Closed Circuit: Renault e.dams in Marrakesh

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Renault e.dams took their second win of the season, with Sebastien Buemi taking the top step of the podium despite being handed a five place grid penalty. Nico Prost came home in fourth, struggling to keep up with his teammate in the second half of the race, which extends the team’s lead to thirty eight points over ABT and Mahindra.

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Qualifying could have gone better for the e.dams team. Whilst Prost suffered the misfourtune of being in the first qualifying group, with an apparently dirtier track ruining the times, Buemi’s troubles were technical. The Swiss driver made it into the superpole shoot out and actually qualified second, but his fire extinguisher was too light, and he received a five place grid penalty, putting him right behind Prost on the grid.

It wasn’t a spectacular start for either driver, with Buemi stuck behind Prost for a number of laps before he managed to get ahead of the Frenchman. In the first half of the race, the pair moved forwards, but Buemi left Prost behind after the pit stops as the Frenchman couldn’t keep up with the front runners.

Buemi waited until lap twenty seven of thirty three to make the move for the lead of the race, a decisive overtake on Felix Rosenqvist, who was focusing more on energy management by this point. The extra lap Buemi was able to put in before the pit stops gave the reigning champion the edge on a track that put energy usage on the limit.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Team mate comparison: qualifying” tab_id=”1461512175704-af49c202-f1e45043-b572b35b-af50″][vc_line_chart type=”line” style=”modern” x_values=”Hong Kong; Marrakesh;” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Sebastien%20Buemi%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2205%3B%2002%3B%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Nico%20Prost%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2210%3B%2007%3B%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23f7be68%22%7D%5D” title=”Team mate comparison: qualifying”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Team mate comparison: race” tab_id=”1461512175763-831c2584-42cf5043-b572b35b-af50″][vc_line_chart type=”line” style=”modern” x_values=”Hong Kong; Marrakesh;” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Sebastien%20Buemi%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2201%3B%2001%3B%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%2C%7B%22title%22%3A%22Nico%20Prost%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2204%3B%2004%3B%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%2C%22custom_color%22%3A%22%23f7be68%22%7D%5D” title=”Team mate comparison: race”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”The team says: “…“” tab_id=”1461512258191-0360a250-a68c5043-b572b35b-af50″][vc_column_text]

Jean-Paul Driot, Senior Team Manager:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”It’s very good to enter the winter with such a strong points advantage, especially with a long period before we head to Buenos Aires. Sébastien drove a very strong race to fight back from his penalty which was backed-up by a strong race from Nico too, so it was a great team effort all round. We didn’t get distracted by the early pace of some of our competitors but focused on driving our own race with our own strategy which meant the result came our way at the chequered flag.”[/perfectpullquote]

Alain Prost, Senior Team Manager:

[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”That was a great day. The team is improving with every race and even if we don’t start at the front we can still win. A little bit like in Hong Kong we weren’t able to show our very best in qualifying but it does look like one lap pace is closer this season, which is good for the championship. We focused on the race in our practice session preparations and this benefitted us especially as we were able to fight back from the penalty for Sébastien. The team and both drivers delivered what we needed and two wins for Séb and two fourth positions for Nico is a strong start to our championship defence. For sure our competitors are improving all the time, but we are determined not to sit back and let them catch us!”[/perfectpullquote]

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Championship standings” tab_id=”1461512214611-352b21f1-c5375043-b572b35b-af50″][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Hong Kong; Marrakesh;” values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Renault%20e.dams%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%2237%3B%2074%3B%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%7D%5D” title=”Championship standings”][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title=”Sebastien Buemi” color=”green”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_accordion style=”outline” color=”green” c_icon=”chevron” active_section=”1″ collapsible_all=”true”][vc_tta_section title=”Buemi’s race in words” tab_id=”1461512310664-cbeb96df-4af05043-b572b35b-af50″][vc_column_text]

After being forced to start from seventh on the grid after a technical infringement in qualifying, Buemi was focusing on moving forward. Getting past teammate Nico Prost took longer than the reigning champion probably would have liked but, by the end of lap three, Buemi had made his first overtake of the race.

Progress was slow for the Swiss driver, but steady, as energy management became key to Formula E’s longest ever race. By the time the first cars started to dive into the pits, Buemi was up into fourth, behind Felix Rosenqvist, Sam Bird, and Jean-Eric Vergne. Both Buemi and Bird completed an extra lap in their first stint. Despite almost running out of energy, Buemi made a move on that final lap of the stint to move ahead of Bird, moving into “net” third.

