Da Costa (DS Techeetah/Michelin) takes Marrakech laurels

Antonio Felix Da Costa steered his Michelin Pilot Sport-equipped DS E-Tense FE20 to victory in Marrakesh, home of Round 5 of the 2019/2020 ABB FIA Formula E Championship. Morocco, Africa’s number one nation in terms of renewable energy, has hosted Formula E action every year since 2016.

Committed to promoting sustainable mobility throughout its history, Michelin won this year’s Marrakesh E-Prix, a race partly powered by green electricity. What was the world’s most powerful solar plant at the time of its inauguration in 2016 is only 200km from the Moroccan city and produces 580MW, enough to provide cities twice the size of Marrakesh with electricity.

The Circuit Moulay El Hassan – the longest of the campaign (2.971km) – produced an entertaining clash which saw da Costa claim his first e-prix win of the season. Second and third spots went to battling duo Max Günther (BMW I Andretti Motorsport/Michelin) and Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah/Michelin) who clawed back eight places in the course of the race.

Sébastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams/Michelin) and Edoardo Mortara (ROKIT Venturi Racing/Michelin) rounded out the afternoon’s top five, ahead of championship pacesetter Mitch Evans (Panasonic Jaguar Racing/Michelin) who started from last on the grid. Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler/Michelin) also fought back strongly, from 13th to seventh at the flag.

“The fightbacks staged by drivers of the calibre of Vergne, di Grassi and Evans prove that the Michelin Pilot Sport is not only energy efficient but also a high-performance tyre that remains competitive lap after lap,” notes Jérôme Mondain, the manager of Michelin Motorsport’s Formula E programme. “These drivers went faster as the race progressed and, between them, pulled off numerous passing attempts as they climbed up the leaderboard.”

Following the cancellation of the Sanya E-Prix in China due to the coronavirus outbreak, the next round of the 2019/2020 championship will take teams to Rome, Italy, on April 4.

Meanwhile, the teams and Michelin Motorsport’s technical staff will remain in Marrakech for Sunday’s ‘Rookie Test’ where a long list of newcomers will get the opportunity to sample the all-electric Spark STR O5-e single-seater and its connected, exceptionally versatile Michelin Pilot Sport tyres.

Next round: Rome E-Prix, Italy (April 4, 2020)

Marrakesh E-Prix – Final positions:

1. Antonio Felix Da Costa (DS Techeetah), 34 laps

2. Max Günther (BMW I Andretti Motorsport), +11.427s

3. Jean-Eric Vergne (DS Techeetah), +12.034s

4. Sébastien Buemi (Nissan e.dams), +12.282s

5. Edoardo Mortara (ROKIT Venturi Racing), +15.657s

6. Mitch Evans (Panasonic Jaguar Racing), +16.335s

7. Lucas di Grassi (Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler), +18.706s

8. André Lotterer (TAG Heuer Porsche), +19.498s

9. Oliver Rowland (Nissan e.dams), +20.126s

10. Sam Bird (Envision Virgin Racing), +20.295s

Etc.