Nelson Piquet Jr clinches inaugural Formula E title

In a riveting finale around London's Battersea Park, Nelson Piquet Jr was crowned as the very first Formula E champion.

Piquet certainly had his work cut out for him after starting way back in 16th position on the grid of Sunday's race. But the Team China driver stormed through to claim the title by a single point from Sebastian Buemi.

Buemi spun right after the mandatory car change and lost a position, a deficit which would prove crucial in the final stages of the race. Piquet meantime progressed through the ranks thanks to an aggressive energy strategy, while the title was definitely sealed when Buemi failed to recapture his lost position following a close scrap with Bruno Senna.

Frenchman Stéphane Sarrazin crossed the line first but was instantly relegated to 15th after exceeding his energy allocation, which handed the victory to Virgin Racing's Sam Bird. The penalty had no bearing on the championship's final points tally and Piquet's seventh place finish handed him the crown.

Speaking right after the finish, Nelsinho was quick to praise his team for his accomplishment.

"The championship has been really tough," said the Brazilian. "We've got a good group of guys. They trusted me and believed in me."

Click here for FIA President Jean Todt's thoughts on the current state of F1

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