Andre Lotterer
Formula E

Paris e-Prix preview – who wins next in the most unpredictable of motorsport series?

Fraser Masefield
25 Apr 2019
4 min read

When Mitch Evans pipped Andre Lotterer to win the Rome e-Prix, he became the seventh different winner in as many races in this most dramatic and unpredictable of seasons.

In winning, the New Zealander joined Antonio Felix da Costa, Jerome d’Ambrosio, Sam Bird, Lucas di Grassi, Edoardo Mortara and Jean-Eric Vergne as race victors. So, who wins next when racing resumes around the streets of Paris?

On form, it would be hard to look past Andre Lotterer. The German DS TECHEETAH driver looked certain to break his Formula E duck in Hong Kong until punted into retirement by Sam Bird and again led much of the race in Rome until Evans pulled off a fantastic overtake under Attack Mode to snatch victory.

“We’re doing well playing at the front regularly, but we are focusing on the long game,” said Lotterer. “I want to win of course and hope that eventually it will happen. The championship is long still, and we have to play smart. I’m looking forward to the race in Paris it’s our second home race and can’t wait to get to this very special city.”

Jean-Eric Vergne’s victory in Sanya, allied to Lotterer’s current run of form, means that DS TECHEETAH leads the constructors’ standings. And given that it is the Frenchman’s home race, and one that he won last year, he must be a strong candidate to become the first driver to record a second win in 2019.

“It’s always special to race in cities that mean a lot to you, especially with Formula E as we race in city-centres,” said Vergne. “With the tragedy of the Notre Dame fire, it will be even more special for everyone here. Winning the Paris E-Prix last year was one of my most memorable moments in racing and I hope that I can replicate it this year, it’s certainly the target.”

It’s also the home race for DS Automobiles and Xavier Mestelan Pinon, DS Performance Director, is hopeful the team can put on a good show for the fans.

“Paris here we come,” said Pinon. “The Parisian E-Prix is a very special one for DS Automobiles as the only French manufacturer participating in the ABB FIA Formula E championship. We arrive as the leaders of the Teams’ championship with DS TECHEETAH and our E-TENSE ambassador, Jean-Éric Vergne, won the Paris E-Prix last year. This adds some pressure but with our drivers, Jean-Éric Vergne and André Lotterer, we approach this race with serenity as the latest developments made on the DS E-TENSE FE19 in Rome proved to be effective with André’s near win.

“It’s crucial in this championship to continue to evolve throughout the season as the competition is fierce and the ranking incredibly tight. We now have races every fortnight during the European leg of the season so there’s a lot of opportunities to gain valuable points.”

Round eight of the season is also marks a home race for NIO’s Tom Dillmann and the driver from Mulhouse in France will be hoping for plenty of partisan support around the 14 corner, 1.93 kilometre street circuit.

“The Paris E-Prix is my home race, so I am really looking forward to it,” said Dillmann “Racing around such an historic monument is always exciting and challenging. It is a proper street circuit and quite tricky. I made my debut in Formula E in Paris during Season 3 and scored points straight away, so my goal will be to achieve the same for NIO this weekend.”

In terms of the championship, it really couldn’t be tighter with just four points separating the top four drivers and just 13 points between ninth placed Edoardo Mortara and leader Jerome d’Ambrosio.

Who wins next? Your guess is as good as mine!

Fraser Masefield

Sports news and features writer, web editor and author.

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