Building upon a podium in Mexico City and our maiden win in Hong Kong, Season 5 continued to yield success at the most fitting venue possible – our home race in Monaco.
As a biennial event – taking place only once every two years – we were determined to make the most of our home E-Prix. And when Felipe qualified P4, the stage was set to do just that in the ninth race of the season.
Securing a strong start from the second row, Felipe held off Sebastien Buemi on the opening lap to maintain P4 and put himself in a position to challenge further as the E-Prix progressed.
With pressure mounting in the battle for the lead, second-placed runner Pascal Wehrlein locked-up into Turn 1 with 36-minutes + 1 lap of racing remaining.
That mistake promoted to Felipe to P3 and, as the clock ticked down, pressure continued to build in the fight at the front.
With the top four covered by only a handful of seconds, a single mistake could prove to be costly – but despite facing a constant challenge from behind, Felipe managed his energy usage perfectly.
Using precisely the maximum amount of energy available, Felipe took P3 at the chequered flag and thus his maiden Formula E podium in an emotional moment for all at Venturi – our faces the picture of pride amidst the celebrations.
As Monaco’s only racing team, it was a special moment to stand on the podium and we’re already counting the days to our next home event!