Thunderbozz

Felix Rosenqvist took the chequered flag at Sunday's Berlin ePrix, but was denied victory after a disastrous mix-up by the Mahindra pit team resulted in him being handed a penalty. This handed first place to Sébastien Buemi, who was disqualified from Saturday's race due to incorrect tyre pressures. It was a great start to the race for Rosenqvist, who started on pole. Buemi, in second, din't get away quickly from the line, allowing the Swede to rapidly open up a two-second lead. This also bunched up the rest of the field, with cars having to go three abreast in order to navigate the opening corners. Only Maro Engel was unlucky enough to pick up enough damage to end his race, although he later took to the track in an attempt to set the fastest lap time. Buemi wasn't off the pace for too long, and halved the gap to first within the opening laps. His progress looked positively glacial compared to Nick Heidfeld, though. Starting from the back of the grid after a problem wi...

Mahindra's dominance and news of Sébastien Buemi's disqualification in round seven set up a fascinating qualifying session for the second Berlin ePrix of the weekend. Stephane Sarrazin was the first to take to the track, but despite improving times from the Saturday sessions, he could only take provisional third. Both Mahindra drivers were drawn in the first group, but had mixed fortunes. Rosenqvist set a time in the low 1:08 range, but Nick Heidfeld suffered a problem with his throttle that put him last. Nelson Piquet Jr. took the fourth slot, Maro Engel in provisional P-2. In contrast to many drivers' strategies, Daniel Abt took to the track as soon as the pit lane opened, hoping to time it right and set a fast lap with an empty track ahead of him. It paid off, although his time wasn't enough to beat Rosenqvist. But with both Renaults in the same group, both men were relegated a place when Buemi set a quicker time. Team-mate Nicolas Prost also reached the top five,...

The first Berlin ePrix of the weekend saw Mahindra's Felix Rosenqvist claim his first Formula E victory. Lucas di Grassi picked up vital championship points, but Sébastien Buemi also scored well despite having started fourteenth on the grid. Di Grassi started the race from pole, with Jose Maria Lopez alongside him. But the DS Virgin driver had a very slow getaway from the line, leaving di Grassi free to lead the field without any problems in the first few corners. The Mahindra cars of Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld took advantage and moved into second and third, leaving Lopez just ahead of his team-mate, Sam Bird. A number of fastest laps were set in the opening exchanges, by several different drivers. Nicolas Prost set the fastest time early on, only to then lock up and fall back into ninth place. With the field slightly backed up by the Frenchman's mistake, Oliver Turvey looked likely to take advantage and make an overtaking move, but he couldn't find a gap. Rosenqvist ...

Warm temperatures and an abrasive track surface gave drivers additional challenges in the first qualifying session of the Berlin ePrix weekend. Sam Bird came out on top from the first group, three-tenths clear of Daniel Abt. Both drivers set times in the 1:08 range, giving them a fighting chance of progressing to the Super Pole round. The remaining drivers, Antonio Felix da Costa, Adam Carroll and Robin Frijns, all looked significantly off the pace they set in the free practice sessions. Jean-Éric Vergne continued his run of good qualifying performances with a provisional P-2 from the second group. Nicolas Prost and Jerome D’Ambrosio took fourth and fifth with tidy laps, with ten drivers still to take to the track. Loïc Duval and Maro Engel brought up the rest of the field The drama kicked up a notch in the third group. First to cross the timing line, José María López showed he is now much more comfortable in the Formula E car and took P-2. Lucas di Grassi w...

Berlin's Templelhof airport will once again host Formula E racing next weekend. The first of three double-header events, every point scored could prove crucial to deciding the drivers' title. Several drivers face missing races in the final weekends (in New York and Montreal) due to contractual agreements with the World Endurance Championship. Current championship leader Sébastien Buemi is among them, although he recently hinted that he may be able to race  depending on results in the WEC. Double-headers also puts greater pressure on teams to get their cars' setups just right -- and there's less time for major repairs in the event of an accident. Lucas di Grassi trails Buemi by 44 points going into the weekend, so although it's improbable that he'll overtake Renault's driver in the standings, he must take every opportunity to close the gap. Track back The airfield at the former Tempelhof airport provides a blank canvass for track designers to work with....