2022 Formula E South Korea E-Prix: Preview
10th August 2022The 2021/22 ABB Formula E championship is nearly over as the sport heads into Seoul, South Korea, for the final double-header of the season.
The inaugural Hana Bank Seoul E-Prix will finally determine a championship winner, this weekend, as the sport heads into its final double header.
Mercedes-EQ driver Stoffel Vandoorne leads the championship with 185 points to his name, 36 points ahead of Jaguar TCS Racing’s Mitch Evans (149pts). While Vandoorne and Evans currently hold the top honors in the standings, ROKiT Venturi Racing’s Edoardo Mortara and DS Techeetah’s Jean-Eric Vergne still remain in contention for the title, in third and fourth respectively.
While Formula E’s Gen2 era is set to come to a close, at the end of the weekend, another milestone is set to be reached. Lucas di Grassi, of ROKiT Venturi, is set to claim his 1,000th point of his FE career.
All still left to play for
Vandoorne looks to be a set favourite to win the championship at the weekend. The Belgian driver currently holds a 36-point lead over his closest rivals. With 58 points up for grabs, across the entire weekend, it’s understandable to believe why the Mercedes driver is the one to beat.
Last time out, in London, UK, Mortara – who frequently jumped between second and first place, in the standings – plummetted out of the points in the opening race. The Swiss driver suffered significant front wing damage, early on in the 13th round, which required a visit to the pit lane.
By the end of the weekend, in London, the Venturi driver failed to score any points – dropping Mortara to third – while Vandoorne took home a healthy 30-point haul.
This pointless weekend allowed Evans to climb up to second after he secured a 10-point finish in the first race.
While the title remains a possibility for Vergne, it looks to be slightly out of reach with 57 points separating him from Vandoorne at the top of the standings. The DS driver has failed to score any points in the last four races (London and New York City, USA).
However, Vergne will be expected to fight for the title until he is completely out of contention.
In the team standings, one question remains: will Mercedes secure the double, for a second time? Mercedes lead both the team’s standings and the drivers as they head into their final Formula E double header this weekend.
This will mark the last weekend for the Mercedes team, in Formula E, as they leave at the end of the season to switch their focus towards their F1 team.
The 36-point lead in the table, above ROKiT Venturi, look to give the German manufacturer the edge in South Korea. However, there are still plenty of points up for grabs to add some last-second spices into the mix.
1,000th point & A Century
Di Grassi, who has been with the sport since its debut – in 2014, is eyeing up his 1,000th career point. After he helped secure Venturi’s maiden win in London, it landed the seasoned driver on 996 career points.
This figure is helped by the fact the Brazilian is the only driver, in the current grid, to have entered every E-Prix.
While the 1,000th point might be in his personal desire, he will look to secure that alongside some – potential – silverware for his team.
However, Di Grassi’s milestone isn’t the only one to be – potentially – celebrated this weekend.
After two different generations (awaiting its third) in EV racing technology, and eight seasons of intense wheel-to-wheel action, the season finale will mark Formula E’s 100th race since its inception.
Weather
After two dry races in London, it looks like the weather may play a part in South Korea this weekend.
Saturday, August 13 is expected to be dry. On the other hand, the final race of the season is predicted to experience rain showers. Fortunately, the sport will avoid an expected thunderstorm which is set to strike in the early hours of the morning.
If a heavy downpour does hit, it won’t be the first time this year a race has been impacted by poor track conditions.
Heavy rain severely impacted running in New York City prior to the sports’ arrival in London. With eight minutes left to go, in Round 11, the full course yellow was brought out due to poor visibility. This led to a series of drivers aquaplaning off the track and into the barrier at turn six.
That’s it for the article: Formula E: South Korea Preview! Who do you think will win the championship this weekend? Let us know in the comments!
Read more Formula E here:
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- Formula E New York City E-Prix Preview
- Formula E Monaco E-Prix: Stoffel Vandoorne secures win in the Principality
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
