Rokit Venturi Racing stormed to victory with a double podium performance in Race Two of the 2022 Diriyah E-Prix as Edoardo Mortara and Lucas di Grassi secured first and third at the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A day after the first race of Season 8, both Mortara and di Grassi had continued to show promise in practice on Saturday and advanced from Groups A and B in qualifying to contest the dual stages.
Mortara defeated André Lotterer and Robin Frijns in the quarter and semi-finals to face Nyck de Vries in the pole position shootout but qualified in second place after falling a mere 0.005 seconds shy of the Dutchman’s time.
“What a day and what a result. The first part of the race was quite calm, and I settled into a nice rhythm following Nyck,” said Mortara. “I think he was trying to pull away from us, but he didn’t manage to do so at that stage. It was quite clear that we had a good pace. Our strategy was conservative but the race on a whole was very difficult for my nerves because of the constant pressure from behind.
“Fortunately, I kept cool and our strategy worked perfectly and I’m very glad to take my first win of the season,” the Swiss-Italian-French driver added. “After taking eight points [on Friday] and then scoring 25 today, it’s been a great start to the season. From here, we will be hoping to be just as consistent in Mexico. I’m so proud of everyone in the team and I can’t wait to go racing again next month.”
Di Grassi, meanwhile, started from fourth after beating Antonio Felix da Costa in his quarter-final before losing out to de Vries in the penultimate stage of the session.
From the first two rows of the grid, the duo secured a strong start and maintained position before activating Attack Mode with 36 minutes and one lap of racing remaining.
“I’m very happy to score my first podium for Rokit Venturi Racing,” said di Grassi. “Starting from fourth, we deployed our Attack Mode very well, and with the strategy, I was able to move all the way up to first position. I’m not sure what Nyck tried to achieve by fighting me so hard at such an early stage because it cost both of us energy but after that and letting Edo through, I was trying to save more energy. Robin overtook me just before the Safety Car came out but because the race didn’t resume, I wasn’t able to fight him for second.
“Sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don’t but in the end, this is motorsport,” said the Brazilian. “At this stage, we know that the car is extremely competitive and the more experience I get behind the wheel, the more confident I know I’m going to feel. Starting the season with a double podium is a great achievement and from here, we need to be consistent and score in every single race. I’m confident that we can win in Mexico.”
With the benefit of extra power, di Grassi carved through the field to take the lead, overtaking Frijns, Mortara — who armed his second use of Attack Mode — and de Vries in quick succession.
Running on the overcut strategy, meanwhile, Mortara fought back forward and after ascending to second place, overtook teammate di Grassi for the lead with 24 minutes and one lap remaining.
Coming under pressure from behind, di Grassi was passed by Frijns with 10 minutes to go, moments before the Safety Car was deployed following an accident for Alexander Sims.
As a result of the long stoppage, the race was resumed on the final lap, leaving a three-corner sprint to the checkered flag.
After 35 laps of competitive racing, Mortara crossed the line in first place to score his third win in Formula E to date, fronting a 1-3 double podium result for Rokit Venturi Racing with di Grassi securing third.
“What a day, especially after the mistake that I made in qualification yesterday,” Mortara said. “I am very glad to bring this win for the team. A 1-3 finish is amazing.
“It was a very strategic race, very difficult for the nerves because I didn’t have a lot of energy but neither did my colleagues around me. They were playing strategy, trying to attack me and make me consume, so I tried to keep my head cool and it worked.”
Taking 33 points from two races, Mortara now leads the World Drivers’ Championship with a four-point margin over de Vries while Rokit Venturi Racing holds first in the team’s standings with 58 points.
Jérôme D’Ambrosio, team principal, Rokit Venturi Racing said: “After [Friday’s] performance, it was clear that we had the pace to threaten for a place on the podium and by working hard overnight, we came back even stronger today. Taking not only the win but also a double podium and the lead in both World Championships is an incredible achievement and it’s one that we can be extremely happy with at this stage.
“From our side, the race was quite challenging strategically, but both drivers delivered near-flawless drives and it was great to see Edo joined on the podium by Lucas in only his second start with the team,” he said. “A lot of work has been going on behind the scenes during the winter and I’m incredibly proud of everyone in the garage and back at base. A result like this is a testament to their hard work and it will only add to our high morale and motivation moving forward. From here, we need to ensure that we continue to operate at this level on a consistent basis but it’s only the first race weekend and now, our full focus is on Mexico City.”
