Vergne Secures Pole for Formula E’s Shanghai Debut
Shanghai, China
In an exciting qualifying session for the Formula E Shanghai E-Prix, Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Penske) set the fastest time of 1m13.322s, securing his first pole position since the Diriyah round earlier this year.
Vergne set a blistering opening sector, marginally losing time to Nissan’s Oliver Rowland in the final two sectors. However, his impressive lap time was enough to claim the top spot on the grid for the inaugural Formula E race at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Jaguar’s Mitch Evans narrowly missed out on a spot in the final duel, finishing just 0.001s behind Rowland, who posted a 1m13.358s – the overall fastest time from the qualifying session.
Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein made a small mistake in the final sector, costing him a chance to challenge Vergne in the semi-finals. Wehrlein had advanced after posting the quickest time in the quarter-final duel stage with a 1m13.449s, edging out McLaren’s Jake Hughes by just 0.034s.
Antonio Felix da Costa of Porsche missed out on progressing by a mere 0.006s against Vergne, despite the Frenchman losing more than two tenths in the final sector due to a snap of oversteer through Turn 8.
Rowland went on to best Andretti’s Norman Nato, while Evans advanced at the expense of the second DS Penske of Stoffel Vandoorne. Championship leader Nick Cassidy narrowly missed out on a spot in the duels, as less than three tenths covered the top 11 drivers in the opening qualifying group.
The Formula E Shanghai E-Prix, the first-ever visit of the all-electric racing series to the city, is set to take place on (Date). Vergne’s pole position puts him in a strong position to claim his second victory of the season and close the gap to the championship leaders.
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