The first-ever Formula E Race At Home Challenge concluded this weekend and the virtual eSports championship saw Mercedes-Benz EQ's Stoffel Vandoorne claim the win in the first season of the series. After six high octane rounds, the championship headed into a doubleheader weekend with the Berlin e-Prix as the digital circuit for the racers. All Formula E teams, with their drivers, competed for the top spot with Mercedes-Benz and Mahindra Racing battling it out for the championship title.
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Pascal Wehrlein started at P2 but an early contact pushed him behind a few places, thus ruining his chances of winning the championship
The eighth and final race saw Mahindra Racing in the lead with its driver Pascal Wehrlein taking a 14-point jump in the driver standings with the victory in Round 7. The Mahindra driver started Round 8 in P2 and held on to the position as the lights went green. However, early contact between Vandoorne and Sebastian Buemi around Turn 4 blocked Wehrlein and pushed him at the back of the order. Meanwhile, Oliver Rowland of Nissan e.Dams took the lead and there was no looking back for the driver.
undefinedA NIGHTMARE start for @PWehrlein in the Grand Final #RaceAtHomehttps://t.co/9KqVKEr3qA pic.twitter.com/vefC1pnyKK
— ABB Formula E (@FIAFormulaE) June 7, 2020
Pushed back to P21, Wehrlein was struggling to make his way back up and moved up to P12 after passing DS Cheetah driver Jean-Eric Vergne. He later progressed to P10 but that wasn't enough to oust the top contender Rowland with Vandoorne sitting comfortably in second place. BMW's Max Guenther took the safe line and finished on third on the podium, followed by Venturi Racing's Edoardo Mortara finished fourth in the 15-lap race.
Sam Dejonhe replaced Jerome d'Ambrosio for the final round of the Race At Home Challenge at Mahindra Racing
Speaking about the race, Pascal Wehrlein said, "I got hit from behind and spun, which meant there was nothing I could do. I think I did everything from my side in terms of qualifying and getting a good start. We had a good fight in the championship battle in the first and second corner but, unfortunately, after the spin my race was pretty much over. I want to say thank you to Formula E for the support and creating a show for the fans, and the team behind the scenes setting everything up with the tracks. It's been good fun, hopefully entertaining and all for a good cause."
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With Wehrlein and Vandoorne in contention for the championship title, a second-place victory for the Mercedes driver nudged him forward to take the maiden Race At Home Challenge win, while Oliver Rowland picked up his first win the eSports championship. Mahindra Racing finished second overall in the team standings, after a closely-fought battle through the season. In the final race, Sam Dejonhe replaced Jerome d'Ambrosio and qualified started at P17. The Belgian racer gained six places before being eliminated at the end of Lap 10, under the Royale Rumble format of the challenge.
