F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Vergne fends off Lotterer to deliver a Techeetah 1-2 in Santiago

Poleman Jean-Eric Vergne fended off Techeetah team mate André Lotterer to win an action-packed ePrix held on the streets of Santiago.

Formula E's maiden race in the Chilean capital was a close fought affair and delivered the first one-two finish for a team in the burgeoning all-electric series.

Vergne sparked ahead from pole but was challenged at the outset from Jaguar's Nelson Piquet Jr who enjoyed a blistering launch off the grid from fifth.

The Safety Car was called out in the early laps following separate incidents involving Jose Maria Lopez and Maro Engel.

On the restart, Piquet was slow to get back into action on the restart while Lotterer moved into second behind detached team mate Vergne.

The series' first car-swap with no minimum time showcased the speed and agility of Felix Rosenqvist and his Mahindra crew, the Swede jumping from tenth to fifth over the course of the pitstop.

Lucas di Grassi on the other hand was hit another bout of miserable luck, his car grinding to a halt shortly as he exited the pits, putting the Brazilian out of contention once again.

Racing out at the front, Vergne was cautious however, feeling his way through his energy use after his radio failed, and with Lotterer snapping at his heels.

Behind, Buemi and Piquet were locked in a massive battle which ended when the Brazilian attempted an over-zealous attack on his rival at Turn 3, a move which set the Jaguar driver back a few spots.

As Vergne and Lotterer battled it out, Buemi, Rosenqvist and Sam Bird joined the festivities but the Techeetah duo ultimately prevailed to conquer a historic one-two finish.

Piquet salvaged sixth, while Mitch Evans, Jezrome d'Ambrosio, Antonio Felxi da Costa andNicoals Prost rounded off the top-ten.

Vergne leads the Drivers' Standings with 71 points from Rosenqvist with 66, Bird with 61, Buemi with 37 and Piquet with 33.

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