Formula E talking points: Title race hotting up between Stoffel Vandoorne and Edoardo Mortara as series heads to Jakarta
ByTNT Sports
Updated 03/06/2022 at 12:36 GMT+1
Season 8 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship continues this weekend in Jakarta as the all-electric racing series visits the Indonesian capital for the first time. At the halfway stage of the season, the title race is shaping up with Mercedes-EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne sitting on top spot, just ahead of ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Edoardo Mortara in second. Here are the weekend's talking points...
Stoffel Vandoorne of Belgium and Mercedes-EQ speaks during the drivers press conference ahead of the Formula E Jakarta
Image credit: Getty Images
Vergne vies for elusive first victory
DS TECHEETAH’s Jean Eric-Vergne is the only driver to win multiple Formula E titles and the 32-year-old veteran has been tipped for further success in 2022.
Vergne has been the Championship’s most consistent performer in Season 8, with the Frenchman the only driver to have scored in every round thus far. He currently sits third in the Drivers’ standings and sixteen points behind Championship-leading Vandoorne.
However, Vergne has expressed frustration that DS have been unable to get over the line to secure both his and the team’s first victory of Season 8.
“I am going to urge my team to do better if we want to fight for wins because every time there is someone stronger than us. It is not good enough,” he said after the Rome E-Prix in April.
No Formula E driver has ever won the Championship without winning a race and so, if history is anything to go by, Vergne will know the value of securing that elusive first win sooner rather than later.
Mercedes’ winning mentality prevails
Mercedes-EQ are comfortably ahead in the Teams’ standings thanks to a deadly combination of Vandoorne’s consistency and a recent bounce-back by teammate Nyck De Vries.
De Vries stormed to victory in Round 8 in Berlin which enabled the Dutchman to fly up to sixth place in the Drivers’ Championship.
27-year-old De Vries, the reigning champion, looked in danger of falling behind the pack prior to Berlin before a magnificent drive provided the springboard to reignite his title challenge.
Vandoorne, meanwhile, has scored in all but one E-Prix at the halfway stage this season as he searches for a career-first Championship title.
Mortara proves his titles credentials once more
When Edoardo Mortara finished runner-up last season there were suggestions of a fluke following three previous years when he had finished in the bottom-half of the Championship.
But the street racing specialist, known as “Mr Macau” for his ten wins in the Chinese city, has dispelled any doubt about his title credentials this season with some stunning performances.
A one-two finish across Rounds’ 7 and 8 in Berlin leaves the Swiss-Italian driver second in the Championship and bang in form heading into Jakarta.
And with an evidently dominant Mercedes powertrain at his disposal, few would bet against the 35-year-old going one better in 2022 to secure a maiden Championship title
Time running out for Brits to make their mark
It has been an underwhelming campaign for Formula E’s six-strong British contingent with Avalanche Andretti’s Jake Dennis the only driver to have secured a podium finish in Season 8 – in Round 1 in Riyadh.
Dennis finished third in Season 7 but has struggled to replicate that form in 2022, adding just three points to the twenty-five he scored in the opening two rounds and leaving his title chances in tatters.
His compatriots have also struggled, with veteran Sam Bird of Jaguar TCS Racing the next highest positioned Brit in twelfth. Bird’s struggles this season have been even more striking when compared to his teammate Mitch Evans who is currently in fourth and well within a shout for the title.
Oliver Rowland (Mahindra Racing), Oliver Turvey, Dan Ticktum (both NIO 333) and Alexander Sims (Mahindra Racing) have similarly struggled to make a mark on this season approaching their home race in London in less than two months.
Excitement builds for first ever Jakarta E-Prix
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship visits the Indonesian capital of Jakarta for the first time in the series' history, the first time Indonesia has welcomed a FIA-sanctioned motorsport since 2006.
The 2.37km Jakarta International E-Prix Circuit is a purpose-built track in the Ancol Beach City resort, with the backdrop of the iconic Jakarta Bay.
The challenging 18-turn circuit is expected to be home to another dramatic E-Prix, and fans can look forward to a feast of wheel-to-wheel action on the city’s streets as 22 drivers compete for the inaugural Jakarta E-Prix crown.
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The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s most extensive calendar to date continues in Jakarta this Saturday (June 4) live on Eurosport and discovery+ with coverage from 09:00 BST.
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