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Following the controversial decision to delete his lap times from group qualifying, Lucas di Grassi faced an uphill challenge in Race One of the 2022 London E-Prix.
Starting from the back of the grid, the only way was forwards for the Brazilian and when the race got underway, he delivered an overtaking masterclass only synonymous with his speed and experience.
In a chaotic opening lap, Lucas gained five places from the outset and continued his charge around the ExCeL Circuit with an early Attack Mode activation.
Next passing Antonio Giovinazzi and Oliver Rowland, he was closing in on the top 10 and by utilising a balanced strategy, battled wheel-to-wheel with confidence to forge his path to the points.
By gaining a staggering 13 positions, he took home ninth at the chequered flag to register two points, although his fight for the weekend was far from over.
After cruelly dropping out of qualifying contention in Race One through no fault of his own, Lucas approached Race Two with a refreshed and renewed mindset and attitude.
From Group B, he confidently cruised into the qualifying duel stages and in Quarter-Final Four, defeated Oliver Askew to progress to the Semi-Finals.
By next pipping Giovinazzi, Lucas made it to the finals where he was to face off against Race One winner, Jake Dennis.
As the fastest two drivers from qualifying, the fight was on and although close, Lucas missed out by only 1.084 seconds, yet still secured his best starting position of the season so far.
Edoardo Mortara, meanwhile, narrowly fell short of the head-to-head stages and was relegated to a 17th-placed starting spot from Group A.
Facing the ExCeL Circuit’s traditional overtaking difficulties, our Swiss-Italian star showcased his outright speed and class from the cockpit by delivering another fighting drive.
Overtaking Rowland on lap one, Edo immediately moved forward to 16th and his determination was set on finishing inside the top 10.
He made swift progress and slotted into the points-paying positions after only 19 minutes of action before conserving energy with the advantage of Attack Mode for one final assault.
When battling for ninth, a spin in Turn One unfortunately pushed Edo outside of the points, before a five-second time penalty compounded his efforts further.
Nevertheless, Edo displayed another clinical recovery and despite finishing in 13th, will deliver one final push in August’s season finale in Seoul.
From second on the grid, Lucas had set his sights on the top step of the podium and with a strong start, held second off the line, in hot pursuit of Dennis ahead.
Utilising a tactical Attack Mode strategy, he remained in the fight throughout and by building an energy buffer over the first half without sacrificing speed, was in a prime position to strike.
When Dennis activated his final Attack Mode, Lucas took the lead and spent his excess energy to build an advantage and ultimately, take the chequered flag over three seconds ahead of the field.
With this result, Lucas secured his first win for ROKiT Venturi Racing and crucially, the 13th of his Formula E career to date – a record equalling result in the fully-electric series.
Scoring a total haul of 28 points from the London E-Prix, ROKiT Venturi Racing approaches the final weekend of Season 8 in the heat of the World Championship fight.
Holding 256 points, Monaco’s only racing team heads into the end Formula E’s Gen2 era in second in the Teams’ Championship with a maximum haul of 94 points still on offer.
With a pair of races in South Korea’s capital, Seoul, Season 8 is set to conclude in style and ahead of the series’ landmark 100th race, everything is still to play for.
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