Sam Bird Conquers Scorching Santiago E-Prix in Thrilling Race of Attrition
The Santiago E-Prix delivered an unforgettable spectacle of electric racing, with Sam Bird clinching his eighth career Formula E victory amidst punishing temperatures and a string of dramatic incidents. The Virgin Racing driver masterfully navigated the challenging conditions, inheriting the lead after a crucial error from polesitter Sébastien Buemi and then fending off relentless pressure from the impressive Pascal Wehrlein, who truly shone in only his second appearance in the series.
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The Chilean capital played host to what was officially declared Formula E’s hottest race on record. Track temperatures soared well above 38 degrees Celsius, creating an extreme environment that pushed the limits of every component – from battery and brake systems to tyre degradation. Drivers, wrestling 900kg electric cars without the benefit of Formula One’s power steering on an increasingly dusty and crumbling track surface, faced an immense physical and mental challenge throughout the 45-minute sprint.
Qualifying Drama: Di Grassi’s Disqualification Paves Way for Buemi Pole
The drama began even before the race itself, during a highly contentious qualifying session. Lucas di Grassi initially appeared to dominate, setting a blistering pace that was an extraordinary 0.6 seconds quicker than his nearest rival. However, the celebrations were short-lived as the Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler driver was found to have infringed new brake safety regulations during his in-lap from group qualifying. This new rule was a direct consequence of an incident at the previous round where Tom Dillmann, unable to stop effectively in the pit lane, damaged both Virgin Racing cars.
Following that event, Formula E’s brake manufacturers stipulated a critical safety measure: drivers were prohibited from braking more aggressively on their in-lap than they did during their 250kW qualifying lap. Di Grassi’s data revealed a breach of this precise regulation, leading to his disqualification from all qualifying sessions. This severe penalty relegated him to the very last position on the grid, a devastating blow for a driver of his caliber. The unfortunate turn of events effectively handed pole position to Nissan e.dams driver Sébastien Buemi, setting the stage for an unpredictable race.
The Green Flag: Early Laps and Strategic Attack Mode Deployments
As the lights went out, all 22 cars remarkably made it through the notoriously tight and dusty first lap unscathed, a testament to the drivers’ skill despite the challenging conditions. Race leader Buemi made a clean getaway, holding off the initial charge from the pack. However, the relentless nature of Formula E quickly manifested when, with 43 minutes remaining, Tom Dillmann brought out a brief full course yellow flag period after stopping on track. Fortunately, he was able to recycle his car’s systems and rejoin the race after a short delay, avoiding a full Safety Car.
Buemi, keen to establish a decisive lead, was the first of the front-runners to activate his ‘Attack Mode’ with 39 minutes left on the clock. This strategic power boost required drivers to take an alternative, wider line through the activation zone located on the outside of Turn 3, temporarily losing track position before benefiting from increased power. Each driver was mandated to use two four-minute activations during the race. Buemi’s initial lead was sufficient to ensure he emerged ahead of Mahindra Racing’s Pascal Wehrlein after his first activation. Sam Bird, running in a strong third, also strategically deployed his extra power mode, using it to aggressively challenge the rookie Wehrlein and stake his claim for a podium finish.
Chaos Unfolds: Incidents and Retirements Shake Up the Field
The mid-race phase saw a dramatic shift in the race narrative. With 34 minutes remaining, André Lotterer instigated a controversial chain reaction at the hairpin turn. The Techeetah driver appeared to nose Antonio Félix da Costa into his own reigning champion teammate, Jean-Éric Vergne. This contact sent Vergne spinning, ultimately forcing the defending champion to retire from the race with significant damage to his car – a major blow to his championship aspirations and a moment of internal team friction.
Amidst this unfolding drama, Sam Bird executed a superb, clean overtake on Pascal Wehrlein with 33 minutes left to race. This move was particularly impressive as Wehrlein himself had activated his Attack Mode, highlighting Bird’s superior race craft. However, the intense battle between Bird and Wehrlein had inadvertently allowed Sébastien Buemi to extend his lead significantly, giving him a comfortable buffer at the front.
