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Formula E – 2018 i Berlin E-Prix Preview

Round nine of the ABB FIA Formula E championship will be held in Berlin, Germany this weekend (May 19, 2018). The 2018 i Berlin E-Prix will bring electric racing to Tempelhof Airport for the fourth time. After nearly a month hiatus, the drivers seem anxious to get back in the car.

2018 Formula E i Berlin E-Prix Preview

Gen2 Car

The race isn’t the only thing happening at Tempelhof Airport, Nico Rosberg will also make an appearance. The former Formula 1 World Champion will be the first person to drive the ABB FIA Formula E Championship Gen2 car outside a testing session on Saturday. The German will drive the car in a ten-minute session before the start of the 2018 i Berlin E-Prix.

The Circuit

The 2018 i Berlin E-Prix will take place at Tempelhof Airport. It is slightly longer than previous years, but it consists of ten turns, at 2.375 km(1.47miles) in length. It was added to the calendar for season two. Then in season three, Berlin hosted two rounds in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.

Previous winners include Sebastien Buemi in season two and season three, round one for Renault e.dams. Then Felix Rosenqvist of Mahindra Racing took the checkered flag in season three, round two.

The record qualifying lap time was set by Sam Bird of DS Virgin Racing at 1:07.805. The race lap record was set by Jose Maria Lopez of DS Virgin Racing (Now drives for Dragon).

Hometown Heroes

There are many German driver’s in the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, so this should be an exciting round. Daniel Abt of Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler will be one of the fan favorites. He sits sixth in the championship with 56 points. Only two points behind his teammate, season three champion Lucas Di Grassi. His car has had some problems during the season, so it will be interesting to see if Audi solved them.

Another fan favorite would be Andre Lotterer of Techeetah. The rookie Formula E driver has looked great so far in his maiden season. He took second place behind his teammate Jean-Eric Vergne in the Santiago, Chile. He almost got another podium last round in Paris, France, but he ran out of energy on the last few corners.

The German was defending for Vergne to take the win but ended up crashing with Bird at the end. Bird ultimately crossed the line ahead of Lotterer and claimed the podium. Lotterer sits ninth in the driver’s championship, 106 points behind his teammate Vergne.

Nick Heidfeld of Mahindra Racing will also be celebrating a home race. The Formula 1 and Formula E veteran will be looking for some luck this weekend. The German driver hasn’t scored any points in six out of the eight rounds so far this year. He didn’t finish three of those races, so he will be looking to finish in front of the home fans. Heidfeld currently sits thirteenth in the driver’s championship, 65 points behind his teammate Felix Rosenqvist.

The last of the German drivers celebrating a home race is Maro Engel of Venturi Formula E. With the signing of Felipe Massa for next season, Engel will be looking to impress. The Venturi driver currently sits twelfth in the driver’s championship, six points behind his teammate, Formula E rookie Edoardo Mortara. The Swiss driver will not be making an appearance in Berlin. The 2018 i Berlin E-Prix conflicts with his Mercedes DTM duties, so Tom Dillman will take his place.

Driver Standings

Pos Driver Points
1 Jean-Eric Vergne 147
2 Sam Bird 116
3 Felix Rosenqvist 86
4 Sebastien Buemi 70
5 Lucas di Grassi 58
6 Daniel Abt 56
7 Nelson Piquet Jr. 45
8 Mitch Evans 43
9 Andre Lotterer 41
10 Oliver Turvey 34
11 Edoardo Mortara 29
12 Maro Engel 23
13 Nick Heidfeld 21
14 Alex Lynn 17
15 Antonio Felix da Costa 16
16 Jose Maria Lopez 14
17 Jerome d’Ambrosio 12
18 Nicolas Prost 7
19 Tom Blomqvist 4
20 Luca Filippi 1
21 Kamui Kobayashi 0
22 Ma Qing Hua 0
23 Neel Jani 0

Team Standings

Pos Team Points
1 Techeetah 188
2 DS Virgin Racing 133
3 Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler 114
4 Mahindra Racing 107
5 Panasonic Jaguar Racing 88
6 Renault e.Dams 77
7 Venturi Formula E Team 52
8 NIO Formula E team 35
9 Dragon Racing 26
10 MS&AD Andretti Formula E 20

 

How to Watch

For details of where to watch the 2018 Paris E-Prix in your country visit here: http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/championship/tv-schedule/

Live streaming is available in selected markets on www.fiaformulae.com, the official Formula E app, YouTube, and Facebook.

MAIN PHOTO:
Embed from Getty Images

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