Robin Frijns finished second in the first race of the E-prix weekend in Rome.
The Maastricht resident, who drives for Envision Racing, had started from P2 on the 3.8 kilometer long street circuit of the Italian capital. Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans won the race.
Fraction slower in qualifying
Robin Frijns was a fraction of a second slower in the final of qualifying than Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne, who was allowed to start from pole position as the winner. Frijns had eliminated André Lotterer in the quarter-finals and was also faster than world champion Nyck de Vries in the semi-finals.
Fry in the head
Immediately after the start, Frijns tried to put his car next to Vandoorne, but was unable to do so. After three minutes the race was neutralized because Günther had put his car against the wall in a bend. After the safety car had left the track, a battle for the lead ensued and after fifteen minutes of racing Frijns Vandoorne ousted from the lead. Shortly after Vandoorne had switched on the attack mode, the man from Maastricht also switched to it, giving his car 13% more power for four minutes. Frijns remained in the lead for a long time, but had to give up the lead to Vandoorne fifteen minutes before the end. The pair switched positions again within a minute, but with ten minutes to go, Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans took the lead.
Evans in the lead
While behind him Frijns, Vandoorne, Vergne and Dennis battled for a podium place and constantly changed positions, the Briton walked further and further away. He cut a gap of eight seconds and crossed the finish line unthreatened. In the final phase, Frijns dropped back to fourth place for a short time, but eventually crossed the finish line with a slight lead over Vandoorne.
Third in World Cup standings
It gave the Maastrichtian 18 points. He is now third in the world championship standings in Formula E with 42 points, seven points behind Switzerland’s Edoardo Mortara and four behind Stoffel Vandoorne.
On Sunday afternoon, the 22 Formula E drivers will return to action in Rome.