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Mid-Race Standings (30 minutes remaining)
| Position | Driver | Team | Attack Mode remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastien Buemi | Nissan e.Dams | 1 |
| 2 | Sam Bird | Virgin | 1 |
| 3 | Pascal Wehrlein | Mahindra | 1 |
| 4 | Daniel Abt | Audi | 1 |
| 5 | Edoardo Mortara | Venturi | 2 |
| 6 | Stoffel Vandoorne | HWA | 2 |
| 7 | Alexander Sims | BMWi Andretti | 1 |
| 8 | Maximilian Gunther | Dragon | 1 |
| 9 | Oliver Rowland | Nissan e.Dams | 2 |
| 10 | Robin Frijns | Virgin | 1 |
The attrition continued shortly after, with Maximilian Günther, who had been running strongly in eighth position, stopping on track just past the hairpin with 29 minutes remaining. Unlike Dillmann earlier, Günther was unable to restart his Dragon Racing car, forcing him to retire and prompting another full course yellow period that saw cars circulate at reduced speed for several minutes, further complicating race strategies.
Track Degradation and Bizarre Spins: A Challenging Mid-Race Phase
Just before the full course yellow for Günther’s stricken car, a controversial incident unfolded involving Edoardo Mortara and Alexander Sims. Allegedly, the two drivers collided in a strange spin that left Mortara facing the wrong way on track, allowing Sims and Stoffel Vandoorne to move up into fifth and sixth positions respectively. This incident would later become a focal point of post-race investigations.
By this point, the extreme track temperatures, particularly on the asphalt elements of the circuit, had reached critical levels. Combined with the immense lateral G-forces exerted by the Formula E cars after hours of running, the track surface itself began to disintegrate. The already dusty Tarmac was visibly ‘marbling,’ shedding large chunks of road surface both off and, alarmingly, onto the racing line. As a direct consequence of this unprecedented track degradation, a series of seemingly bizarre and unpredictable spins began to occur, as drivers struggled heroically to maintain control on the treacherous surface.
José María López was one such victim, suffering a spin at the hairpin even under the yellow flag conditions for Günther’s car. Adding to the chaos, André Lotterer was attempting an aggressive overtake on Lucas di Grassi – an incident for which he would later be investigated – at precisely the same time, despite the yellow flags. Lotterer’s maneuver forced López slightly off-line and directly into the treacherous ‘marbled’ section of the track, triggering his spin and highlighting the increasingly dangerous conditions.
Dramatic Turn of Events: Buemi’s Crash and Bird Inherits the Lead
The race briefly restarted with 22 minutes remaining, and Sam Bird immediately went on the offensive, aggressively challenging Sébastien Buemi for the lead. However, the respite was short-lived. The full course yellow flags were deployed again with just under 20 minutes to go after Stoffel Vandoorne lost control of his HWA Racelab car, shattering its bodywork and scattering debris across the track – yet another casualty of the brutal Santiago circuit.
Racing resumed with 18 minutes left, but the most dramatic twist was yet to come. Sébastien Buemi, who had largely controlled the race from pole, threw away his potential victory. The Nissan e.dams driver made a critical error, impacting a wall, which severely damaged his car. He limped back to the pits, effectively handing the race lead to Sam Bird in a truly heart-wrenching moment for the Swiss driver and his team.
Race Leaderboard (15 minutes remaining)
| Position | Driver | Team | Attack Mode remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Bird | Envision Virgin | 1 |
| 2 | Pascal Wehrlein | Mahindra | 1 |
| 3 | Alexander Sims | BMWi Andretti | 0 |
| 4 | Daniel Abt | Audi | 1 |
| 5 | Edoardo Mortara | NIO | 1 |
| 6 | Robin Frijns | Jaguar | 1 |
| 7 | Mitch Evans | 1 | |
| 8 | Andre Lotterer | 1 | |
| 9 | Oliver Rowland | 1 | |
| 10 | Lucas di Grassi | 1 |
The list of retirements continued to grow as Jean-Éric Vergne and Antonio Félix da Costa were forced to pull into the pits with 13 minutes remaining. The earlier contact initiated by Lotterer had damaged their cars too severely to continue, eliminating two more strong contenders from the challenging race.
