Formula E: Seoul set for Season 8 finale

Season 8 of the Formula E World Championship will be decided this weekend as the series’ heads to Seoul for the very first time.

Rounds 15 & 16 will take place amongst a backdrop of the South Korean capital, with Eleven teams, eight manufacturers and 22 drivers set to battle it out partly inside the Seoul Olympic Stadium.

The inaugural Hana Bank Seoul E-Prix, which will also mark Formula E’s 100th race, will also decide the Drivers’ World Championship, with four main challengers in contention.

As it stands

Leading the way heading into the Seoul E-Prix is Mercedes EQ’s Stoffel Vandoorne, who sits at the top of the pile with a healthy 36 point lead over his closest rivals. The Belgian will be hoping to make it a double-double following both the Drivers’ and the Teams’ World Championship success last year.

Jaguar’s Mitch Evans is in second, but the Kiwi has a lot of work to do after a disappointing end to the weekend in London. With a healthy points haul seemingly on the cards, Evans’ Jaguar faltered in the closing stages, and was forced to retire from the race. Had Evans made it over the line, he would have been in a much more favourable position heading into the final weekend.

Edoardo Mortara of ROKiT Venturi Racing sits just behind Evans, with the Swiss-Italian needing a miracle this weekend to come away with the title, as is DS Techeetah’s Jean-Éric Vergne who languishes behind in fourth.

The odds are stacked heavily in Vandoorne’s favour, with the Belgian’s run of 13 points-scores in a season setting a new record for Formula E. Vandoorne has also only failed to register points on one occasion this season. With back-to-back top four finishes heading into Seoul, Vandoorne looks to be the safe money, but as is the nature of Formula E, anything can happen.

The circuit

Seoul’s E-Prix street circuit starts with a tight and technical run before entering the Jamsil Olympic stadium as the 22 racers put on a show for the grandstand audience.

As they leave the stadium a batch of sweeping turns leading to long straights connected by 90 degree turns follows as the circuit wraps around the Olympic park as the drivers jostle position around this fast 2.6km, 22 turn circuit in attempt to go for gold.

The historic venue will mark the 100th race in Formula E, and there is also another landmark on the cards. On top of race number 100, Lucas di Grassi of ROKiT Venturi Racing is chasing his 1,000th point, and could also become the only man to have entered every E-Prix to-date.

What the drivers’ said

“I’m very proud of to be able to be competitive for eight years now, in a championship which is super competitive,” said di Grassi. “The level of the teams that drive versus us is just insanely insanely good. But we go to Seoul with our main targetbeing the Teams’ World Championship – for ROKiT Venturi Racing to be number one.

“The task is hard, but it’s mathematically feasible. So until it’s unfeasible, we’re going to work very hard. We know how things are in Formula E – everything can happen. So we’re going to be on top of it and try to get this World Championship title for the team.”

Mitch Evans, Jaguar TCS Racing, said: “It’s hard to put this one into words. It was a huge race after a difficult qualifying and we were able to put ourselves P4 after starting P14. It was a faultless race, really aggressive with the overtaking and a perfect strategy from the team with my ATTACK MODES. We were set to score a lot of points but we had a technical issue with a few laps to go, which is heart breaking for everyone in the team. Stoffel (Vandoorne) now has quite a large points advantage but we’re not giving up.”

Edoardo Mortara, ROKiT Venturi Racing‍, added: “As Seoul is a new circuit, every team heads into the race with equal footing so it will be important to hit the ground running in practice so we can quickly validate our simulations. On a personal note, I’m really looking forward to visiting Seoul for the first time and seeing a little of the culture there, it’s always good to go somewhere new. My goal this weekend, like always, is to give it everything I have.”