Round 10 of the Formula E World Championship came stateside on July 10th for the New York E-Prix. With only 5 rounds to go, every race counts in the tight championship battle. Let’s take a look at 3 drivers on the grid and their performance in round 10. 

Stoffel Vandoorne, Mercedes EQ

Stoffel Vandoorne is a 29-year-old Belgian driver who drives for Mercedes-EQ. A former McLaren Formula 1 driver, Vandoorne is in his third season of Formula E and sat in 7th before round 10. His day was plagued by other drivers’ incidents, with red and yellow flags occurring in 3 of 4 sessions. The first was in practice 1 when the session was cut short after Bird crashed. He was able to secure 7th before it ended but definitely needed to improve if he wanted to be seeing a podium later in the day. Practice 2 was the only session not marred by an incident, and Vandoorne was only 8th fastest. The Belgian driver was in group 2 for qualifying but didn’t go out until 3 minutes remained. Bird and Rowland crashed, causing a red flag before he could put a time on the board. He was allowed to set a lap time but messed up in the last sector, causing him to qualify last in his group. His final starting grid position was 21st. Vandoorne had a great start but couldn’t keep up the momentum. He gained a few places at the start and decently conserved energy, but his luck ran out after a full course yellow flag. He eventually had to retire the car after suffering damage and did not score vital points on the first day in New York. 

Photo Via @MercedesEQFE on Twitter

Sam Bird, Jaguar Racing

Sam Bird is a 34-year-old British driver who drives for Jaguar Racing. He has raced in every FE race since its conception in 2014. He currently sits 11th in this year’s championship. During the first practice session, he was consistently in the middle of the pack but struggled with understeer in sectors 2 and 3. He then lost it coming out of the final corner and went into the wall. This caused a red flag, which finished the session. Bird didn’t take part in practice 2 because they needed a new chassis after his crash, and it wasn’t ready for the session. This put him on the backfoot for qualifying. His team of mechanics was able to get his car ready for his group 2 qualifying session, but Rowland crashed into him, causing a red flag. He was able to set a lap later but only qualified 20th. Bird had a great start to the race, gaining a lot of positions on the opening lap. He made a strategic choice to use attack mode early on, and it paid off. Aided by a yellow flag, Bird was able to finish in 9th and secure points after a terrible start to the day. 

Photo Via @JaguarRacing on Twitter

Pascal Wehrlein, Tag Heuer Porsche

26-year-old Tag Heuer driver Pascal Wehrlein did not have a great day. The German driver is currently sitting 12th in his second season of Formula E. Practice went decently well for the German driver, ending the session in 5th even with the red flag. The second session was even better for Wehrlein. After showing great pace, he finished 3rd. Qualifying was set to be good for Wehrlein, and even after the red flag in his group 2 session, he made it into the super pole shootout. In the close fight for pole, he only managed to clinch 6th. He seemed to have a decent start, using his attack mode early, but after having contact with Lynn, his good fortune reversed. He was able to keep up after the damage for a few laps, but he eventually had to retire. This was another in a line of unfortunate races for Wehrlein. 

Pascal Wehrlein via @PorscheFormulaE on Twitter

After coming stateside for rounds 10 and 11, there are just two Formula E weekends left in London and Berlin. Who will win the championship? It’s still anybody’s game.