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Formula E – Preview of the Punta del Este E-Prix

The FIA Formula E Championship is going into its sixth round this weekend (March 17, 2018). Round six will be held at the Punta Del Este Street Circuit near Playa Brava Beach in Punta Del Este, Uruguay. The 2018 CBMM Niobium Punta del Este E-Prix will play host for the first time since season two of the Formula E Championship.

Formula E – Preview of Round Six

The Circuit

The 2.785km circuit hugs the coast before doubling back on itself. With 20 turns, “it’s the most unique track” said winner Sebastien Buemi. “With a lot of quick, tight chicanes. It’s a very high-speed circuit, which I enjoy.” Located on the sun-drenched southeastern peninsula of Uruguay, Punta del Este has been a popular coastal location since the early 20th century. (http://www.fiaformulae.com/en/calendar)
The E-Prix will consist of 37 laps, travelling a total distance of 103.045km.

Previous Winners

Having played host to Formula E in Season One and Two, Punta del Este saw Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne on pole in his first ever Formula E race in 2014 while Renault e.dams’ Sebastien Buemi took the top step on the podium. Season Two saw former champion Nelson Piquet Jr. crash out in spectacular fashion while Buemi held onto his title as the race winner for the second consecutive year.

Ones to Watch

At the halfway point of the season, many drivers will be looking to push for the championship. Vergne will be looking to maintain his championship lead in Punta del Este and will be looking to take another pole as he did on his debut. His team, Techeetah will be looking to maintain the Constructors’ Championship lead here as well.

The team will look to repeat a one-two finish with both their drivers as they did at the Santiago E-Prix. Here we saw teammates Vergne and Andre Lotterer almost wreck at the back end of the E-Prix en route to a double podium.

Drivers Looking to Redeem Themselves

Felix Rosenqvist will be looking to redeem himself for a DNF suffered at the Mexico City E-Prix. He is second in the Drivers’ Championship and will need a strong finish to have a fighting chance at being crowned champion by season’s end. Along with his teammate Nick Heidfeld, they had many issues in Mexico and hope to gain some solid points in Uruguay. Mahindra Racing is only nine points off of Techeetah and the Constructors’ Championship is still up for grabs.

Sam Bird will be looking to redeem himself after a seventeenth-place finish in Mexico. This was due to penalties, but Bird sits third in the Drivers’ Championship and hopes he can bounce back. His teammate Alex Lynn also suffered penalties in Mexico but scrapped by with a tenth-place finish.

Buemi will be looking to win this race for the third time in his career. After a few third-place finishes in the last few rounds, Buemi will be looking to take his first win of the season here. He sits fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, nine points behind Bird.

Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi will be hoping to build off their Mexico City E-Prix performance. Abt took his first career Formula E win and the defending champion di Grassi took his first points of the year. Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler struggled with reliability issues and took many penalties building up to that performance. Hopefully they will not suffer any more setbacks this season.

Drivers’ Standings

1. Jean-Eric Vergne 81
2. Felix Rosenqvist 69
3. Sam Bird 61
4. Sebastian Buemi 52
5. Nelson Piquet Jr. 45
6. Daniel Abt 37
7. Mitch Evans 29
8. Edoardo Mortara 28
9. Oliver Turvey 26
10. Nick Heidfeld 21
11. Andre Lotterer 18
12. Antonio Felix da Costa 16
13. Alex Lynn 9
14. Jose Maria Lopez 8
15. Nico Prost 7
16. Maro Engel 6
17. Jerome D’Ambrosio 4
18. Tom Blomqvist 4
19. Lucas di Grassi 3
20. Luca Filippi 1

Constructors’ Standings

1. Techeetah 99
2. Mahindra Racing 90
3. Panasonic Jaguar Racing 74
4. DS Virgin Racing 70
5. Renault E.Dams 59
6. Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler 40
7. Venturi Formula E Team 34
8. NIO Formula E Team 27
9. MS&AD Andretti Formula E 20
10. Dragon Racing 12

How to Watch

For details of where to watch the Punta del Este 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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