Under the bright lights at the Diriyah E-Prix circuit
in Saudi Arabia, Season 7 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship got off to a thrilling start as
the electric street racing series held its first ever night races.
Lynn scored a Super Pole appearance first time out in qualifying in the new season for race 1 on Friday
and eventually set the fifth fastest time, while Sims secured a sixth row start from 11th. At the start
of the race Lynn settled into sixth but had a fiercely fought race, mostly sandwiched between the two
Jaguars of Mitch Evans and Sam Bird. On lap 16, Bird attempted a dive down the inside and clashed
with Lynn, who was spun around and forced into retirement due to a broken front suspension. Sims
moved up into tenth on the first lap and, although falling behind Oliver Rowland when the latter took
Attack Mode, he moved up to 9th after Lynn and Bird’s collision. He took advantage in the closing laps,
gaining ground up to 7th position and took the chequered flag there, opening his points account for the
season.
Ahead of race 2 on Saturday, Lynn qualified in ninth, although started the race from 12th after being
handed a three place grid penalty, while Sims secured a seventh row start from 14th. Lynn was slow
off the grid, so briefly dropped to P20 but then began to steadily climb back through the field. By lap 26
Lynn was up to P17 and Sims had made his way up to eleventh position and was targeting some further
Championship points.
The following lap, Lynn was involved in an accident which saw his car go airborne after it made contact
with Mitch Evans’ car. Lynn’s car landed upside down and travelled a short distance before coming
to a stop. The marshalls and medical team were able to extract him and he was taken to hospital for
precautionary checks. He was later discharged.
Saturday’s race was red flagged following Lynn’s incident and Sims crossed the finish line in 11th
position just outside of the points. Sims was later given a drive through penalty for over-use of power,
and so was classified in 15th position.
Friday’s race was won by Mercedes-Benz’s Nyck De Vries, while on Saturday Sam Bird took the spoils.
Round 3 of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is set to take place in Rome, Italy, on Saturday
10 April.
ALEXANDER SIMS
“I’m obviously very happy to hear that Alex is ok. Looking back at the weekend, it’s disappointing not
to have come away with better results, however there is reason to be optimistic for the rest of the
season. The race pace in both races was good, we were able to comfortably hold position and we know
why things didn’t come together for qualifying. So I am confident that we can go away and work on
these elements and come back fighting in Rome.”
DILBAGH GILL, MAHINDRA RACING CEO AND TEAM PRINCIPAL
“The most important thing is that Alex is ok after his accident. It was a nasty accident, but it’s
testament to the ongoing work that Formula E and the FIA do around safety that Alex only suffered
some bumps and bruises and will be back racing with us in Rome. Regarding the race weekend, whilst
we didn’t achieve the race results we’d hoped for, it is clear that the pace is there and we have made
a big step forward from last year where race pace was a concern. In the opening round Alex (Lynn)
showed that we have qualifying pace with his Super Pole lap in race one whilst Alexander‘s (Sims) race
pace was solid. We will now go away as a team and work on how we translate this pace into strong
race results for Rome.”
MAHINDRA RACING
Mahindra Racing is a founding team – and the only Indian team – to compete in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, the world’s first all-electric
street racing series. Mahindra Racing has an impressive stats sheet and is a multi-race winning outfit after scoring its breakthrough victory at the Berlin
E-Prix in 2017. The squad is committed not only to pushing the limits of technology and innovation in the electric vehicle space, but to addressing the
impact of climate change; it was the first Formula E team to be awarded the FIA Environmental Accreditation Three-Star rating and is the only team to be
certified Net Zero Carbon footprint, demonstrating best practice and excellence in sustainability practices.
ABB FIA FORMULA E WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship brings intense and unpredictable all-electric racing to the heart of iconic cities around the world. In its first six
seasons Formula E crowned five different champions and celebrated 17 winners in 69 races. With more automotive manufacturers on the grid than any
other motorsport, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is not only one of the most compelling racing series on the planet but also an unparalleled
proving ground for race-to-road electric vehicle and sustainable mobility technologies.
MAHINDRA GROUP
The Mahindra Group is a USD 19.4 billion federation of companies that enables people to rise through innovative mobility solutions, driving
rural prosperity, enhancing urban living, nurturing new businesses and fostering communities. It enjoys a leadership position in utility vehicles,
information technology, financial services and vacation ownership in India and is the world’s largest tractor company by volume. It also enjoys
a strong presence in renewable energy, agribusiness, logistics and real estate development. Headquartered in India, Mahindra employs over
2,56,000 people across 100 countries.