Wehrlein & d’Ambrosio Take On Round 2 Of The Race At Home Challenge

Round two of the ABB Formula E Race at Home Challenge in support of UNICEF took place on Saturday(2nd May 2020), with the sim series racing on the fictional 3.2km 18-turn Electric Docks circuit.

In first, the grid was filled with the permanent 2019/20 Formula E drivers competing against each other; the only esports race championship to feature all its real-world competitors.

For Mahindra Racing, Pascal Wehrlein started where he left off last week with a strong performance, setting the fourth fastest time in qualifying to line up on the second row of the grid. Jerome hit the wall on his qualy lap, knocking off a wheel and forcing him to start from 22nd.

The Battle Royale format of this series sees competitors take on 15 laps of race action, with the last of the field eliminated at the end of each lap until 12 drivers remain, who then enter in a flat out fight to the chequered flag.

On the first lap, Pascal dropped to 7th as he worked to avoid a first corner melee, while Jerome gained two places to 20th. Pascal then hustled hard and scythed through the field to take second place on the second lap, behind last week’s race winner Maxi Gunther. By the mid-way point Jerome had managed to work his way up to 14th and gained a further spot with six laps to go.

Six laps from the end Pascal began to put Maxi under huge pressure. A lap later Pascal hit the wall as he chased down the leader hard and, although remaining in second place, dropped to around ten seconds behind Maxi. With the damage he picked up by hitting the wall though, he could not maintain position and lost places in the closing laps. Pascal eventually crossed the line in 10th, with Jerome finishing in 12th.

Pascal is fourth in the driver’s championship, with Jerome 13th in the standings.