Formula E Hot News

Formula E: Sebatien Buemi tops opening practice in Sao Paulo

Posted by AR1 staff

–by Mark Cipolloni–

Envision’s Sebastien Buemi turned the fastest lap in practice 1 for the Sao Paulo e-Prix with a seriously quick time of 1.12m341s.

Two-tenths separated the quickest 17 drivers as they prepare for race day tomorrow in Sao Paulo.

Buemi, who has shown great speed throughout Season 9 so far and achieved the Julius Baer Pole Position in Diriyah for the second round, remained quickest at the end of the session. However, Buemi and his teammate Nick Cassidy were reprimanded for an indiscretion with their tyre pressures during FP1, along with ABT CUPRA’s Robin Frijns.

Behind Buemi is the Nissan of Sacha Fenestraz, Formula E’s latest polesitter – and holder of Formula E’s fastest ever competitive lap. Desperate for redemption, after a last lap tangle with Cassidy in Cape Town took Fenestraz out of the race and lost him a likely first podium result, this early pace is promising for the Nissan team.

NIO 333’s Dan Ticktum rounded out the top three, just 0.123s off the time of Buemi. With both NIO drivers, including this weekend’s home hero Sergio Sette Camara, getting great results at the two newest circuits on the calendar, they’ll be hoping his inaugural Sao Paulo race will see a repeat of their previous successes.

Reigning champion Stoffel Vandoorne slotted fourth, with Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans in fifth. The NEOM McLaren duo of Rene Rast and Jake Hughes finished sixth and seventh, respectively, with Maximilian Guenther popping his Maserati MSG Racing into eighth. Brazilians Lucas di Grassi (Mahindra Racing) and Sette Camara rounded the top ten.

All 22 drivers quickly locked in laps on the new 2.933km circuit at the Sambadrome. A few brief yellow flags were issued as the grid found the limits of this bumpy track surface, with the likes of DS PENSKE’s Jean-Eric Vergne seen riding the kerbs.

Cars were getting airborne on the washboard street circuit.

Practice 1 Results

Pos No. Driver Team Time Behind Gap
1 16 S. Buemi Envision 1:12.341 0.000 0.000
2 23 S. Fenestraz Nissan 1:12.453 0.112 0.112
3 33 D. Ticktum Nio 1:12.464 0.123 0.011
4 1 S. Vandoorne Penske 1:12.471 0.130 0.007
5 9 M. Evans Jaguar 1:12.481 0.140 0.010
6 58 R. Rast McLaren 1:12.533 0.192 0.052
7 5 J. Hughes McLaren 1:12.579 0.238 0.046
8 7 M. Günther Maserati 1:12.674 0.333 0.095
9 11 L. Di Grassi Mahindra 1:12.740 0.399 0.066
10 3 S. Sette Câmara Nio 1:12.782 0.441 0.042
11 27 J. Dennis Andretti 1:12.824 0.483 0.042
12 94 P. Wehrlein Porsche 1:12.850 0.509 0.026
13 10 S. Bird Jaguar 1:12.897 0.556 0.047
14 48 E. Mortara Maserati 1:12.911 0.570 0.014
15 25 J. Vergne Penske 1:13.092 0.751 0.181
16 17 N. Nato Nissan 1:13.235 0.894 0.143
17 13 A. Da Costa Porsche 1:13.427 1.086 0.192
18 8 O. Rowland Mahindra 1:13.717 1.376 0.290
19 51 N. Müller Abt 1:13.740 1.399 0.023
20 36 A. Lotterer Andretti 1:13.751 1.410 0.011
21 37 N. Cassidy Envision 1:14.317 1.976 0.566
22 4 R. Frijns Abt 1:14.598 2.257 0.281