It was a flawless weekend for ROKiT Venturi Racing in Morocco, as an Edoardo Mortara victory allowed both himself and his team to take the lead in their respective Formula E standings.
Mortara’s first-place finish, coupled with an impressive drive from Lucas di Grassi that saw the Brazilian make up seven positions on his way to fifth, gave Venturi the team’s standings lead in Marrakesh on Saturday.
Whilst cars squabbled and vied for position behind him, Mortara led a controlled race and the victory never looked in doubt. Starting behind DS Techeetah’s Félix da Costa, Mortara kept it clean off the line, and kept within striking distance of the Portuguese driver.
Mortara hit the front during the first round of power boosts as da Costa slipped down to third, and thereafter he never looked troubled. The DS Techeetah duo of da Costa and Jean-Eric Vergne tried to collectively hunt down the leader, giving themselves the best chance of doing so through the use of team orders. However, neither driver could get close as Mortara took the chequered flag to secure his third victory of the season.
Mortara’s day got even better during the final lap, as his closest title challenger, Vergne, was overtaken by New Zealand driver Mitch Evans to deny the Frenchman a podium, whilst da Costa consolidated second position.
That late switch, coupled with a spectacular di Grassi overtake at the penultimate corner of the final lap sweetened the taste of victory for Venturi, as it allowed them to inch past DS Techeetah in the team’s standings. The Monégasque brand now has a two-point lead with six rounds of the season remaining.
In the driver’s standings, Mortara leads Vergne by 11 points, whilst Monaco ePrix winner Stoffel Vandoorne is a further three points adrift.
Post-race, team principal Jérôme D’Ambrosio said, “We stuck to our strategy, executed it perfectly and it allowed us to deliver a strong haul of points to take the lead in both World Championships.”
He continued, “From here, we need to prepare for New York, be confident in our race prep and focus on the task at hand so we can maximise and take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way.”
Venturi and Mortara will be hoping to consolidate, or even grow, their respective leads in the next round of racing in New York in two weeks’ time as the championship hots up.
Photo source: Rokit Venturi Racing