A penalty for Vergne meant moving from third to second was easy, and then it was only Rosenqvist between Buemi and his second win of the championship. Rosenqvist had tried to build up a lead, but Buemi had a laps more energy than the rookie and he soon caught up. There would be no messing about as Buemi moved past Rosenqvist only three laps after inheriting second position. The rookie wouldn’t fight back and, by the time Bird moved ahead of Rosenqvist to take second on the 31st of 33 laps, Buemi had already built up a lead of three seconds.

That meant a second win of the season for Buemi and a fifth consecutive win for e.dams.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Lap chart” tab_id=”1461512310716-c8bf2e2d-dbb95043-b572b35b-af50″][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Starting position; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33″ values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Sebastien%20Buemi%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%227%3B%207%3B%207%3B%206%3B%206%3B%206%3B%206%3B%205%3B%205%3B%205%3B%205%3B%204%3B%204%3B%204%3B%204%3B%204%3B%203%3B%201%3B%203%3B%203%3B%203%3B%203%3B%203%3B%203%3B%202%3B%202%3B%202%3B%201%3B%201%3B%201%3B%201%3B%201%3B%201%3B%201%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22turquoise%22%7D%5D” title=”Buemi: lap chart”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”The race in numbers” tab_id=”1461512375203-dc62694e-d0395043-b572b35b-af50″][vc_column_text]

Best time in FP1: 1:22.636.

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Best time in FP2: 1:20.599.

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Best time in qualifying: 1:21.350.

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Best time in the race: 1:23.633.

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Pit stop time and difference to minimum pit stop time: 50.621s (difference: 0.621s).

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[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”My cars were amazing today and the balance was really good. In my first lap I used a bit too much energy but after that we were able to save charge so we could be strong and push when we needed later in the stint, and this really worked for us. We know we have an efficient car and we had to take advantage of that after we started further back on the grid than we wanted. I was able to extract everything I needed from the car and it shows the team is working really well, so it’s been a very positive start to the season.”[/perfectpullquote]

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Being in the opening group in qualifying put Prost on the back foot, as track conditions improved throughout the session. Despite topping his group, the Frenchman was eventually relegated down to seventh, but started the race sixth.

Prost managed to keep his teammate behind him for the opening few laps, before Buemi took sixth position. The Frenchman’s progress was even slower than Buemi’s, only managing to make up a single position before the pit stops. Nelson Piquet Jnr had been proving a problem for Prost, but a slow stop for the Brazilian meant Prost was able to make up the position in the pits, starting the second stint from fifth.

Another position was gifted to Prost when Jean-Eric Vergne received a drive through penalty. The Techeetah driver came out of the pits just behind Prost and it looked for a few laps like there might be a battle for fourth position, but Prost eventually pulled away from Vergne. He would never catch up with the podium battle, though, and he eventually finished over four seconds behind Rosenqvist in third.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Lap chart” tab_id=”1461512548457-fc72c98b-1a615043-b572b35b-af50″][vc_line_chart type=”line” x_values=”Starting position; 1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18; 19; 20; 21; 22; 23; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32; 33″ values=”%5B%7B%22title%22%3A%22Nico%20Prost%22%2C%22y_values%22%3A%226%3B%206%3B%206%3B%207%3B%207%3B%207%3B%207%3B%207%3B%207%3B%207%3B%206%3B%206%3B%206%3B%206%3B%206%3B%206%3B%206%3B%203%3B%205%3B%205%3B%205%3B%205%3B%205%3B%205%3B%204%3B%204%3B%204%3B%204%3B%204%3B%204%3B%204%3B%204%3B%204%3B%204%22%2C%22color%22%3A%22green%22%7D%5D” title=”Prost: lap chart”][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”The race in numbers” tab_id=”1461512549057-0abe4d02-33bc5043-b572b35b-af50″][vc_column_text]

Best time in FP1: 1:22.105.

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Best time in FP2: 1:23.048.

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Best time in qualifying: 1:21.777.

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Best time in the race: 1:24.212.

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Pit stop time and difference to minimum pit stop time: 50.619s (difference: 0.619s).

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[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]”I am happy about my race but a little frustrated that I wasn’t able to qualify higher. I showed good pace in practice but Q1 is the most difficult qualifying session to deliver in, even if it was very close to Superpole. I consumed a little bit too much energy in my out-lap, which meant I had to save a little bit in my first stint of the race. Nevertheless, I was able to overtake Daniel Abt and push strongly. Certainly, I would have preferred to have finished on the podium here – and in Hong Kong – but the most important thing is scoring points.”[/perfectpullquote]

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Image courtesy of FIA Formula E Media

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