Midway through a spirited race for the top seat on the ABB FIA Formula E Santiago podium, pole leader Mitch Evans, driving Panasonic-Jaguar’s all-electric E-Prix racer, succumbed to the ATTACK MODE* powered BMW i Andretti Motorsport vehicle driven by Max Guenther, giving up the lead that the Julius Baer-Pole Position had provided from the start of the 45 minute contest.
But that was just the beginning of a three way jostle for the finish that saw Evans eventually losing ground to DS Techeetah driver Antonio Felix da Costa who traded places with BMW’s Guenther back and forth into the final minute where Turn 9 of the Parque O’Higgins Circuit offered up the opportunity Guenther needed to overtake da Costa and ultimately snatch victory.
“For all of us, it was about managing the race in hot conditions and it was a straight fight to the finish,” explained Guenther. “Having not made a great start on the dirty side of the track, which actually cost me position, we used the extra power for ATTACK MODE very cleverly. That ultimately allowed me to take the lead.”
With its second victory in this third race of the season, the BMW i Andretti Motorsport team is off to a good start, finishing on top of team standings with 60 points. Guenther picked up 25 of those points in the victory moving him into fourth place in driver standings on the season.
(Photo by Sam Bagnall / LAT Images; Courtesy of Formula E)
Evans and da Costa are tied in 7th position with 21 points, picking up 19 and 18 points, respectively, Evans having earned extra points in the Qualifying Rounds coming out on top for Pole Position and fastest lap time.
Battling it out around the 11-turn, 1.42-mile (2.287km) counter-clockwise Antofagasta Minerals Santiago E-Prix course, 24 drivers representing 12 teams took to round three of the 2019/20 ABB FIA Formula E Championship with hopes of leaving their mark in the record books.
“For all of us, it was about managing the race in hot conditions and it was a straight fight to the finish.”
– Max Guenther, BMW i Andretti Motorsport Driver
(Photo by Alastair Staley / LAT Images; Courtesy of Formula E)
The setting, surrounded by Chile’s Andes mountains, proved both inspiring and challenging. Exhaust fumes and industrial pollution, coupled with green firewood being used for heating create a toxic environment over the country’s cities. To counter these issues, 100 electric buses have been imported to refurbish fleets in the capital Santiago, with an additional 100 planned. In addition, Chile is developing an electric corridor and aims to have electric vehicles account for 100% of public transportation by 2050.
* ATTACK MODE: additional power available to all vehicles at Turn 3 by going wide on the turn and risking a loss of position in exchange for a power boost.
All Photos in This Article – ‘Courtesy of Formula E’
