After eight thrilling rounds of racing, the 2015/16 Formula E season draws to a close with this weekend’s London ePrix. For the second year in a row, we are set for a dramatic season finale which will decide who will be crowned the second ever Formula E champion.
The titanic battle will be fought by the two drivers who narrowly missed out on the title last year, and they have easily been the best of the field this season. With six victories and 281 points between them, it’s been clear for some time that one of these two drivers would take home the Drivers’ Championship.
With just a solitary point separating Brazilian Lucas Di Grassi and Frenchman Sebastien Buemi, it’s nearly impossible to predict which driver will emerge victorious.
Sebastien Buemi missed out on the first ever Formula E championship by a single point to Nelson Piquet Jr, but came back fighting when season two got underway last October.
The only person who got within a second of Buemi during qualifying for the Beijing ePrix was his teammate Nico Prost, highlighting the sheer strength of the Renault e.dams machine.
He went on to lead every lap, winning his fourth Formula E race by 11 seconds from his nearest challenger Di Grassi. However, Buemi came crashing back down in Putrajaya when he suffered a mechanical issue when leading the race, handing the win and championship lead to the Brazilian.
The 27-year-old came back fighting in Punta del Este as he came from fifth on the grid to win his second race of the season ahead of the ever consistent Di Grassi. Buemi took back the championship lead from his rival, and the duo were 33 points ahead of Loic Duval in third after just three rounds of racing.
At the next round in Argentina, Buemi drove one of the best races of his life to come from 18th on the grid to finish second, narrowly missing out on the win thanks to some brilliant defending from Sam Bird.
This should have brought the Brit into the Drivers’ Championship battle, but over the next four races Bird failed to finish inside the top five after a number of errors, for example in Paris and Long Beach. At the Berlin ePrix he was shown the black and orange flag by the stewards, forcing him to pit to fix the damage sustained to his DS Virgin car.
Mexico was a major turning point in the season, the fifth round of the season saw Di Grassi take what would have been his second victory of the season. However he was later disqualified from the race for the second time in his Formula E career due to a technical infringement. The decision moved Buemi up to second place in that race.
Buemi’s championship advantage stretched to 22 points leaving Mexico City, but everything changed at Long Beach. The former Toro Rosso driver crashed into the back of Robin Frijns while his rival took the victory and jumped into the lead of the Drivers’ Championship.
At the Renault team’s home event in Paris, Buemi qualified down in eighth place whilst Di Grassi started from the front row. He won the race and extended his championship lead to eleven points as the field headed to the penultimate weekend of the season two.
Buemi hit back in Berlin, winning the race ahead of the Abt Schaeffler teammates, who had their own team order related drama that arguably cost the Brazilian an extra three points. All of this meant Buemi closed the gap to Di Grassi to just one point, setting up a mouthwatering finale in London.
At last year’s London ePrix, Buemi made a mistake in the second race that cost him the Drivers’ Championship, and he’s made too many errors in qualifying this year. Buemi dominated Di Grassi at Battersea Park last year, and he just needs to grab pole position for both races and control the tempo from there. The Swiss driver has got the car to do it, but he just needs to minimise the silly mistakes and over-ambitious overtakes.
On the other side, Di Grassi needs to maintain his great consistency and incredible ability to cut through the field in the race. The recent resurgence of his German teammate could play a crucial part in helping the Brazilian win the championship, but he needs to improve his qualifying form if he wants to become the second ever Formula E champion.
Can Di Grassi win his first ever FIA Formula E Drivers’ Championship? Or will Buemi add the title to his collection that includes the 2014 World Endurance Championship? Vote on who you think will join Nelson Piquet Jr. on Sunday below.
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