Sébastien Buemi and Robin Frijns helped Envision Racing secure 6th place in the Teams’ Championship with a measured performance in the season-ending London E-Prix
A long, and sometimes trying season for Envision Racing was brought to a close on home soil at the London E-Prix. And once again, both drivers looked quick as the championship battle took centre stage.
A late season resurgence has seen Envision Racing team score three podiums in the final four races, leaving the question, what could have been? By the end of Sunday’s race, after once again making the duels in qualifying, the Envision Racing duo of Sébastien Buemi and Robin Frijns claimed fourth and eighth respectively after a dramatic season finale in which Buemi surged from 17th on the grid to narrowly missing out on a podium.
Crucially, the result meant that Envision Racing end the season with sixth place in the Teams’ Championship. The team started the afternoon just four points ahead of the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team. However, after 37 laps of ExCeL London, those two strong finishes were more than enough to see the Green Machine consolidate that final position.
QUALIFYING
Both Envision Racing drivers were competing in qualifying Group A, and it was Frijns’ turn to shine. The Dutch driver posted the fourth fastest time in the dying seconds of the session to make it into the quarter finals.
And in the opening knock-out duel, Frijns faced off against championship hopeful Nick Cassidy. The two Jaguar-powered drivers slogged it out, and after a closely-fought lap it was Cassidy who prevailed, meaning Frijns would start fifth in the final race of the year.
THE RACE
Nick Cassidy made the best start from the front, leading the field into the daylight as Frijns held on to fifth place behind Wehrlein. At the beginning of lap two, the relatively sedate start was interrupted by a coming together between Edoardo Mortara and Jake Dennis at turn three, leading to a safety car intervention.
At the restart, the leading Jaguar duo looked to swap positions, with Evans harassing leader Cassidy. Behind, Wehrlein, Maximilian Günther and Frijns looked to take advantage of any issue just as the McLaren of Sam Bird crashed out, triggering a second safety car, and crucially boosting Envision Racing’s chances of sealing seventh place in the Teams’ Championship.
As the race restarted and settled into a rhythm, by lap 15, Frijns assumed sixth place, behind Jean-Éric Vergne. Starting 17th, team-mate Buemi made great progress, holding 11th place, and crucially, keeping out of trouble. At the front, the three championship contenders, Evans, Cassidy and Wehrlein slogged it out as things got increasingly frantic.
It wasn’t all plain sailing for Frijns. On lap 17, the Envision Racing man slipped back from sixth, dropping to ninth, just one place behind team-mate Buemi. A couple of laps later, it was Buemi’s turn to lead the team’s charge as he moved up to eighth, with Frijns dropping to ninth.
By lap 23, Buemi’s progress saw the Swiss driver climb up to seventh, as Frijns held on to the final points-paying position in 10th. One lap later, as Attack Mode advantages evened themselves out, the two Envision Racing cars were once again line astern in eighth and ninth.
As championship leader Wehrlein looked to snatch the lead from Evans, it was disaster for Cassidy in a chaotic sequence of events which saw the Jaguar driver end up in the pits with damage. Rowland subsequently claimed the lead, with Buemi and Envision Racing benefiting hugely as the race entered its closing phase. At the restart, Buemi held fifth, and Frijns ninth place, as three laps were added to the initial 34-lap race duration.
As Rowland headed the field, Buemi found himself in fourth place by lap 34, behind the sister Jaguar-powered car of title hopeful Evans.
An added complication for Evans relating to the amount of Attack Mode needed to be used before the chequered flag hampered the Kiwi’s charge as Buemi followed in fourth. At the front, as Rowland took the win, Wehrlein claimed second place, and with it his maiden Formula E crown. Evans rounded out the podium with Buemi a fantastic fourth and Frijns a solid eighth.
Drivers’ standings (after Rd 16):
1. Pascal Wehrlein, 199pts
2. Mitch Evans, 192pts
3. Nick Cassidy, 176pts
4. Oliver Rowland, 156pts
5. António Félix da Costa, 144pts
9. Robin Frijns, 64pts
11. Sébastien Buemi, 53pts
22. Joel Eriksson, 2pts
Teams’ standings (after Rd 16):
1. Jaguar TCS Racing, 368pts
2. Porsche Formula E Team, 343pts
3. DS Penske, 196pts
4. Nissan, 182pts
5. Andretti Formula E, 169pts
6. Envision Racing, 119pts
