The streets of Seoul welcome Formula E for the first time – and the last FP1 of the season. With heavy rain threatening the activity for the rest of the day, practice is more important than ever as the results from these early sessions could be used to set the grid should Qualifying be cancelled.
The brand-new track built around the Seoul Olympic Stadium proved to be a challenge for the drivers from the get-go, with its narrow turns and the bumps typical of a street circuit.
The last three turns in particular saw a few drivers missing their braking point or going very close to the barriers like Venturi’s Lucas Di Grassi – who touched the wall in Turn 22.
Standings leader Stoffel Vandoorne topped the timing sheet ahead of Edoardo Mortara, the two championship contenders only separated by 0.013s. A tenth behind, Nick Cassidy and Lucas Di Grassi shared the second row in P3 and P4, followed closely by Jean-Eric Vergne and reigning champion Nyck de Vries.
London E-Prix winner Jake Dennis was the only Andretti driver in the top 10, sitting in P7 ahead of Porsche’s Pascal Wehrlein. Maximilian Guenther and Norman Nato – who will replace Sam Bird this weekend – rounded the top 10, with a gap of 3 tenths to Vandoorne.
Second in the standings, Mitch Evans only managed a disappointing P15 in FP1, half a second away from Vandoorne’s time. There is still time to improve ahead of Qualifying, where the Jaguar driver will be aiming for pole position, and with it the 3 points that could be deciding in the title fight.
