2015 FIA Formula E: Miami ePrix

This past March, the FIA held its premier Formula E Grand Prix here in downtown Miami. Very similar to F1, but with all electric motors. The ePrix, much like Miami, brought out a diverse crowd-spanning from NASCAR fans to F1 fans, even the local street racers and casual car enthusiasts made an appearance. The ePrix possess both the technical set up of Formula 1, and the fan friendly openness of the Indy Car/NASCAR garages.

Standing near the American Airlines Arena, the was an eerie silence. You would not have thought you were at the start line of a race. Oddly enough, the crowds and music playing over the speakers were louder than the idling race cars! Nonetheless, it was an incredible experience watching the electric racers zip through Miami’s intricate city streets.

RECAP

Nico Prost would eventually take 1st place in the fifth race of the series. After Jean Eric Vergne lead most of the 39 lap race. Because of a slip up from Vergne, Sam Bird quickly slid into pole position at lap 19. However, due to his Virgin Racing car running out of power on lap 20, this caused him to slip into 9th place. After the pit stops, Daniel Abt, Nico Prost and points leader Lucas DiGrassi held the top three positions. Daniel was unable to hold his 1st place spot, and Nico Prost made the move on him taking first. Within a couple turns, Scott Speed, the only American in the field, took the 2nd place position from Daniel.

Final results:

1. Nico Prost (e.dams-Renault)
2. Scott Speed (Andretti)
3. Daniel Abt (Audi Sport ABT)
4. Jerome d’Ambrosio (Dragon Racing)
5. Nelson Piquet Jr. (China Racing)
6. Antonio Felix da Costa (Amlin Aguri)
7. Loic Duval (Dragon Racing)
8. Sam Bird (Virgin Racing)
9. Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport ABT)
10. Salvador Duran (Amlin Aguri)
11. Jaime Alguersuari (Virgin Racing)
12. Nick Heidfeld (Venturi)
13. Sebastien Buemi (e.dams-Renault)
14. Karun Chandhok (Mahindra Racing)
15. Jarno Trulli (Trulli)
16. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Trulli)
17. Charles Pic (China Racing)
18. Jean-Eric Vergne (Andretti) – DNF
19. Stephane Sarrazin (Venturi) – DNF
20. Bruno Senna (Mahindra Racing) – DNF