Audi Sport ABT’s Lucas di Grassi took first place in the first-ever Formula E race at the weekend, after Nicolas Prost and Nick Heidfeld crashed spectacularly in a battle for the lead going into the last corner.
Saturday marked the beginning of the brand new, fully-electric racing series Formula E and Lucas di Grassi made history by winning the first-ever race.
The race ended in a shocking crash that saw a collision between Heidfeld and Prost. Nick Heidfeld, in Venturi’s electric car, was flung into the air and against the tyre barrier, fortunately he walked away unscathed.
Heidfeld said: “I thought it was going to be a very big crash as well. Once I hit the kerb it felt like I was in the air forever. I closed my eyes and waited for the impact and then I thought ‘Oh that was lucky!’ I have a small pain in my calf but apart from that I’m perfectly fine.”
Di Grassi took full advantage of the incident and claimed the full 25 points to lead the championship after the first race. Frenchman Franck Montagny (Andretti Autosport) took second place, with Britain’s Sam Bird (Virgin Racing) taking the last place on the podium in third.
Winner, di Grassi said: “Firstly, I’m happy Nick [Heidfeld] is ok and it shows how safe these cars are. To win the race is like a dream come true. I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time. The team did a great job all through practice and qualifying, yes we made a few mistakes but overall I’m extremely happy to be the first ever winner of a Formula E race.”
Other than the crash, the main talking point was Bruno Senna’s retirement in the opening lap. The Brazilian broke his left-front suspension after being squeezed between two Amlin Aguri cars.
The next race is to take place in Putrajaya, Malaysia on the 22nd November 2014.
Watch highlights of the Beijing contest:
FIA Formula E
