Jean-Eric Vergne was quickest in the opening practice session ahead of Formula E’s double-header in London, just 0.004s ahead of Robin Frijns.
The London ExCel Arena venue is a part-indoor, part-outdoor circuit that’s tight and twisty in most places – with flat-out racing expected.
Two-time champion Vergne, who is just 13 points off the championship lead in sixth place, topped the session with a 1m21.650s for DS Techeetah just ahead of fellow title contender Frijns.
Championship leader Sam Bird, winner of the second 2015 London E-Prix, was third-fastest for Jaguar Racing, while defending champion Antonio Felix da Costa made up the top four.
Bird is currently leading the championship by five points ahead of da Costa and Frijns.
Bird’s team-mate Mitch Evans just was 0.096s slower than Vergne’s benchmark but ended the session in fifth place.
Mahindra’s Alex Lynn finished the 45-minute session in sixth place, one spot ahead of Stoffel Vandoorne.
Vandoorne and his Mercedes team are in desperate need of a strong weekend, having spent three months away from the podium positions.
Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein was eight-fastest ahead of Vandoorne’s team-mate Nyck de Vries.
Dragon Penske Autosport’s Sergio Sette Camara rounded out the top 10 ahead of Edoardo Mortara (Venturi) and BMW i Andretti’s Jake Dennis.
Practice 1 Results
| Pos | Name | Team | Car | Gap Next | Gap Leader | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean-Eric Vergne | DS Techeetah | DS E-Tense FE21 | 1m21.65s | ||
| 2 | Robin Frijns | Envision Virgin Racing | Audi e-tron FE07 | +0.004s | +0.004s | 1m21.654s |
| 3 | Sam Bird | Jaguar Racing | Jaguar I-Type 5 | +0.034s | +0.038s | 1m21.688s |
| 4 | António Félix da Costa | DS Techeetah | DS E-Tense FE21 | +0.027s | +0.065s | 1m21.715s |
| 5 | Mitch Evans | Jaguar Racing | Jaguar I-Type 5 | +0.031s | +0.096s | 1m21.746s |
| 6 | Alex Lynn | Mahinda Racing | Mahindra M7Electro | +0.048s | +0.144s | 1m21.794s |
| 7 | Stoffel Vandoorne | Mercedes-Benz EQ | Mercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02 | +0.021s | +0.165s | 1m21.815s |
| 8 | Pascal Wehrlein | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E | Porsche 99X Electric | +0.122s | +0.287s | 1m21.937s |
| 9 | Nyck de Vries | Mercedes-Benz EQ | Mercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02 | +0.021s | +0.308s | 1m21.958s |
| 10 | Sérgio Sette Câmara | Dragon / Penske Autosport | Penske EV-5 | +0.08s | +0.388s | 1m22.038s |
| 11 | Edoardo Mortara | RokIT Venturi Racing | Mercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02 | +0.007s | +0.395s | 1m22.045s |
| 12 | Jake Dennis | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | BMW iFE.21 | +0.009s | +0.404s | 1m22.054s |
| 13 | André Lotterer | TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E | Porsche 99X Electric | +0.089s | +0.493s | 1m22.143s |
| 14 | Norman Nato | RokIT Venturi Racing | Mercedes-EQ Silver Arrow 02 | +0.084s | +0.577s | 1m22.227s |
| 15 | René Rast | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | Audi e-tron FE07 | +0.069s | +0.646s | 1m22.296s |
| 16 | Joel Eriksson | Dragon / Penske Autosport | Penske EV-5 | +0.005s | +0.651s | 1m22.301s |
| 17 | Lucas Di Grassi | Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler | Audi e-tron FE07 | +0.041s | +0.692s | 1m22.342s |
| 18 | Maximilian Günther | BMW i Andretti Motorsport | BMW iFE.21 | +0.087s | +0.779s | 1m22.429s |
| 19 | Oliver Rowland | Nissan e.DAMS | Nissan IM03 | +0.02s | +0.799s | 1m22.449s |
| 20 | Nick Cassidy | Envision Virgin Racing | Audi e-tron FE07 | +0.008s | +0.807s | 1m22.457s |
| 21 | Alexander Sims | Mahinda Racing | Mahindra M7Electro | +0.099s | +0.906s | 1m22.556s |
| 22 | Tom Blomqvist | NIO 333 Formula E Team | NIO 333 001 | +0.072s | +0.978s | 1m22.628s |
| 23 | Sébastien Buemi | Nissan e.DAMS | Nissan IM03 | +0.017s | +0.995s | 1m22.645s |
| 24 | Oliver Turvey | NIO 333 Formula E Team | NIO 333 001 | +0.118s | +1.113s | 1m22.763s |
