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Day: 1 May 2022

Vandoorne wins Monaco ePrix as Princess makes public return

by: Luke Entwistle
01/05/2022

Stoffel Vandoorne pulled off a stunning drive to win the fifth Monaco ePrix on Saturday, as Princess Charlene made her first public appearance in over a year for the trophy ceremony.

It was a beautiful day in the Principality as people from across the world descended for race day, the grandstands filling up early ahead of a long day of competition through the iconic streets of Monte-Carlo. The stars were also in attendance. Nico Rosberg, former Formula 1 world champion and now owner of Extreme E team Rosberg X Racing, lapped up the atmosphere. The Extreme E boat, the Saint Helena, was in fact docked in the harbour, but the attention on Saturday was on a different type of electric racing.

It was the first time since 2019 that fans were in attendance, and those that got there early saw New Zealand driver Mitch Evans, who was looking for his third consecutive win, claim pole from Pascal Wehrlein.

Photo by Luke Entwistle, Monaco Life

2019 Monaco ePrix winner Jean-Eric Vergne qualified in third and Stoffel Vandoorne would start the afternoon race in fourth. ROKiT Venturi racing had a mixed qualifying on home turf. Whilst Lucas Di Grassi managed fifth, Edoardo Mortara only managed 16th in what would turn out to be a frustrating day for the Swiss driver.

The drivers kept it clean off the starting grid, with little change up front at lights out. Evans and Wehrlein, however, struggled to pull away. When the former was then told to save energy, rivals smelt the sense of opportunity.

Wehrlein looked the most likely to profit, and may have done so if not for his machinery letting him down, as the German was forced to stop on track. Having passed Evans, Vandoorne was now in control of the race, and looked to have the pace to construct a lead.

Contact between Oliver Rowland and Andre Lotterer at Sainte-Devote, however, brought out the safety car and the field was once again bunched back together.

Meanwhile, slightly further back, Di Grassi enjoyed a quiet, albeit ultimately rewarding race, finishing in p6. The same cannot be said for Mortara, whose miserable day ended in retirement in the closing stages.

Vandoorne took the chequered flag having not looked like giving up his lead, despite the late safety car giving his rivals a glimmer of hope. Evans, having passed Vergne, took second, and the latter rounded off the podium.

Prince Charlene and Princess Gabriella at the award ceremony for the Monaco ePrix, photo by Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace

Princess Charlene, making her first public appearance in over a year, was present at the trophy presentation ceremony, handing the second-place trophy to Evans, whilst Prince Albert II, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques were also present and involved in the ceremony.

Post-race, winner Vandoorne reflected on a special win, having fallen short on other occasions this year. “For any driver, it’s such a special race… we’ve always been fighting at the front this year and I’ve qualified on pole but just couldn’t convert them into victories. But now, from fourth, it was finally my turn.”

Venturi team principal Jerome d’Ambrosio also reflected on his team’s mixed bag. “It was great to be back in Monaco this weekend. A home race is always very special, but to have a home race at motorsport’s most famous circuit is incredible,” he began.

“From our side, it’s good to come away with some points, but unfortunately, today is a day where we could have picked up more points… In the final stages, Edo and Lucas made contact with one another in the Nouvelle chicane. Seeing our drivers collide on track is unacceptable. It’s disrespectful to the team, to the work that everyone puts in and it should never happen.”

The world’s biggest electric racing series next heads to Berlin in two weeks time, where Venturi will be looking to get their title challenge back on track.

See more photos by clicking on the gallery below. Photos by Eric Mathon, Prince’s Palace…

Monaco take it to a battle-to-the-death in Greece

by: Luke Entwistle
01/05/2022

A phenomenal late victory for the Roca Team against Olympiacos (78-77) on Friday takes the five-game-tie to a final battle in Athens next week.

Little has separated the two sides, who have matched each other blow-for-blow during these first four legs. A sizable Roca Team defeat in the first leg (71-54) gave rise to false allusions of a one-way contest, Monaco, having qualified for the Euroleague next season, had lost their fight.

Nothing could be further from the truth, and having fought back in the second match, two tight matches at the Salle Gaston Medecin will see both sides head back to the Peace and Friendship Stadium in Greece to settle the tie once and for all.

Still playing the role of the plucky underdog, Sasa Obradoivc is relying on intangible qualities as well as technical and tactical ability to pull off the coup, in a match-up that, in discourse at least, is being set-up as an almost “David v Goliath” tie.

“I still count on our energy, on our big heart, but sometimes you have to put your heart away and play with purpose. Olympiacos knows how to work certain situations better, but we need to work on it,” said Obradoivc post-match.

To take it to a fifth match, Monaco first prevailed in what Olympiacos manager Georgios Bartzokas described as a “typical dogfight”.

The game played out not so dissimilarly to Wednesday’s tie. Olympiacos had the ability to pull away from their valiant opponents, but Monaco with their “big heart” always came back, even when the gap was sizable, and the Greeks were in the ascendency.

There were some good omens early-on, as the big stars of the Roca Team did what they do best. Mike James pulled the strings, Donta Hall was finding space under the board, whilst Will Thomas was an omnipresent figure on the court in both offence and defence.

Olympiacos, however, managed to ruffle the Monegasque’s feathers and limited them to a mere single three-point attempt in the first-quarter, which wasn’t converted. Olympiacos upped the tempo at the start of the second to grow a gap of eight points mid-way through the quarter (32-40), only to be reeled back in. The Greeks did nonetheless go into the break with a slender advantage (38-42).

Olympiacos’ grip of the match loosened in the third-quarter, and as they lost their range, Monaco cashed in. A Mike James two-pointer, whilst drawing a foul got everyone off their seat, including legendary basketballer Kevin Durant, who was in attendance for the special night. The momentum had clearly shifted, Monaco had turned the match on its head, and having taken the lead, they only needed to hold it.

The four-point lead going into the final-quarter was notable, but far from definitive, and the nerves of the occasion showed in the stands, but certainly not on the court. The experienced Greek stalwarts drew back to parity, before taking the lead (76-77) with less than two minutes on the clock. A Dwayne Bacon two-pointer and a Hall interception once again turned the game in the Monegasques favour with 30 seconds to go to keep their European dream alive.

It all came down to the last play. Bacon’s two-pointer didn’t find the hoop, giving Kostas Sloukas the opportunity to kill the tie, but he couldn’t convert, the court erupting as Monaco lived to fight another day (78-77).

Post-match, Roca player Yakuba Outtara revealed he was relishing his side’s underdog tag. “I think they’ll tremble (Olympiacos),” he said with a smirk on his face. “They’re in more of a fearful position, we have nothing to lose.”

Growing into their role as David, Monaco will have the chance to slay Goliath on Wednesday and pull off a legendary Euroleague shock in what will be a battle-to-the-death in Athens.