The second half of the 2017-18 Formula E season began with the inaugural Rome ePrix. Freshly blessed by the Pope himself, drivers dashed around the streets of the Italian capital. Just Electric takes a look at how events unfolded through social media.
In the build up to the first of two new events on the Formula E calendar, drivers and teams took the time to enjoy the sights they would be speeding past that weekend, including a visit from a man more #blessed than a four-time Formula 1 champion.
Such an honour to visit the Vatican and Pope Francis this morning with the entire @FIAFormulaE family #blessed pic.twitter.com/FM6I6d8V10
— Audi Formula E (@audiformulae) April 11, 2018
More shots of our drivers meeting with @Pontifex. Such a unique experience… Thanks again for your time! #RomeEPrix pic.twitter.com/n7MJkRXJw7
— RENAULT e.dams (@RENAULTedams) April 11, 2018
When cars hit the circuit on Saturday morning for the two free practice sessions, it wasn’t immedietly clear who would have the advantage on the long, new Roman track.
Jaguar’s Nelson Piquet Jnr, aiming to bounce back from a retirement in Uruguay, topped the first practice session with a time eight hundredths of a second faster than the Virgin of Sam Bird.
Championship protagonist Felix Rosenqvist topped the times in FP2, but the half hour session was cut short when Alex Lynn brought out the red flags, meaning many drivers didn’t get a chance to complete a 200kW lap, and teams headed into the first qualifying session on the streets of Rome with a lot of unanswered questions.
FP1 finishes with @NelsonPiquet fastest and @mitchevans_ in P3. We’ll be back on track soon! ⚡️???#JaguarElectrifies #ABBFormulaE #RomeEPrix pic.twitter.com/7et1w11m4y
— Jaguar Racing (@JaguarRacing) April 14, 2018
#FP2 ends early just like #FP1 due to a red flag. @FRosenqvist (1:35.467) with the fastest time. #passioneering #RomeEPrix pic.twitter.com/1WeSuYLNTs
— Mahindra Racing (@MahindraRacing) April 14, 2018
3 minutes left to go in FP2. P2 for @sambirdracing as the session is red flagged due to a crash by Lynn at turn 16 #RomeEPrix pic.twitter.com/FLKfDhWqyD
— DS Virgin Racing (@DSVirginRacing) April 14, 2018
The lack of track time caused problems in qualifying, where a number of teams miscalculated the time it would take their driver to do a warm up track on the long circuit.
More drama was added to the mix when Antonio Felix Da Costa and Jose Maria Lopez collided in the pit lane.
Andre Lotterer ended the group stages fastest of anyone, but it was Rosenqvist on top in the SuperPole.
Disaster for @DragonRacing and @NIOGlobal ad @thereal_JDA @LucaFilippiLF don’t make it across the line in time to start their flying lap! Blomqvist leads for now from Engel and Prost #ABBFormulaE #RomeEprix
— Nicki Shields (@Nickishields) April 14, 2018
We were told traffic in Rome was a little crazy…? #RomeEPrix pic.twitter.com/ppEVSQv5gp
— ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) April 14, 2018
And @FRosenqvist takes #superpole! #P1 on the grid for the #RomeEPrix ⚡️ #FormulaE
— Mahindra Racing (@MahindraRacing) April 14, 2018
Starting from pole for the third time this season, Rosenqvist appeared to have everything under control in the early stages of the race, but came to a stop after he damaged the suspension on his M4Electro.
That put Sam Bird in the lead of the race and the Brit went on to take his second win of the season.
Further back, typical Formula E madness ensued with a multicar collision bringing out the yellow flags and battery management struggles denying Jaguar their second podium finish.
Suspension failure after leading the race from pole. Absolutely heartbroken ? pic.twitter.com/XdBxymxnZr
— Felix Rosenqvist (@FRosenqvist) April 14, 2018
Crush hour in Rome…#RomeEPrix pic.twitter.com/220WNPCNHn
— ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) April 14, 2018
Amazing Rome ePrix!!! What a fantastic atmosphere!! Grazie à tutti italiani ?????#podium #fiaformulae #eprix #cbmm #niobium pic.twitter.com/bzFcH1EDfW
— LUCAS DI GRASSI (@LucasdiGrassi) April 14, 2018