The Formula E Championship returns to the USA one year on from the last race held at this Long Beach street circuit on the 4th April last. On that occasion, victory went to Nelsinho Piquet Jr., who in California thus took his first “electric” win at the very same venue at which his father Nelson recorded his maiden Formula 1 victory in 1980, at the wheel of a Brahbam. Piquet Jr. laid the groundwork for his win with an amazing start which rocketed him from third to first place, brushing aside pole man Daniel Abt and Nicolas Prost. From then on, he did a brilliant job of managing his available energy, something which became his trademark on the way to conquering the title.

Even though the race was neutralised twice, the NEXTEV TCR driver – in fact it was at Long Beach that the team debuted its new name – managed to maintain the lead quite comfortably to be first past the chequered flag. Behind him came Jean-Eric Vergne (Andretti) for his best ever result in Formula E, and Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT.)

The Long Beach ePrix could be the watershed moment of the season, because at round 5, in Mexico City, the Drivers’ classification, previously quite close, was blown apart. Lucas di Grassi was first past the chequered flag at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, but was then disqualified, which has allowed Renault e.Dams driver Sebastien Buemi, second in the Mexican race, to pull out a substantial 22 point lead ( 98 to 76) over ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport’s Brazilian.

Another win for the Swiss driver would carve out a significant gap, although not yet a decisive one, in the fight for the Drivers’ crown.

Mexico was the second Formula E win for Jerome D’Ambrosio and it means Dragon Racing leap into second spot in the teams’ classification, even if 34 points off the leading Renault e.Dams squad, 136 to 102. Strangely enough, D’Ambrosio’s first win in this category, last year in Berlin, also came as a result of Di Grassi being excluded from the result.

The outcome of the Mexico City race demonstrated that, while Buemi and Prost’s cars seem to have a little something extra over the rest of the field in terms of outright performance, a well-matched pack is still one of the features of this series. In fact, once again it was evident that in order to win, everything must go perfectly from start to finish on race day. Just the slightest mistake, as was the case for Buemi in the super pole battle, and any theoretical advantage can simply vanish. Clearly keen to do well in front of the American fans will be the two Stars and Stripes teams – Dragon Racing and Andretti. The Jay Penske team holds the record for the most points scored in a single ePrix (40,) having reprised its Berlin performance in Mexico City. Repeating that feat, or thereabouts would see them fully engaged in the fight for the team title, something which would have been hard to imagine at the start of the season.

2014/15 Long Beach ePrix

Race

Pole Position: Daniel Abt (Audi Sport ABT), 56.937

Fastest Lap: Nicolas Prost (e.dams Renault), 58.973

Season 2015/16

Long Beach ePrix 2015/16

Date: 2 April

Venue: Long Beach

Track length: 2,131 km

Start/finish line offset: 144 m

Number of laps: 41

Timetable