A surprising qualifying session for the first or two London ePrix races finished with Nico Prost grab pole position and Bruno Senna in second.
The red flag was brought out three times for separate incidents, while we also saw rain affect the qualifying of Drivers’ Championship contenders Lucas di Grassi and Sebastien Buemi. The Brazilian was able to beat his rival and will start the race ahead.
Group One
Nico Prost, Renault e.dams
Robin Frijns, Andretti Formula E
Ma Qing Hua, Team Aguri
Jean-Eric Vergne, DS Virgin Racing
All four drivers came out of the pits close to each other, although it wasn’t close in terms of times. Prost carried on the impressive performance that he showed during the practice sessions, and was able to set a 1:23.247 lap time.
Ma Qing Hua brought out the yellow flags when he went too deep, and not long later DS Virgin’s Jean-Eric Vergne hit the wall and brought out the red flag. Robin Frijns was affected as the session was stopped just before he was able to finish his flying lap, even though the accident happened behind him.
However the group one session was extended to allow just Frijns to set another lap. He was 0.5 seconds down after the first sector, and finished his lap 1.1 seconds slower than Prost to finish second, narrowly missing a squirrel that ran onto the track.
Group Two
Bruno Senna, Mahindra Racing
Oliver Turvey, NEXTEV TCR
Stephane Sarrazin, Venturi
Simona de Silvestro, Andretti Formula E
The rain was fast approaching, but the four drivers in Group Two didn’t go straight to a full power lap. Simona de Silvestro span at Turn 3 but was able to get going again.
Bruno Senna locked his brakes going into Turn 3 and nearly crashed into the barrier, but was somehow able to keep the car safe. He was able to go third fastest after Oliver Turvey set a time good enough for second overall.
The red flags were brought out again when Stephane Sarrazin crashed at the Turn 11 chicane. Like her Andretti teammate Silvestro didn’t get a fast time beforehand, but the rain had started to fall before she was able to get out again, and she span going into Turn 3 when the session was resumed.
Group Three
Loic Duval, Dragon Racing
Jerome D’Ambrosio, Dragon Racing
Sebastien Buemi, Renault e.dams
Lucas di Grassi, ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport
Antonio Felix da Costa, Team Aguri
The rain had come down and the track was wet before the third group started, scuppering any chance of the two championship contenders getting into the Super Pole group. The laps still mattered.
Loic Duval was the best of the group, but what matters to the championship is Lucas di Grassi finished ahead of his rival. Both Jerome d’Ambrosio and Ma will be between the two, while Antonio Felix da Costa couldn’t get in front of Buemi.
Group Four
Sam Bird, DS Virgin Racing
Nelson Piquet Jr, NEXTEV TCR
Daniel Abt, ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport
Mike Conway, Venturi
Nick Heidfeld, Mahindra Racing
The red flags were brought out for a third time during qualifying. Mike Conway went deep into the run-off area but hit the wall when attempting to spin around. He was the only driver not allowed to restart.
Sam Bird went onto his full power lap straight away while Daniel Abt went at 170kw. Abt did a great job to go seventh, while Bird went even faster go to sixth. Nelson Piquet Jr. wasn’t able to run again whilst Abt was able to go quicker than Bird on his full power lap. Nick Heidfeld, who was the only other driver left to run, was only able to go quick enough to start eighth.
Super Pole
Bruno Senna, Mahindra Racing
Nico Prost, Renault e.dams
Robin Frijns, Andretti Formula E
Oliver Turvey, NEXTEV TCR
Vergne was quick enough to be the fifth fastest driver, but wasn’t able to take part in the Super Pole group after crashing during his qualifying session.
Frijns was the first driver out, nearly spinning the car when exiting the pit lane. He was very wobbly going into Turn 1 on his fast lap, knowing at worst he will start fourth, and was able to set a 1:29.5 lap time. Senna was able to go nearly two seconds faster, ensuring his best ever qualifying attempt for a Formula E race.
Turvey was next, with the chance to make sure a Brit was on the front row for the London ePrix. He was only able to put in a lap fast enough for second place, meaning Senna would start on the front row.
It was all down to Buemi’s teammate Nico Prost, out on the last qualifying lap of the day. He locked up going into the final corner but was able to keep it out of the barrier, and even with that he was four tenths faster in the first sector. He went over the line to set a time of 1:27.192, half a second faster than Senna, and gains three valuable points for Renault e.dams in the Teams’ Championship.
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