The Final Showdown: Wehrlein’s Charge and a Tense Finish
Meanwhile, Edoardo Mortara delivered a truly redemptive drive. Having been involved in the earlier incident with Sims and losing track position, he fought back with furious intensity, battling with Robin Frijns as both drivers activated their Attack Modes. Mortara experienced a more-than-near miss when he slid on the increasingly gravel-like track surface, hitting the chicane with such force that polystyrene flew into Frijns’ path. Despite this dramatic moment, Mortara held onto his fifth position, demonstrating incredible car control and determination.
As the race entered its frantic final minutes, with just four minutes remaining, second-placed Pascal Wehrlein activated his final Attack Mode. This boost allowed him to drastically cut into Sam Bird’s lead, setting up a nail-biting climax. Both drivers had roughly 20% of usable energy remaining, but crucially, Bird had no more Attack Mode activations left. However, the extreme conditions took their toll on Wehrlein’s Mahindra, with team boss Dilbagh Gill urgently warning his driver over the radio that the car was reaching critical temperatures. Wehrlein was instructed to “lift and coast” – reduce throttle input and glide to save energy and cool the car – if he had any hope of making it to the finish line.
With critically low energy levels, escalating temperatures, and a track surface that was literally crumbling beneath their tyres, both Bird and Wehrlein had no option but to adopt a conservative “lift and coast” strategy to reach the chequered flag. Sam Bird, demonstrating remarkable composure under immense pressure, crossed the finish line in first place, securing a hard-fought victory. Pascal Wehrlein followed in a commendable second, with Alexander Sims initially completing the podium.
Post-Race Scrutiny: Penalties Reshape the Final Standings
However, Alexander Sims’ joy was short-lived. Following the race, the BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver was awarded a time penalty in lieu of a drive-through for causing the earlier collision with Edoardo Mortara. This penalty demoted him from third to seventh position before he could even reach parc fermé, significantly altering the final podium and promoting Daniel Abt to third.
Further post-race penalties were handed down to José María López and Lucas di Grassi for various infringements, leading to a substantial readjustment of the top 10 finishers. These penalties allowed Jerome D’Ambrosio to climb to an impressive eighth place. Even the race winner, Sam Bird, was placed under investigation for an allegedly underweight car, but after a thorough review, he was thankfully cleared of any wrongdoing, allowing his hard-earned victory to stand.
Championship Impact: Bird Closes the Gap, Virgin Takes Team Lead
By becoming the third different winner in as many races in the thrilling 2019 Formula E season, Sam Bird significantly tightened the championship battle. His victory cut Jerome D’Ambrosio’s championship lead to a mere single point, highlighting the incredibly competitive nature of electric motorsport. Furthermore, Bird’s stellar performance, combined with Robin Frijns’ strong fifth-place finish, propelled Envision Virgin Racing to the lead of the Teams’ Championship, capping off a remarkable day for the British squad.
Official 2019 Formula E Santiago E-Prix Results
1. Sam Bird (Virgin)
2. Pascal Wehrlein (Mahindra)
3. Daniel Abt (Audi Abt)
4. Edoardo Mortara (Venturi)
5. Robin Frijns (Virgin)
6. Mitch Evans (Jaguar)
7. Alexander Sims (BMWi Andretti)
8. Jerome D’Ambrosio (Mahindra)
9. Oliver Turvey (NIO)
10. Jose-Maria Lopez (Dragon)
11. Nelson Piquet Jr (Jaguar)
12. Lucas Di Grassi (Audi Abt)
13. Andre Lotterer (DS Techeetah)
14. Garry Paffett (HWA)
Did Not Finish (DNF):
Oliver Rowland (Nissan e.Dams)
Antonio Felix da Costa (BMWi Andretti)
Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah)
Sebastien Buemi (Nissan e.Dams)
Stoffel Vandoorne (HWA)
Maximilian Gunther (Dragon)
Felipe Massa (Venturi)
Tom Dillman (NIO)
2019 Formula E Santiago Eprix highlights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOJVhcpZplY
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