Just three weeks have passed since Formula E graced the tropical city of Putrajaya, continuing its successful journey across the globe. Malaysia’s ePrix drew praise from the sports CEO Alejandro Agag, who labelled it as a “spectacular and world class” event.
Sam Bird triumphed the streets of Putrajaya, recording a dominant first victory to place himself firmly in contention for the championship crown, whilst Lucas di Grassi maintained his fantastic start to the season with another podium to preserve his lead at the top of the driver’s standings.
What to expect from Race 3?
Following di Grassi’s victory in Beijing’s inaugural race, proceeded by Bird’s aforementioned win in Round 2, the competitive order remains wide open. e.Dams Renault appear to have an edge in qualifying trim, with Nico Prost taking two out of two pole positions (but for a pre-race grid penalty dropping him back to 10th). The French outfit have also shown solid race pace, with Sebastien Buemi claiming the final place on the podium in Putrajaya and Prost coming home just behind in fourth.
Di Grassi’s second consecutive podium finish and a point for Daniel Abt moved Audi Sport ABT to the top of the team standings with 45 points: one ahead of Virgin Racing who themselves look to be in strong position in the championship fight.
Andretti Autosport slipped to fourth after a disappointing non points finish for Franck Montagny and newcomer Matthew Brabham in Malaysia, both of whom were involved in a number of incidents on track which hampered their running. Andretti will be hoping to bounce back in Uruguay and have been bolstered by the announcement that Jean-Eric Vergne will race in Punta del Este. The 24-year-old Frenchman is looking to carve a career outside Formula One after losing his Toro Rosso seat for next season. Vergne should prove to be an excellent acquisition for the American outfit, as Formula E continues to emphasise it’s success at attracting top drivers from across the World.