Venturi’s Edo Mortara wins in Marrakesh, takes the top spot in Formula E
Today, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship made its first visit to Marrakesh, Morocco since February 2020. The combination of high-speed sweep angles and tight turns has made missed in the season where the venue was not on schedule.
DS Techeetah’s António Félix da Costa took pole position after defeating teammate Jean-Éric Vergne in the qualifying semi-final and then Venturi’s Edoardo Mortara in the final. Mercedes-EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne, who leads in championship points, made it through to the 20th qualifying round.
The top three drivers on the grid started into the first corner in qualifying order, with Da Costa leading, Mortara second and Vergne third. The start didn’t go well for fourth place, Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. Porsche drivers are quickly intimidated by drivers behind.
Wehrlein’s car had technical problems, so he defended fiercely to keep his position, while the rest of the yard was trapped in a train behind. Jaguar’s Mitch Evans was the first driver to overtake Porsche in fourth. Then the flood gates opened, and the Wehrlein sank to the command to run.
Through the attack mode cycle, Mortara will lead the race with Da Costa in pursuit. Da Costa’s teammate Jean-Éric Vergne came in third with more power in the battery and just five points behind the championship lead. Teecheetah ordered Da Costa to step aside for Vergne. And when Vergne’s attacks failed, the team changed the order of their vehicles.
Da Costa played better in the second challenge to take the lead, but couldn’t get past Mortara. Edo Mortara will be the first to cross the finish line to win the Marrakesh E-Prix. Even so, Vergne won’t just drop to third. On the final lap, Mitch Evans amazingly overcame Vergne to claim his opponent’s championship.
Race results – Top 10
- Edoardo Mortara
- António Félix da Costa
- Mitch Evans
- Jean-Eric Vergne
- Lucas di Grassi
- Nyck de Vries
- Jake Dennis
- Stoffel Vandoorne
- Bird Sam
- Oliver Rowland
Edoardo Mortara currently leads the drivers’ championship by 11 points over Jean-Éric Vergne. Formula E will be back in two weeks for the New York City E-Prix.