggest beneficiary, moving up to second place in his DS Virgin. More miraculously, Frijns finished on the rostrum, having had to nurse an ailing car in the final few laps of the race.

Behind the trio, Stephane Sarrazin finished fourth, despite stalling on the grid and starting from the pitlane.

Meanwhile, Bruno Senna and Nick Heidfeld scored a double points finish for Mahindra Racing despite their own share of problems. Senna reported a malfunctioning team radio but managed to finish fifth, while Heidfeld recovered from a drive through penalty and a lap 1 spin to take ninth at the chequered flag.

Antonio Felix da Costa was in contention for the podium, but his car ground to a halt on track with electrical problems. However, the Aguri driver managed to restart his car, eventually finishing sixth.

Daniel Abt was classified seventh in the second Audi ABT entry, despite a lengthy pitstop which initially dropped him to the rear of the field.

Nelson Piquet Jr climbed his way to ninth place, demonstrating his energy saving skills that played a crucial role in him winning the inaugural Formula  E title.

It was a race of what could have been for Renault e.Dams as both their drivers ran into technical problems. Sebastien Buemi was comfortably leading from pole position before stopping on lap 15 with software gremlins. Buemi managed to restart his car and return to the pits, but the early stop meant that the second half of the race was heavily compromised with the need to save energy.

After all the drama, Prost salvaged the final points scoring position while Buemi finished 12th, after another software-related stoppage slowed his recovery.

2015/16 Formula E Putrajaya ePrix - Race Results (Top 10)

1. Lucas di Grassi (ABT Audi Sport)
2. Sam Bird (DS Virgin) +13.884
3. Robin Frijns (Andretti) +29.776
4. Stephane Sarrazin (Venturi) +32.628
5. Bruno Senna (Mahindra) +34.404
6. Antonio Felix da Costa (Aguri) +36.925
7. Daniel Abt (ABT Audi Sport) +37.283
8. Nelson Piquet Jr (NEXTEV TCR) +40.623
9. Nick Heidfeld (Mahindra) +52.904
10. Nicolas Prost (Renault e.Dams) +53.695