2018 Santiago ePrix
The 2018 Santiago ePrix (formally the 2018 Antofagasta Minerals Santiago E-Prix) was a Formula E electric car race held at the Santiago Street Circuit in the Chilean capital city of Santiago on 3 February 2018. It was the fourth round of the 2017–18 Formula E Championship and the inaugural running of the event. The 37-lap race was won by Techeetah driver Jean-Éric Vergne from pole position. Vergne's teammate André Lotterer finished second and e.Dams-Renault driver Sébastien Buemi was third.
| 2018 Santiago ePrix | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Race 4 of 12 of the 2017–18 Formula E Championship
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| Race details | |||||
| Date | 3 February 2018 | ||||
| Official name | 2018 Antofagasta Minerals Santiago E-Prix | ||||
| Location | Parque Forestal Ciudad de Santiago, Santiago | ||||
| Course | Street circuit | ||||
| Course length | 1.529 miles (2.461 km) | ||||
| Distance | 37 laps, 56.603 miles (91.094 km) | ||||
| Weather | Sunny | ||||
| Pole position | |||||
| Driver | Techeetah-Renault | ||||
| Time | 1:19.161 | ||||
| Fastest lap | |||||
| Driver | Sam Bird | Virgin-Citroën | |||
| Time | 1:20.235 on lap 30 | ||||
| Podium | |||||
| First | Techeetah-Renault | ||||
| Second | Techeetah-Renault | ||||
| Third |
| e.Dams-Renault | |||
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Lap leaders | |||||
Vergne won pole position by recording the fastest lap in qualifying, and held off Nelson Piquet Jr. early in the race, which was neutralised for four laps after two cars were left stranded at the side of the track from getting involved in separate accidents on the first lap. Vergne kept the lead after every driver made their mandatory pit stops to enter into a second car and his teammate Lotterer passed Piquet for second. Vergne, who was saving electrical energy due to a loss in pit-to-car radio communication, held off his teammate Lotterer for the rest of the race to win for the second time in Formula E and Lotterer finished second to achieve the first one-two finish in series history.
The result moved Vergne to the lead of the Drivers' Championship for the first time with 71 points, five ahead of previous leader Felix Rosenqvist. Sam Bird finished fifth and fell to third as Buemi's third-place finish moved him to fourth. Techeetah took the lead of the Teams' Championship with Mahindra two points behind in second. Virgin fell to third while e.Dams-Renault moved to fourth with eight races left in the season.