Google+ Jack Leslie F1: Vergne impresses on Formula E debut, despite failing to finish

14 December 2014

Vergne impresses on Formula E debut, despite failing to finish

Just a few weeks after losing his F1 seat at Toro Rosso for 2015, Jean-Eric Vergne was back behind the wheel of a single-seater, competing in round three of the inaugural Formula E season in Uruguay. 
© FIA Formula E
With all of the sessions taking place on Saturday, the Punta del Esta ePrix was a steep learning curve for the Frenchman on his debut in the series. 

He was originally placed in the second Andretti seat, replacing Matthew Brabham. However, with Franck Montagny being forced to miss the event due to illness, the grandson of the late three-time F1 champion Sir Jack Brabham returned to his previous drive alongside Vergne. 

The former British F3 champion was unable to complete much preparation work ahead of his first ePrix, with very little knowledge of the track layout, the characteristics of the car and race strategy. Fortunately, like the previous races, a pre-ePrix shakedown took place on Friday, which gave him a little bit of time to learn the circuit and get a feel for the car. 

The Spark-Renault SRT_01E is a very different beast to tame in comparison to Formula 1 machinery, with less power and more weight. Couple that with the low grip, dusty track conditions, and it was no surprise that we saw so many crashes and spins during practice and qualifying, although Vergne enjoyed a clean morning in Uruguay. 

Despite just two practice sessions and a shakedown run in the car, Vergne managed to put his Andretti machine on pole position – despite qualifying typically being his weakness in F1 - with a 1:15.408. What made his pole lap even more impressive was the fact that he was one of five drivers in the opening qualifying group, meaning the time was set when track conditions were at their worst. 
© FIA Formula E

At 16:00 local time, Vergne – who was awarded FanBoost despite being a late addition to round three - lined up in his grid position for the race start. Largely thanks to his lack of experience in the car, he suffered too much wheelspin and lost the lead to Nelson Piquet Jr on the long run down to the first corner. 

He entered the tight chicane in second place and remained just behind his China Racing rival during the opening 12 laps, which included two safety car periods. With a strong run through turn six, Vergne pulled alongside Piquet Jr on the 13th tour of the Punta del Esta street circuit, braked later for the tight double-apex hairpin of the seventh and eighth corners and re-claimed the lead.

Vergne pitted a few laps later to change cars, but the safety car was deployed shortly after. This cost him time to his rivals, meaning once the pit stop phase was finished, he was running third behind Nick Heidfeld and Sebastien Buemi. That then became second when Heidfeld was given a drive-through. Buemi led Vergne throughout the final stages of the race, with a late safety car providing us with a two-lap sprint to the chequered flag. 

A mistake at the first chicane on the penultimate lap helped the gap between the two former Toro Rosso F1 drivers to close up. Brief contact was made at turn five, causing the lead e.dams-Renault to cut the chicane. However, later in the lap, Vergne’s near-fairytale Formula E debut ended in disaster when suspension failure caused him to stop on track, costing him a potential win or podium finish. 

It was a disappointing end to his first round in the all-electric series, with Buemi going on to win the race. However, he still showed impressive speed and adapted incredibly well to the very different Spark-Renault SRT_01E. 

The race weekend was not only positive for his chances of remaining in Formula E – I think he would be a great permanent addition – but also IndyCar, with Andretti running a team in the series and Vergne recently making it clear that he is considering a switch to the American championship in the future.

No comments: