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Lucas di Grassi took his second victory of the 2020-21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season in an entertaining opening race of the Berlin E-Prix weekend on Saturday.

The Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler driver edged out ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Edoardo Mortara to win at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit as pre-race championship leader Nyck de Vries failed to score but maintained his position at the top of the standings.

DS Techeetah started first and second on the grid and Jean-Éric Vergne led António Félix da Costa in the early laps, but they started to fall down the order mid-race, which allowed Audi and Venturi to hit the front.

Di Grassi and his team-mate René Rast (from twelfth on the grid) hit the front for an Audi one-two, only for both to fall behind the Venturi drivers or Mortara and Norman Nato as the duo utilised their attack modes to perfection.

Mortara, however, was unable to keep hold of the lead and was forced to concede position to di Grassi as the Brazilian’s own attack mode enabled him to jump back up to first.  Di Grassi was able to hold on until the chequered flag, despite Mortara keeping him honest until the chequered flag.

Jean-Éric Vergne and António Félix da Costa have locked out the front row of the grid for DS Techeetah for the opening race of the Berlin E-Prix, while ABB FIA Formula E World Championship leader Nyck de Vries will start only nineteenth.

Vergne took top spot after running last in the Superpole session at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit having been fastest in the initial phase of Qualifying, with his lap of 1:06.227 enough to beat team-mate Félix da Costa by 0.073 seconds.

Defending champion Félix da Costa was the only driver from Group 1 to make it through to Superpole, with Mercedes-EQ Formula E Team’s de Vries ending all the way down on the tenth row of the grid, while second placed Robin Frijns of Envision Virgin Racing was even further back after a mistake left him twenty-third.

Lucas di Grassi will line-up third on the grid for an Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler team embarking on their final race weekend in Formula E, with the Brazilian looking to end his seven-year stint with the team on a high.

He will be joined on the second row by Swiss racer Edoardo Mortara from the ROKiT Venturi Racing team, while his team-mate Norman Nato was an impressive fifth ahead of Nissan e.dams’ Sébastien Buemi, who is looking to end an under par year with strong results.

Patricio O’Ward claimed his third pole of the season for the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix, beating the qualifying master of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course Will Power to the top spot by 0.0067 seconds. This weekend IndyCar utilized the modified two-stage elimination qualifying last seen at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, and O’Ward was one of the last drivers in the fast twelve to complete their lap, pushing his Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet to the limit to take the pole.

Power sat atop the first qualifying group in a relatively quiet session, followed by Jack Harvey who is always fast at IMS. Despite an off-track excursion on the exit of turn ten, Rinus Veekay made it through to the fast twelve along with his Ed Carpenter Racing teammate Conor Daly.

Helio Castroneves and Scott McLaughlin were some of the big names among the drivers eliminated, along with rookie Cody Ware and RC Enerson of Top Gun Racing who are making their series debut on a road course this weekend.

The fireworks came out in the second group, as Alexander Rossi went the fastest. Following him was Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing rookie Christian Lundgaard, who finished seventh in the afternoon practice session, and finished second in this group. Romain Grosjean continued to show pace at the track he won the pole position at in May, advancing in fourth place.

Jimmie Johnson showed his best pace all year in this session, frequently finding himself in the top six at a track he finally has been to in an IndyCar before. Unfortunately for the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion he did not advance, but he was not alone as Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon failed to advance.

Just seven tenths covered the sixteen runners on the second practice session this afternoon at Knockhill, as Sweden’s Joel Granfors backed up his solid opening session time in the morning with the fastest time in FP2 to firmly state his case for top honours come Sunday. Phinsys by Argenti drivers Matias Zagazeta and rookie Aiden Neate closely followed in second and third, with just five hundredths covering the top three.

Abbi Pulling was the lead JHR Developments runner in fourth place, solidifying her pace for the weekend after a strong FP1, with the opening session’s fastest driver Matthew Rees rounding out the top five and keeping JHR’s name in the hat.

Dougie Bolger was the fastest Carlin driver for the second time in a day, with the Japanese racer in sixth after a very impressive showing at Oulton Park – taking a maiden rookie cup win.

Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak showed improvement over the opening session, placing in seventh behind his rookie team mate, as Joseph Loake and Mckenzy Cresswell sandwiched the Arden of Zak Taylor round out the top ten.

Kai Askey was on the fringes of the top ten in eleventh ahead of championship leader James Hedley in twelfth, who has yet to find his stride at Knockhill this weekend. Marcos Flack had a cleaner session after his off in FP1 to finish in thirteenth ahead of Fortec rookie Oliver Gray in fourteenth.

JHR Developments’ rookie and title contender Matthew Rees topped a very inconsistent first practice session at Knockhill, with two red flags disrupting the running. Abbi Pulling was just eight hundredths down in second place, with Fortec Motorsport’s Joel Granfors in third after topping the majority of the session early on.

In an opening session at Knockhill, where running is very important due to the undulating nature of the circuit to make the all setup changes for the weekend, we had an opening practice session that was chock full of incident, with rookies Oliver Gray and Marcos Flack falling foul to the demands of Scotland’s premier race venue.

Fortec’s Gray ran in fourth after causing an earlier red flag from an off track excursion, eventually forming a Noah’s ark formation up front between the battling teams of JHR and Fortec, in what is a pivotal race in the championship fight between the two squads. Rookie Dougie Bolger was straight on the pace once again, setting the fifth fastest time and solidly placing himself as the lead Carlin runner and thus continuing his form from Oulton Park.

Mckenzy Cresswell was in sixth place, just two thousandths back from Bolger, with Arden Motorsport’s highest placed driver Zak Taylor in seventh. Championship leader James Hedley was down in eighth place in what is an important weekend for the title race. Carlin’s Kai Askey and JHR’s Joseph Loake rounded out the top ten in what has been a very promising and productive start to the day for the Derbyshire based team.

Mathias Zagazeta wound up in eleventh place and initially running closer to the summit of the times, with the Peruvian finishing just ahead of Carlin’s Tasanapol Inthraphuvasak in twelfth. Rookie and relative season newcomer Aiden Neate was just seven hundredths behind his more experienced team mate Zagazeta in thirteenth spot.

Tom Blomqvist hopes the NIO 333 FE Team can end the 2020-21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season on a high after a tough campaign that has yielded only five points in the opening thirteen races for the British racer.

Blomqvist scored points in both of the Rome E-Prix races back in April but has failed to break into the top ten in any race since, while team-mate Oliver Turvey has not fared much better, scoring points in only three races this season. 

This weekend sees Formula E return to the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit for the final two races of the season, and Blomqvist is aiming to return to the points and bring home some joy to a team that has been working extremely hard to improve their car throughout the season.

“It’s the last double header of the season, so hopefully we can go out on a high note,” said Blomqvist. “It’s an energy demanding circuit that Formula E has spiced up again by having two different directions for us to race on each day, which will be interesting.

“It’s a track where it is slightly difficult to make a difference, it’s a unique surface, very hard on tyres and super hard on energy. It’s going to be challenging, but hopefully we can have a good qualifying, stay out of trouble in the races and maximise our package.

The Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team have confirmed that both Pascal Wehrlein and André Lotterer will remain with the team for the 2021-22 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season.

Wehrlein had been expected to remain after a strong first season with the team, but Lotterer’s position was less clear after a troubled year that has seen him score points in only four of the thirteen races of the current season.

However, both drivers will remain with the team in Formula E for next season, much to the delight of Amiel Lindesay, the Head of Operations Formula E at Porsche.

“We’ve made enormous progress as a team this season,” said Lindesay. “Andre and Pascal have made a significant contribution to this positive development.

“We’re pleased that we are continuing our successful path together in season 8.”

Amiel Lindesay, the Head of Operations Formula E of the Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, hopes the German outfit can maximise their potential this weekend in the final round of the 2020-21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Berlin.

Porsche have shown hints of what they are capable of this season, and although Lindesay feels the team are in a much stronger position than they were twelve months ago, they are still seeking their first victory in Formula E.

Pascal Wehrlein did take the chequered flag first in the Puebla E-Prix but was subsequently disqualified on a technicality, but Lindesay says that first victory does not feel too far away for Porsche.

“As a team, we’re a lot stronger than we were 12 months ago,” said Lindesay.  “We’ve worked hard to continue improving. We scored points recently, and we’ve shown that we can deal with tricky situations well.

“Quali let us down slightly but we stayed positive knowing we have the car and the team to consistently run at the front. The competition in the world championship is tough and a fraction of a second in qualifying or a small mistake in the race can cost a podium.

Pascal Wehrlein admits that the Tag Heuer Porsche Formula E Team go into the season finale of the 2020-21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship as underdogs in the battle for the title but having two strong races at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit could put him firmly in the hunt for the crown.

The German goes into the final two races of the season in Berlin sitting down in eleventh place in the Drivers’ Championship but only twenty-four points behind current leader Nyck de Vries, and the former Formula 1 driver is aiming to bring home good points on both Saturday and Sunday in order to give him a shot at becoming champion.

“The fact that we’re still within striking distance of the front on the last race weekend is a success in itself,” said Wehrlein.  “But we want more. We’re certainly not the favourites in the fight for the title, but with two strong races, a lot is possible.

“In any case, we’ll do our absolute best to ensure that we make a decent leap up the points table. To compete in Germany and particularly in front of home crowds is exactly the right motivation.”

This weekend will see Formula E race on two different layouts in Berlin, with race one on the traditional track with race two on Sunday being run with the track in reverse. Wehrlein did not race in Berlin when they used three tracks in 2020, meaning he goes into this weekend with experience of only the one layout.

As we head into what is arguably the most loved and revered circuit on the British F4 calendar in Knockhill, it’s fair to say that the race for the 2021 championship is becoming more and more hotly contested, with no less than seven drivers tasting the winner’s champagne and even more impressively – two thirds of the grid finishing on the rostrum after the opening four race meetings so far.

None of this should be a surprise with the strength in depth of the 2021 grid, so that’s why we can expect another barnstorming event this weekend at the premier Scottish venue in Fife, with championship leader James Hedley looking to solidify his title advantage at a track he and Fortec Motorsport historically runs well at it.

The general talk of the paddock is that Hedley is enjoying the most success, with the second year driver enjoying a 24-point lead after taking four victories, but it’s no secret that rookie Matthew Rees is taking many headlines himself with his immense consistency as well as the extra points gained in the reverse grid races, and let’s not forget the mesmerising string of pole positions the JHR Developments driver had at the beginning of the season.

Another impressive rookie has been Mckenzy Cresswell, now sitting third in the championship. As well as sitting second in the rookie cup standings, Cresswell will be looking to fight back after his rollercoaster weekend in Oulton Park last time out, where he secured a race victory amongst a tough qualifying weekend fighting through the field for the most part.

The driver that had the biggest championship gain at Oulton Park was another JHR driver – Joseph Loake. The Thruxton race three winner added another winner’s trophy to his tally in Cheshire, and gained five places in the championship from ninth to fourth, firmly adding his name into the conversation for honours as we rapidly approach the half way mark in this enthralling season.

Oliver Rowland hopes the combination of starting from the front row of the grid in the London E-Prix and the fact he took his maiden ABB FIA Formula E World Championship victory in Berlin last year will give him a boost as he bids for points this weekend.

The Nissan e.dams driver has had a mixed bag of results this year and sits down in sixteenth place in the Drivers’ Championship heading to the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit, although he maintains a mathematical chance of the title.

Rowland, who is set to leave Nissan at the end of the year to join Mahindra Racing, hopes to end the season on a high and will be racing hard to secure two strong results in Germany.

“I started from the front row at the previous race in London, and I took my first Formula E win in Berlin,” said Rowland.  “I’m hoping that this combination of London speed and success last time in Berlin will power us into the points this weekend.

“We really want to finish the season on a high and we’ll be racing harder than ever.”

Coming down to the end of the season, the NTT IndyCar Series returns home to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for another race this season on the road course.

With only five races left to go, Chip Ganassi Racing‘s Alex Palou still holds the championship lead with 410 points but his teammate Scott Dixon is now in second 42 points behind. After an incident in Nashville, Patricio O’Ward has dropped to third in the standings, followed by Josef Newgarden in fourth and Music City Grand Prix winner Marcus Ericsson in fifth.

