Nelson Piquet Jr. currently enjoys a 17-point lead over Lucas di Grassi heading into the final Formula E double-header at Battersea Park, London, England, on June 27-28.
The lowest points-scoring finish of each driver will be dropped at the end of the season but, with all three top contenders in the points having failed to finish at least one race each this year, the fine print should bear little impact on the final three contender’s championship hopes.
Despite having power in reserve in Moscow, di Grassi narrowly missed out on victory when an overheating battery thwarted any opportunity to challenge Piquet in the closing laps. Di Grassi expressed his disappointment after the race, believing that a win was on the cards; his mood further darkened by virtue of his chief rival being the main beneficiary in Moscow.
The relationship between the Brazilians has soured over the course of the championship, with the Monaco ePrix providing the main flashpoint when Piquet accused di Grassi of blocking him during qualifying.
“It’s hilarious that he is the guy [who complains] night and day to the stewards about traffic in qualifying, and obviously he blocked my whole last sector, which he could have let me go”, said Piquet in Monaco. “I would have closed the lap and let him go by, but he preferred to try and screw my main lap”.
While Sebastien Buemi went on to win in Monaco, Piquet’s troubles gave Lucas di Grassi a much needed boost in the championship by leading the points heading into the Berlin round. A win for di Grassi at Tempelhof would have seen him put a firm stamp on the championship - if he were not excluded from the results due to illegal suspension strengthening modifications. The disqualification relegated di Grassi to third in the points.
The ABT driver was vitriolic in his response, taking to twitter to vent his frustration saying: “They are trying to
make me win this
Championship in
the hard mode.
Dont worry, we
will be back to
kick some Piquet
and Buemi ass ON
TRACK...”
Despite enjoying
his biggest
points buffer all
season, Piquet
understands the
task ahead of
him in London.
“We know that we cannot afford to make any stupid mistakes and we will have to work as well as we have done so far”, he said in preparations for Battersea Park.
A much maligned driver during his
Formula One career, Piquet (Jnr) has forced critics to re-think their assessment of his talents. Often the smoothest and energy efficient driver on the Formula E grid, Nelson has also proven adept at converting strategy and making calculated
risks when the pressure has been at its highest.
It’s this approach that has now forced di Grassi’s hand, the Brazilian admitting that: “now the championship battle is much more intense, we have to take more risks”.
With 60 points up for grabs, anything can still happen, and that includes the dark horse of e.dams Renault talisman, Sebastien Buemi.
Sitting second in the points, Buemi shares the honour with Piquet of being the only two-time winner so in Formula E. Buemi, di Grassi and Piquet are all currently in the mix for FanBoost and each will have a chance to score two extra points if they can get the fastest lap.
“Nelson is always good in the FanBoost and tends to get the fastest lap,” Buemi told the FIA Formula E website. “Obviously it’s easier to put a quick lap together with the extra power and get those two extra points for the championship.”
Whichever way the championship falls, the Formula E finale in Battersea promises to be a belter.