Formula E: Paris ePrix Preview

The Formula E championship enters its second half of what has been an enthralling season in France this weekend.The first 7 races so far have given us 7 different winners all from different teams so just what should we be looking out for in round number 8.

Dominant Paris trio look to bounce back

Since it was first introduced to the calendar back in 2016, the Paris ePrix has seen 3 drivers excel above the rest around the French capital. Lucas Di Grassi, Jean-Eric Vergne and Sebastian Buemi have all taken a victory in Paris and all have stood on the podium twice in the 3 years the race has run.

Of the trio we must look at the Nissan e.dams driver as having the best chance of success this weekend. Buemi currently lies 13th in the championship standings, this means he will get to run in qualifying group 3 giving him a huge grip advantage in the group stages of qualifying over the likes of Di Grassi and Vergne as the track starts to grip up. Di Grassi will run in group 1 and Vernge group 2.

Can Sam Bird have a clean race?

After the Hong Kong ePrix no-one would have blamed you for thinking Sam Bird looked like a title favourite based on the opening 5 rounds.

The Audi based Virgin took a couple of races to find its feet but once it did Bird looked formidable. He always looked like the fastest guy in Santiago and even without Buemi crashing out it looked as if he would find a way past. He was unlucky in qualifying in Mexico but, he put on a brilliant display to fight up to 9th place and bag 2 points at a circuit that is notoriously difficult to overtake at. Then Hong Kong.

Now in Hong Kong Sam again did look like the fastest driver on circuit that day and was harrying the back of Andre Lotterer’s Techeetah for the majority of the race. Now whereas someone like Lucas Di Grassi probably would have accepted 2nd place and a large haul of points when looking at the aggressive defensive driving of Lotterer, Sam was again his own worst enemy. Instead of settling for what he had and looking at the big picture in the championship, he would go for a bold move up the inside on the 2nd last lap. Lotterer instinctively moved across and contact was made. Bird was able to continue and cross the line in first but Andre Lotterer would suffer a rear-right puncture and ultimately score no points.

Post-race Sam Bird received a time penalty for his part in the incident and dropped to 6th place.

In the two rounds following incidents with Stoffel Vandoorne and Jose Maria Lopez have seen Bird retire or finish outside the points. Sam now sits only 8th in the championship, albeit only 11 points off of Jerome d’Ambrosio in 1st.

Will GEOX Dragon ever live up to its potential?

Off all the stories this season in the Formula E championship, the one that I simply cannot get my head around is the fact that the Dragon team sit last in the standings with only 2 points.
As much as there has been a couple of issues with the car, Dragon will surely be looking to their drivers to step it up and bring home the points.

Jose Maria Lopez has looked lightning quick at points this season but his inability to keep up the pace for a full 45 minutes is evident. Needless to say that we can all still remember him binning it into the wall while in contention for a podium back in Ad-Diryah.

8 from 8?

Normally the suggestion of 8 different winners in the first 8 races of a season in any motorsport series seems fairly preposterous. However due to the nature of the Formula E championship this is a very real prospect that we are facing this weekend.

What’s even more absurd is  that we shouldn’t be completely surprised if we see an 8th different team take honours in Paris.

Nissan and Dragon both have very capable cars which, courtesy of the reverse championship qualifying system, have a great opportunity to qualify high up the order in Paris. Both teams sorely need to register a first victory of the season with Nissan in particular under pressure.

What’s more there is the long list of star studded drivers who are still to register a win this season. Buemi and Lopez I’ve already mentioned but then you’ve got Felipe Massa, Stoffel Vandoorne, Oliver Rowland, Pascal Wehrlein and Daniel Abt to name but a few. All are eager, for one reason or another, to make their mark on this year’s championship.

Follow it live on Motorsport.Radio

For the first time this season you will be able to listen to live coverage of the Formula E championship on Motorsport.Radio. Tune in at 10:40 am to follow the Paris ePrix live.