Edoardo Mortara inherits a maiden Formula E victory, after Sam Bird has been stripped of his Hong Kong E-Prix win for the penultimate lap contact with Andre Lotterer.
After having been passed by Lotterer for the lead early in the race, Bird hounded the DS Techeetah driver in what was a nearly a race-long battle for victory.
On the penultimate lap, Bird attempted to pass Lotterer on the inside at the tight 90-degree Turn 2. Lotterer covered the inside and Bird’s nose made contact with the DS Techeetah’s right-rear wheel, causing a puncture.
Lotterer crawled across the line last of the finishers, while Bird claimed his second win of the 2018/19 season and earned the championship lead.
Four hours after the end of the race, the stewards have handed Bird a five-second time penalty for causing the collision, demoting him to sixth.
Having successfully defended second place from Lucas di Grassi in the closing stages, Mortara has now been promoted to first to claim his maiden FE win at the same circuit at which he spun out of the lead late-on during the 2017/18 season-opener.
Di Grassi has been promoted to second, while Bird’s Envision Virgin Racing team-mate Robin Frijns rounds out the podium.
These new results remain provisional while further appeals and discussions are believed to be ongoing.
Despite the penalty, Bird retains the lead in the championship but is now only one point ahead of Mahindra’s Jerome d’Ambrosio, who entered the weekend at the top of the standings.
Di Grassi and Mortara are tied for third in the standings, just two points behind Bird.
