Written by Umut Yelbaşı, Edited by Sasha Macmillen
Stoffel Vandoorne brought his Mercedes-EQ team’s second victory of the season after a brilliant performance in Monaco, with Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans narrowly missing out on a three-in-a-row win streak, and DS Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne completing the podium.
The result puts Vandoorne on the top step of the championship standings, with Mercedes-EQ still leading the constructors with 120 points.
Vandoorne used a full-course yellow and a safety car to his advantage with teams’ strategies having gone out the window. After a race-long battle, the Mercedes driver beat Mitch Evans thanks to some measured energy management.
Vandoorne had taken the lead of the race after then-leader Pascal Wehrlein (TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team) retired from the lead with technical issues on Lap 16. Vandoorne immediately seized control and coped brilliantly with both restarts to take the chequered flag first with race pace and energy in-hand.
Evans couldn't quite capitalise on the searing pace that saw him fly to take pole position, but 18 points and second spot after a Rome win-double sees the Jaguar driver's hot-streak continue.
Vergne followed in third, sparring for the race distance with those ahead and fending off the late attentions of Envision Racing's Robin Frijns who came home fourth, the Dutchman extending his consistent run of form. That made it a joint-high of three podiums for Frenchman Vergne and he remains the only driver to score points in every race this season.
Antonio Felix da Costa made it two DS Techeetah cars in the top five, with Lucas di Grassi coming home sixth for a solid haul on home soil for ROKiT Venturi Racing - though Edoardo Mortara retired late on having run much of the race alongside his teammate in the points.
Nick Cassidy (Envision Racing) finished seventh, with Sebastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams), Jake Dennis (Avalanche Andretti) and reigning champion Nyck de Vries rounding out the top 10.
It leaves Vandoorne six points clear atop the Drivers' standings, and Mercedes-EQ 15 points ahead of DS TECHEETAH in the Teams' running.
Next stop in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship is a double-header E-Prix in Berlin on 14 and 15 May for rounds 7 and 8, marking the midpoint of Season 8.
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