Vergne beats Rowland at Monaco

JEV ENDS THE STREAK, THE TITLE HUNT BEGINS

Monaco

"As a driver, it's always the place you dream to be," said DS Techeetah's Jean-Eric Vergne moments after clinching his second win of the season in the Monaco harborfront. I've never had a podium here in Monaco…I remember all the legends that have been on this podium and all the hard times I had in Formula One, so to be here to today feels very special to me."

With two wins to his name, the Frenchman breaks the record streak of eight different winners in eight races, shooting to the top of the standings where he sits five points ahead of his teammate Andre Lotterer (the voestalpine European races leader) in second. Despite the two wins and a total of 87 points, the DS Techeetah driver is far from complacent.

"Nothing will be stable until the end of the year – it's the way this Championship is. It's going to be extremely tough until the end of the season. It's the best situation to be in but it's not a comfortable situation.

"I'm the best example of how much can change in this championship is. I arrived here sixth in the standing and I leave Monaco as the leader – nothing is guaranteed in Formula E."

With only 33 points separating the top ten drivers and less than a second separating all 22 cars in Qualifying, it's all still to play for as the Championship rolls into Berlin on May 25. With the record spell of unpredictability broken, watch out as title hunt starts to step up towards the season finale in New York City.

"I never had a doubt about what I could do," says Venturi's Felipe Massa, clearly emotional but relieved at securing his first Formula E podium finish in Venturi's home race here in Monaco.

"The clean race we had is very important for us. I could have had a podium before this race but unfortunately something always happened."

After an uneventful start to the season, Massa's win in Monaco follows on the success of his teammate Edoardo Mortara after he inherited the win in Hong Kong. Despite being one of the smallest teams in the championship, underdogs Venturi have shown promise this season as the squad aims to improve on its seventh place finish last season.

"I remember passing by the grandstands during the race and hearing my kids shout for me – it was incredible. At the end of the podium, Gildo Pastor, our team boss, was crying and thanking me for doing this for us here in Monaco. After everything that he's been through, I think this kind of thing gives even more. It brings a great deal of happiness to all of us in the team."

"I'm still surprised," says Nissan e.dams Oliver Rowland after claiming his second podium in his short Formula E career. With two podiums and three pole positions to his name, Rowland sits ninth in the championship standings with 59 points – just 28 points adrift of championship leader Jean-Eric Vergne.

"If I'm honest, each time I arrive, I think I'd better keep it. It's quite a lot of pressure to keep coming and performing. I've got a lot of respect for my teammate – he's taught me an awful lot.

"We push each other on – at the start of the season, I was nowhere near him but then I made a big step because I learnt from him. I'm sure he's going to take the things that I'm doing differently and take them into his locker room as well."

In relation to his teammate Sebastien Buemi, who was the only Formula E driver to win in Monaco until today, Rowland is four places ahead of his seasoned Formula E mentor. If the British drivers form continues, there's a chance he could be in a favorable position for when the final comes around in New York City.