Stoffel Vandoorne has conquered the first pole of the Rome ePrix after clearly beating Robin Frijns in the final of the new knockout qualifying format. The Mercedes EQ driver has set a time of 1:39.151 to win his second pole in the ‘Season Eight’ after the one obtained in the inaugural appointment in Ad-Diriyah. The Belgian will have Robin Frijns at his side, but also the threat of Nyck de Vries and António Félix Da Costa after being the drivers who have been eliminated in the semifinals.
The first qualifying session of the Rome ePrix kicked off with a Group A in which Jake Dennis set the fastest time after stopping the stopwatch at 1:40.069. The Andretti driver beat Robin Frijns and Stoffel Vandoorne by 59 thousandths, as both traced their times. Pascal Wehrlein was the last driver with a ticket to the quarterfinals. Already in Group B, António Félix Da Costa imposed his pace ahead of his teammate Jean-Eric Vergne, Andre Lotterer, and Nyck de Vries. Oliver Rowland was spinning.
The first matchup of the quarterfinals faced Jake Dennis as leader of Group A and Nyck de Vries, fourth classified in Group B. A duel that fell on the side of the Mercedes driver. Already at the second crossing, Robin Frijs clearly prevailed over André Lotterer after beating the Porsche driver by seven tenths with a time of 1:38.764. The third duel between Stoffel Vandoorne and Jean-Eric Vergne was for the Belgian with a time of 1:38.596, while in the last quarterfinals, António Félix Da Costa led Pascal Wehrlein by three tenths.
Although the two Mercedes EQ drivers were framed in different semifinals, the final dreamed of by the Stuttgart firm did not take place. Nyck de Vries could not with Robin Frijns in his direct duelalthough the difference between the two was just over a tenth. Yes, Stoffel Vandoorne fulfilled in his idyll with the ePrix of Rome and beat António Félix Da Costa by 15 thousandths. Already in the grand finale, Vandoorne won his second pole of the season with a time of 1:39.151. Robin Frijns finished 349 thousandths behind the Belgian.
Stoffel Vandoorne will thus start on pole with Robin Frijns as his front row mate. For his times in the semi-finals, Nyck de Vries will start third, with António Félix Da Costa in fourth position. Similarly, the final times of each of the drivers who have lost their quarterfinal crossing they have left Jean-Eric Vergne, Jake Dennis, Pascal Wehrlein and André Lotterer between fifth and eighth place. Behind them, Mitch Evans and Oliver Rowland have completed the ‘top 10’ as fastest drivers in the group stage without participating in the heats.
Formula E Rome ePrix Qualifying 1 2021-22
Photos: FIA Formula E