This weekend also sees the IndyCar grid grows once more with the debut of Formula 2 star Christian Lundgaard for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, the forty-second driver to appear in the series this year.

In a blockbuster doubleheader weekend with the NASCAR Cup Series, will Dixon be able to catch his young teammate and claim his seventh championship? Will anybody else be able to challenge the young Spaniard or his legendary teammate? Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the Big Machine Spiked Coolers Grand Prix.

WHAT HAPPENED LAST YEAR?

It wasn’t quite last year but instead three months ago at the GMR Grand Prix, where Romain Grosjean scored his first IndyCar pole position and led the field to green. An early incident in turn one saw Simon Pagenaud spin Conor Daly to bring out the first caution not even a lap into the race. Already under caution some teams chose to move to the alternate red-wall tyres, namely Dixon and O’Ward, as it was believed that they were the optimal racing tyre.

Susie Wolff, the Team Principal of the ROKiT Venturi Racing team, says pretty much anything is possible this weekend in Berlin, with Edoardo Mortara still in contention for the Drivers’ Championship.

The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship concludes this weekend at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit with two races on two different layouts, and lead driver Mortara sits ninth in the championship, only twenty-one points behind Nyck de Vries. 

Team-mate Norman Nato is twenty-first and out of championship contention, but Wolff says that where both drivers will be in Qualifying should benefit the Venturi team, and she hopes that both Mortara and Nato can deliver strong results in both races in Germany.

Wolff says one good weekend can change everything, with the former Williams Racing test driver proving that by pointing out the strong Puebla E-Prix weekend for Mortara that saw the Swiss racer take a win and a podium to move to the very top of the Formula E standings.

“We’re heading into a weekend season finale where just about anything is possible,” said Wolff.  “We have a car starting in Group 2 and a car starting in Group 4 in qualifying which should hopefully work to our advantage and we’ve seen how quickly things can change over the course of a double header race weekend.

Edoardo Mortara is hoping to have better results in Qualifying at the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit after dropping down to Group 2 following a couple of difficult weekends in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

The ROKiT Venturi Racing driver led the standings after the Puebla E-Prix after a victory and a podium, but the Swiss racer has scored only two points in the subsequent four races, courtesy of a ninth-place finish in race one of the London E-Prix.

Mortara now sits down in ninth place in the Drivers’ Championship heading to the Berlin E-Prix, twenty-one points behind current leader Nyck de Vries, and he hopes to return to the form he showed in Mexico and make a bid for the title.

“Racing on two different circuits on one weekend is a new challenge for everyone in Formula E but I’m feeling quite optimistic for Berlin,” said Mortara.  “I’m excited to get back into the car and being a part of Group 2 qualifying should benefit us because we’ll avoid the usual difficulties that come from Group 1.

“I think if we can qualify well, we should be able to score a big haul of points in both races and consistency is my main aim for the weekend. If we can establish a strong performance baseline, we should be able to perform well and given the pace we have shown at points this season, I think we have the potential to challenge for podiums.”

Sylvain Filippi, the Managing Director and CTO of Envision Virgin Racing, says it is with excitement that the team head to the Berlin E-Prix this weekend with eyes on clinching both the Drivers’ and Team’s Championship.

Virgin head to the Tempelhof Airport Street Circuit on top of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Teams’ standings, while Robin Frijns and Nick Cassidy are second and seventh respectively in the Drivers’ table.  Frijns is only six points adrift of championship leader Nyck de Vries, while Cassidy is a further thirteen points back.

Filippi says the teams’ position in the standings shows that they have been working on the finer details in Formula E, and it is with pride they go into the season finale with ambitions on taking both titles.

“We are excited to head to Berlin in such a good position in the standings,” said Filippi. “Every detail matters in Formula E, every marginal gain counts; and this result is testament to all the hard work, dedication, and talent of the whole team, on and off the track.

“Our team is the best it has ever been, and I am really proud of the tremendous job they have done this season, no matter what happens in Berlin.”