Envision Racing bring home points during opening race in Monaco
A dramatic start to the double-header weekend in the Principality ultimately resulted in points for Robin Frijns, but disappointment for teammate Sébastien Buemi after contact — which was out of his control — caused a puncture.
Frijns kept it clean at the front and remained in the lead pack for the duration of the race, bringing home four points with a P8 finish. A few incidents occurred throughout the race, but they weren’t enough to make up for the time Buemi lost after making an extra stop to replace his rear tyre. He eventually finished down in P19, despite running strongly before the incident.
The first of two races over the weekend also marked the debut of Pit Boost in Monaco, which once again ran smoothly for the team. Both Frijns and Buemi completed the mandatory 30-second stop to receive an extra 10% of energy via the 600kW boost charge.
With the historic first double-header in Monaco, the team gets another chance tomorrow (May 4) to score more points.
QUALIFYING
It was a mixed session for the Envision Racing duo of Sébastien Buemi and Robin Frijns. Group A saw the #16 of Buemi take to the winding streets of Monaco, however the session did not go to plan, with the tyre temperatures not getting into the optimal window – resulting in a P10 finish in group, and P20 overall.
Up next was the Dutchman Frijns in Group B, who began the session very strong, setting the fastest first sector and second-fastest lap time overall. A slight technical problem on his final push lap halted improving his lap time, however with the first run being so strong, the time was good enough to progress through to the duels.
Despite his best efforts against Dan Ticktum in the head-to-head duel, Frijns just missed out by one tenth of a second and ended qualifying P6 overall.
THE RACE
A relatively low-key start by Formula E standards, with Frijns slotting into P7 and Buemi moving up a couple of spots to P18.
Lap 7 saw Buemi take his first Attack Mode, using four of the eight allocated minutes. He used this wisely to work his way up to P12, just before the first Full Course Yellow caused by Da Costa crashing out at La Rascasse.
Two laps later the race resumed, and Frijns activated Attack Mode, although simultaneously Buemi was hit from behind, causing a puncture. He had to pit to replace the tyre and was left at the back of the pack, trying to manage the damaged car as best as he could.
Laps 17 and 18 saw both Envision Racing drivers take their Pit Boost stops, swiftly followed by Frijns taking his final Attack Mode and working his way back up into the top ten.
There was one added lap, which the Dutchman maximised as he moved up a couple of positions to take the chequered flag in P8. It was damage limitation for Buemi, and he crossed the line in P19.
The drivers get a second shot at adding to the points tally tomorrow, as they reset and go again for the first-ever double-header in the Principality.
STANDINGS
Driver Standings (after Rd5)
- Oliver Rowland, 94pts
- Pascal Wehrlein, 6opts
- Antonio Felix Da Costa, 54pts
- Taylor Barnard, 54pts
- Nyck De Vries, 42pts
- Jake Dennis, 42pts
—–
19. Robin Frijns, 8pts
20.Sebastien Buemi, 6pts
Team Standings (after Rd5)
1.,TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, 114pts
2. Nissan Formula E Team, 105pts
3. Mahindra Racing, 81pts
4. NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, 7opts
5. Andretti Formula E, 66pts
6. DS Penske, 64pts
—–
11. Envision Racing, 14pts
