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    Formula E

    Bird holds off Wehrlein to win Santiago scorcher

    Sam Bird handled the heat under pressure from Pascal Wehrlein to win his first race of the season in the sweltering Santiago sunshine.

     
    With Wehrlein hot on his heels in the closing stages of the warmest Formula E race on record, Bird held his nerve with a peerless performance around the perimeter roads of Parque O’Higgins in the centre of the Chilean capital.
     
    Bird had to keep a close eye on his mirrors with both drivers on alternative ATTACK MODE strategies. Without any activations left, Bird found himself vulnerable from behind – as Wehrlein saved his final burst of energy in a bid to vault ahead with only minutes to spare.
     
    Despite his best efforts and clawing Bird in, Wehrlein couldn’t make a move and had to settle for second as his hopes of victory faded with rising temperatures.
     
    Fellow countryman Daniel Abt rounded out the podium places, inheriting a position from Alexander Sims after the BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver incurred a penalty for causing a collision with Edoardo Mortara.
     
    Contact with Sims sent Mortara spinning, but the VENTURI Formula E Team driver valiantly fought back to finish fourth.
     
    Buemi wasn’t so lucky to avoid the barriers, crashing out of the lead in close quarters with Bird at the Turn 6/7 chicane – the same corner he encountered trouble with in practice earlier in the day.
     
    The 2015/16 champion led away from the front – after being promoted to Julius Baer pole position following the exclusion of Lucas di Grassi for an infringement in qualifying. However, Buemi couldn’t convert a first win for the newly-named Nissan e.dams outfit.
     
    Winner in Marrakesh and championship leader coming into the race, Jerome D’Ambrosio came home in eighth – but later dropped to 10th after being handed a five-second penalty for speeding under Full Course Yellow.
     
    The result means D’Ambrosio relinquishes his place to Bird at the top of the driver standings – with title protagonists Antonio Felix da Costa and Jean-Eric Vergne failing to add to their points tally.
     
    After another searing showdown in Santiago, Formula E now heads to Mexico City and the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for round four of the 2018/19 ABB FIA Formula E Championship on February 16.
     

    Race Results:

    1

    Sam Bird

    Envision Virgin Racing

    47:02.511s

    (25)

    2

    Pascal Wehrlein

    MAHINDRA Racing

    +6.489s

    (18)

    3

    Daniel Abt

    Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler

    +14.529s

    (16)

    4

    Edoardo Mortara

    VENTURI Formula E Team

    +17.056s

    (12)

    5

    Robin Frijns

    Envision Virgin Racing

    +20.276s

    (10)

    6

    Mitch Evans

    Panasonic Jaguar Racing

    +23.755s

    (8)

    7

    Alexander Sims

    BMW i Andretti Motorsport

    +27.590s

    (6)

    8

    Oliver Turvey

    NIO Formula E Team

    +45.059s

    (4)

    9

    Jose María Lopez

    GEOX DRAGON

    +45.376s

    (2)

    10

    Jerome D’Ambrosio

    MAHINDRA Racing

    +46.984s

    (1)

    11

    Nelson Piquet Jr.

    Panasonic Jaguar Racing

    +48.635s

    		  

    12

    Lucas di Grassi

    Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler

    +1:03.552s

    		  

    13

    André Lotterer

    DS TECHEETAH

    +1:14.706s

    		  

    14

    Gary Paffett

    HWA RACELAB

    1 Lap

    		  
             

    DNF

    Oliver Rowland

    Nissan e.dams

    		    

    DNF

    Antonio Felix Da Costa

    BMW i Andretti Motorsport

    		    

    DNF

    Jean-Eric Verge

    DS TECHEETAH

    		    

    DNF

    Sebastien Buemi

    Nissan e.dams

    		  

    (3)

    DNF

     Stoffel Vandoorne

    HWA RACELAB

    		    

    DNF        

    Maximilian Gunther

    GEOX DRAGON

    		    

    DNF

    Felipe Massa

    VENTURI Formula E Team

    		    

    DNF

    Tom Dillmann

    NIO Formula E Team

    		    

    Championship Standings

    Jerome D’Ambrosio

    MAHINDRA Racing

    41

    Sam Bird

    Envision Virgin Racing

    43

    Antonio Felix Da Costa

    BMW i Andretti Motorsport

    28

    Robin Frijns

    Envision Virgin Racing

    28

    Jean-Eric Vergne

    DS TECHEETAH

    28

    Mitch Evans

    Panasonic Jaguar Racing

    22

    Daniel Abt

    Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler

    21

    Andre Lotterer

    DS TECHEETAH

    19

    Pascal Wehrlein

    MAHINDRA Racing

    18

    Alexander Sims

    BMW I Andretti Motorsport

    18

    Sebastien Buemi

    Nissan e.dams

    15

    Edoardo Mortara

    VENTURI Formula E Team

    12

    Lucas di Grassi

    Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler

    9

    Oliver Rowland

    Nissan e.dams

    6

    Oliver Turvey

    NIO Formula E Team

    4

    Jose Maria Lopez

    GEOX DRAGON

    2

    Nelson Piquet Jr.

    Panasonic Jaguar Racing

    1

    Maximilian Gunther

    GEOX DRAGON

    0

    Tom Dillmann

    NIO Formula E Team

    0

    Gary Paffett

    HWA RACELAB

    0

    Stoffel Vandoorne

    HWA RACELAB

    0

    Felipe Massa

    VENTURI Formula E Team

    0

    Felix Rosenqvist

    MAHINDRA Racing

    0

    Teams Championship:

    Envision Virgin Racing

    71

    MAHINDRA Racing

    62

    DS TECHEETAH

    47

    BMW i Andretti Motorsport

        46

    Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler

    30

    Panasonic Jaguar Racing

    23

    Nissan e.dams

    21

    VENTURI Formula E Team

    12

    NIO Formula E Team

    4

    GEOX DRAGON

    2

    HWA RACELAB

    0
     
     
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