Suddenly eight cars are parked in the curve. A pile-up overshadowed the penultimate Formula E race. Nyck de Vries, who was still world champion, was hit particularly hard at the premiere in South Korea. A competitor’s car came to rest on the Mercedes racer. It was only after long minutes that he was able to free himself from the cockpit.
Everything was set for the World Championship show by Mercedes-Mann and World Championship leader Stoffel Vandoorne. Then everything turned out differently.
Already in the first lap, several cars collide and slide into the barriers. Eight racers are stuck. The reason: on the wet track, the spray made for miserable visibility. A chain reaction was triggered in turn 21. One after the other the pilots crashed out.
Title decision postponed
World Champion Nyck de Vries fell under the cars of Sebastien Buemi (Nissan-e-dams). Thanks to the Halo roll bar, the Dutchman was uninjured.
“Fortunately we have it and that saved me. It’s good that we can laugh about it and don’t have to cry,” he told “Motorsport.com”.
However, the 27-year-old had to wait a long time before he could get out. Just when the Buemi car was recovered. The other drivers also suffered no injuries.
The race was interrupted for 45 minutes, and the restart followed behind the safety car. Jaguar driver Mitch Evans won the race in Seoul. Vandoorne was fifth. The championship decision will now be made in the last race of the season on Sunday – hopefully without a mass crash. Championship leader Vandoorne has a 21-point lead over Evans. Fifth place is enough for him to win the World Cup.